WSU’s first buckwheat variety named for inspiring Olympic Peninsula farmer

Washington State University's first buckwheat variety honors the late Tinker Cavallaro, an Olympic Peninsula farmer who inspired neighbors to sustainably grow their own healthy food.

For over two decades, Cavallaro was a friend and mentor to Kevin Murphy, WSU professor and grain breeder.

"She introduced me to buckwheat, seed saving, and organic farming on the peninsula," said Murphy, the Burlington-based Clif Bar and King Arthur Baking Company Endowed Chair in Organic Grain Breeding and Innovation.

The first named variety to emerge from Murphy's New Grains Northwest program, "Tinker" was officially released this summer. Bred to thrive in western Washington, it's an early maturing cover crop whose edible seeds become flavorful pancakes, soba noodles, kasha, and more.

"Tinkers fix things," Murphy said. "They innovate. That describes what Tinker did for food and farming perfectly, and it's what I hope our new variety does for farmers, too."

A well-known Port Townsend, Washington, food grower, Cavallaro volunteered at cooperatives, seed gardens, and seed foundations. Passionate about sustainable living, she made a lasting impact on local farmers, organic gardeners, cooks, and families. Cavallaro died this past winter from cancer at age 71.

"She was constantly helping people in their endeavors to grow food," said her son, Sam Cavallaro. A yoga teacher, Tinker led contra dances and joined African dance and square dancing. Friendly, determined, open, and joyful, "she was always in motion," Sam remembered.

"She strongly believed in sharing her resources and knowledge," he added. "She knew how to bring people together."

When Murphy moved to Port Townsend in 1996 to manage an organic farm, Cavallaro immediately became a friend. A founder of the Port Townsend Grain Cooperative, she helped the WSU researcher embrace buckwheat.

"Tinker had been farming in the area for a long time and was always willing to lend a hand and share her in-depth knowledge of organic farming," Murphy said.

After her death, Cavallaro's remains were composted. Now taking care of their mother's large garden, Sam and his sisters planted buckwheat as a cover crop.

"Some of the soil that came from her body is nourishing buckwheat now," he said.

Buckwheat, which isn't actually a wheat, is related to rhubarb and knotweed. Raised for its grain-like seeds and as a fast-growing cover crop, buckwheat is gluten-free and high in protein, fiber, minerals, and several B vitamins. Washington state is the second-leading buckwheat seed producer in the U.S., behind North Dakota.

Murphy launched WSU's Sustainable Seed Systems Lab in 2009 to explore and develop new breeds of buckwheat, quinoa, and spelt.

"We focus on breeding for diversity - diversity of crops, rotations, flavors, and products," he said.

Twelve years in the making, the new variety resulted from Murphy tinkering with different buckwheat crosses in his spare time.

"I was just messing around, selecting for traits I knew farmers were interested in," he said. "I got to a point where I liked what I had."

Originally grown in Murphy's backyard, Tinker was later trialed on WSU land and farmers' fields in western Washington. Support for the work was provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.

Murphy announced the variety's debut in August during the WSU co-hosted Buckwheat Festival at Finnriver Farm in Chimacum, Washington.

A dual-purpose variety, Tinker matures weeks earlier than most commercial varieties. That helps it fit more neatly into farmers' rotations, allowing harvest before fall rains.

"Buckwheat is an exceptional rotational crop," Murphy said. It provides ecosystems services by adding biomass to the soil, suppressing weeds, and flowering for long periods.

"One of buckwheat's biggest benefits is pollination," he said. "The number of insects and bees on an acre of buckwheat is mind-blowing."

Murphy works with WSU food scientists as well as Moses Lake, Washington-based Cascade Mills to test buckwheat's milling and food qualities.

"We're starting to explore buckwheat's nutritional value and learn why some varieties work best for different foods," he said.

Tinker is now in the hands of chefs and entrepreneurs, who use its light cream-colored seeds for everything from porridge to Ukrainian-style crepes.

"It's packed with flavor," Murphy said. "I want to see it widely grown by farmers, and made available to food companies, chefs, and home cooks who are interested in eating more buckwheat."