12/02/2023
Buckwheat! 🌾 It’s not related to wheat, it’s not even a grain, being more closely related to quinoa or amaranth (and rhubarb?!). It is very delicious though, and humans have been using it for thousands if years. You may have eaten it before in the form of Japanese Soba noodles! 🇯🇵
The buckwheat plant is native to China, but Russia is the #1 producer in the world. They eat buckwheat in their blinis! However, the buckwheat we use is grown predominantly in the US, and sometimes Canada. We use the unhulled form of buckwheat flour, which has a characteristically dark color. It is full of nutrition and fiber from the hull of the buckwheat groats.
The flavor is mostly earthy and nutty, but it is really unique and must be tasted if you haven’t had it before. It is a strong flavor, but we balance it out with other grains, like Sorghum in our Buckwheat Bread, or with delicious spices and fruits like in our new Cranberry Buckwheat Cake.
Buckwheat can also be used to make an incredibly honey 🤤
It is also a great cover crop, which helps farmers to maintain the soil health of their fields.
And it is sometimes known as Beech Wheat, because the groats look like small beech seeds, and they are used in the same way wheat is.
We love buckwheat! 🤗👨🍳