Red Fife Wheat
Red Fife is a variety of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) that David Fife and family began to grow in 1842 In Peterborough Ontario. Legend goes that a friend of Mr. Fife collected a sample of seed from a ship in the Glasgow port. Red Fife was the first wheat to be named in Canada and many modern varieties of wheat owe their genetics to Red Fife.
The seed might have originated in Turkey, then moved across the Black Sea to the Ukraine where Mennonite farmers grew it, then seed was shipped to Glasgow, where a friend of David Fife's found it, sent a sample of seed to Fife in Ontario.
Mr. Fife grew out the seed, shared the seed with other farmers and called the wheat Red Fife because the kernels were red and his name was Fife.
Red Fife wheat is a living artifact that is part of Canada's living history, cultural and agricultural heritage.
Red Fife seed arrived in Canada when Canadian lands were being opened for producing wheat. Red Fife seed adapted to a great diversity of growing conditions across Canada. It was the baking and milling industry standard for 40 years from 1860-1900. Plant breeders around the world continue to use the genetics of Red Fife to make new varieties of wheats.
Read more about Red Fife Wheat: Visual Description, Red Fife Feeds Canada From 1860 To 1900, Red Fife, Marquis and New Varieties, Seed Politics, On-farm Trials, Diversity Within The Variety, Terroir and Branding, Red Fife Revival, Products Containing 'Red Fife' Wheat, Heritage Seed Conservation in Canada, Heritage Wheat and Red Fife Reintroduction History, Food Folklore and Culture Featuring Red Fife, 2012 Onwards With Heritage Wheat, References
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)