Homemade buckwheat porridge
Photo by Mari Stuart
Local buckwheat is a fantastic cereal to grow on a small scale. Many gardeners grow buckwheat as a cover crop, but don’t end up harvesting and using the oatmeal. But since you took the trouble to cultivate it, you might as well eat it! Sweet almonds and walnuts have a favorable nutritional profile, forming a complete protein. Buckwheat is also gluten-free, making it a great alternative to use in breads, muffins, and pancakes – or on its own as a baked grain.
(Technically, buckwheat is not a grain but a seed, or a pseudo-grain, like amaranth or quinoa. But for the sake of brevity, I’ll call it grain.)
Growing buckwheat
Buckwheat is a remarkably hardy plant. It grows well even in low fertility soils and requires minimal irrigation. It has few disease or insect problems, attracts beneficial pollinators – and of course, it’s a great green manure besides being edible.
However, you want to plan the planting well. Buckwheat prefers cool temperatures, but is sensitive to frost. It is therefore somewhat difficult to determine an optimal window of time for planting buckwheat, which has a time from seed to harvest of 10 to 15 weeks. In the Northeastern United States, the right time to plant might be in the middle of summer. I garden in zone 7a, in the southern Appalachians, and the best time to plant buckwheat here is around mid-August. Buckwheat grows during the cooler fall weeks, but can still be harvested before the first frost, which occurs here in late October.
You can plant regular buckwheat which is sold as a cover crop at garden stores. That said, breeders are working on developing buckwheat that has a more uniform seed size and improved flavor.
Plant the buckwheat by diffusing the seed on a worked seedbed.
![buckwheat kernels ready for harvest]()
Buckwheat kernels ready to harvest
Photo by Mari Stuart
Buckwheat harvest
When harvesting buckwheat, keep in mind that the plant is indeterminate, which means that the grains ripen at different times. Some may still be green when others are ready. In some ways, this makes cultivation particularly well suited for small-scale cultivation.
If you have the patience, you can just walk around the field and remove the dark brown kernels from the stalk with your fingers.
![rich, dark brown buckwheat]()
Rich, dark brown buckwheat
Photo by Mari Stuart
The most effective methods are to cut the buckwheat with a sickle or a sickle, tie the plants in bundles and let them dry out of the rain. When the stems are completely dry, beat them in bags or old pillowcases, or on old sheets by beating them with brooms.
Buckwheat processing
What you have at this point are some locally grown buckwheat groats, but probably with some amount of plant matter and leaves in the mix. There are different methods of separating the oatmeal from the straw.
If you have a winnowing basket, you can winnow the groats. Alternatively, you can install a fan next to a shallow tray and place a few cups of buckwheat on the tray. Then take a handful of buckwheat and drop them. All dry leaves and other balls fly off because they are very light. Keep repeating this hold and let go. What ends up on the platter is just the buckwheat groats.
![Separate the porridge from the straw with a fan]()
Separate the porridge from the straw with a fan
Photo by Mari Stuart
You can grind the groats into flour as is. The crushed shell is a good source of fiber. But most people prefer the taste if you remove the dark brown hulls.
First, lightly toast the groats in a toaster oven, hot cast iron skillet, or hot oven. This makes it easier to separate the shells.
Next, grind the toasted groats to remove the shell. You can use a blender or a food processor, but I have had the most success with a good old fashioned grinder. The resulting coarsely ground buckwheat will still have a few pieces of the hulls in it, but they can easily be sifted with a flour sieve at the end.
![Remove the buckwheat hulls]()
Remove the buckwheat hulls
Photo by Mari Stuart
Cooking with local buckwheat
Now comes the best part: eat your homemade buckwheat! You can cook the groats as is and enjoy them like rice or barley in a meal, as a morning porridge with berries and milk, or you can roast them to make Ukrainian style. kasha varnish.
Alternatively, you can grind them into flour. Buckwheat flour is very versatile and can be used to make pancakes or blinis, or bake quick breads and muffins. If you don’t have a bean mill, a food processor or blender will also work.
Here’s an easy buckwheat pancake recipe for a hearty and satisfying homemade breakfast.
![Homemade buckwheat pancakes]()
Homemade buckwheat pancakes
Photo by Mari Stuart
Buckwheat pancakes recipe
You will often see recipes that call for 50% buckwheat flour and 50% all-purpose wheat flour. But it is not necessary to cut buckwheat with wheat – the nutty and sweet flavor of buckwheat is not at all overwhelming.
- 1.5 cups buckwheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 3 tablespoons of salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
- butter (for the pan)
Place a well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Mix the dry ingredients well. Mix the melted butter with the syrup, eggs and buttermilk separately and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough is well combined and there are no more dry lumps.
Melt a spoonful of butter on the heated pan and pour the batter onto the pan in the desired sizes. Enjoy with berries, syrup or your favorite pancake toppings.
Husband stuart lives in Asheville, NC, where she manages an urban property with her husband and daughter. She is a certified permaculture designer and teacher and certified ecological landscaper, who co-founded Project Grounded, an initiative that connects urban consumers to the regenerative agriculture movement through their daily choices. She is currently working on the development of a pioneering community-supported carbon cultivation program in western North Carolina. Connect with Mari at Grow the gathering and his Facebook and Instagram, and to Carbon harvest and his Facebook and Instagram. Read all MARI MOTHER EARTH NEWS post here.
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Originally Posted: 05/06/2021 9:26:00 AM