Season V: Larry Kandarian, grain farmer, Kandarian Organic Farms, Los Osos, CA
An agricultural legacy, Larry Kandarian is the energy and heart behind Kandarian Organic Farms in Los Osos, California. Larry started in tech, but went on to work in seed farming where he grew interested in grasses, the family of grains. Heirloom and ancient grains are now Larry’s primary focus, and he is a rock star on the international food scene. Larry is an encyclopedia of agricultural knowledge, but it’s his passion for grains that has captured people’s culinary imagination. Here, Larry discusses the correlation between grain cultivation and human development, his new venture, Heart & Soil Farm, which he is developing with his “bread brother,” Guy Frenkel, and his recipe for Longevity Stew, which I’ve posted below.
Website: kandarian-organic-farms.myshopify.com
Instagram: @kandarianorganicfarms
Larry Kandarian’s Longevity Stew
“My Longevity Stew is made with seasonal, fresh, organic ingredients, including the most important ingredient of all—love.,” Larry says. “Underlined ingredients are staples I always include in my recipe. I encourage you to experiment with all the other ingredients to make the Longevity Stew your own.”
Start by bringing the broth to a boil and adding the ingredients of your choice. Reduce to a simmer and take out a pint and a half to eat at the time of cooking. After the first serving, add additional ingredients of your choice and keep the soup at a low simmer through the meal (approximately 30 minutes). Store the soup in your refrigerator and repeat the process the next day.
Base: Beef, bison, or vegetable organic, low-sodium broths—bone broth and chanterelle mushroom liquor.
Vegetables: Bok choy, brussels sprouts, broccoli, broccoli raab, black mustard florets and leaf, carrots, cauliflower, chayote, Chinese cabbage, Chinese celery, cilantro, edamame, eggplant, epazote, garlic chives, green onions, huauzontle, leeks, lorocco, mizuna, peppers (any kind), spinach, squash (summer varietals including opo), snap peas, tomatillos, tomatoes, wasabi, mustard herb, wild radish florets and nopales (cactus).
Fungus: Chanterelles or crimini. (Always include at least one fungus.)
Sprouts: Bean or soybean.
Sea vegetables: Kelp or other.
Tubers: Cassava, camote del cerro, garlic cloves, ginger, potatoes (fingerling, colored), sunchokes, tiger nuts, white sweet potatoes, and yucca root.
Ground spices: Black peppercorns and turmeric.
Pasta: Adzuki bean, buckwheat soba, edamame spaghetti, mung bean, phở noodles, or wheat with squid ink.
Herbs: Celery, lovage, and parsley.
Spices: Ajowan, coriander, and khella.
Grains: Amaranth, black barley, buckwheat, purple corn, einkorn farro, emmer farro, Ethiopian blue tinge farro, kañiwa, medley, millet, nude oats, quinoa, rye, White Sonora wheat, triticale, teff, turkey red wheat, or sprouted rice medley. (Always include at least one grain.)
Beans: Adzuki, black eyes, black turtle, favas, favitas, garbanzos, Jacob’s Cattle, Kenearly yellow eye, Pervana, Scarlet Runner, Christmas Limas, yellow or green peas.