ancient wheat

emmer wheat is the focus here but we are starting with winter rye...the small crop was ready so i brought it in today as well...i imagine i will seed another stand in september however i left a few ears ( first and second photo s ) to shatter and seed themselves just to see what happens...the emmer crop was in two small containers...i had less than an ounce ( probably more like a quarter ounce ) of seed which didn't need much area...it was a small sheaf of grain ( third ) which, after i left some for display purposes and mailed some off to a good friend, left me with eighty-one ears of wheat...they are small ( fourth ) with very long awns...they are significantly smaller than dwarf syrian wheat ears ( fifth ) and do, in fact, produce the smallest ears of any of the grain i have grown this season ( sixth )...first domesticated somewhere between 9500 and 10000 years ago it has not been "improved" much...no artificial selection for larger ears or less tough and difficult husks...more a relict than a commercial crop, it is still around because it can produce a yield in poor soils ( not that the rich mixture of soil and compost i provided made much difference seemingly )...i will still use this seed to grow a larger crop next season and just today i found and purchased einkorn wheat seed so next spring will see the yard doubly ancient...personally i am all curiosity...next march will see the planting..stay tuned.