Sara Wood had dreams of opening a distillery. A smart move given Wyoming’s love of liquor. but after distilling school, her dreams sort of spun off into other directions, and she opened a malthouse instead – Wyoming High Desert Malt. There she and husband Pat use the centuries-old practice of floor malting to steep and germinate their grains, then kiln dry them for eventual fermentation into a mash fit for brewers and distillers. 

But the vision was bigger than just malting, and the family decided to attempt growing other grains, ancient grains to be specific. The fifth generation to work the family land near Ralston, the Woods turned to reviving heritage varieties for home and commercial use. They believe in sustainable, regenerative agriculture, and in practices that protect and restore Wooden Shoe Farms – the 250 acres of land they’ve spent generations cultivating (farmland made productive through an irrigation project championed by Buffalo Bill Cody a century ago). Root crops are used to naturally aerate the soil and crop rotation is put into practice since wheat feeds heavily on nitrogen. Conscientiously grown, the flours are also conscientiously (and minimally) processed. Big flour mills heat, strip and then re-enrich their products. Stone mills like Sara’s keep a bit of the germ and some natural oils intact. That means buyers get access to healthier, lower-gluten flours like white sonora, red fife, einkhorn and red spring wheat. Sara shares tips on her Facebook page to help customers learn to reincorporate these products into their baking routines.