Christmas is just a few days away, and as gardeners we associate many plants with this beautiful season. Poinsettias, holly, evergreens, amaryllis, all so special for the color they bring to our homes. Wheat is symbolic for those of Ukrainian heritage, representing the hope for prosperity in the coming year.
I’ll add one more plant to the list: buckwheat! Christmas is always so full of memories, and precious memories for me involve the wonderful traditional foods that my darling Mom used to make at Christmas, specifically for Christmas Eve. Though she cooked buckwheat in various ways through the year (baked in cream in the centre of pillowy-soft buns, drenched in butter, could anything be better?) I especially loved the little buckwheat cabbage rolls that were part of our Christmas Eve meal. Delicious!
We don’t think of buckwheat as anything exotic, but among foodies it is considered an “ancient grain” and is respected not only for the flavor but for the many ways it can be served.
However, buckwheat is not a grain: it belongs to the rhubarb family! It is gluten-free, and is high in the B vitamins, making it a healthy choice for all of us. It’s rich in fibre, and the tannins in buckwheat have a flora that is very good for the bowel.
It is easy to make, and once cooked you can enjoy it hot or cold, just like barley, rice or quinoa. It’s a delicious, healthy food choice that we might overlook! But try it, it’s wonderful!
Some interesting factoids about buckwheat: did you know that buckwheat was first grown in Asia around 6000 BC? As many seeds and grains traversed the globe long ago, buckwheat reached the Balkans around 4000 BC.
Let’s fast forward now to a century or so ago: Russia was growing over six million acres of buckwheat, and even in the 1970’s buckwheat was still one of the main crops of the Soviet Union. Hence the many recipes from Eastern Europe using buckwheat.
For gardeners, buckwheat is important as a cover crop. It is a short season crop that doesn’t need a rich soil to do well. In fact, for farmers, fertilizing buckwheat will decrease yield. Buckwheat is rich in nitrogen, and is often used a green manure crop. The rich, dark flavorful honey from buckwheat is now a gourmet product.
If you remember the great TV show “Victory Garden”, the garden guru Roger Swain often used buckwheat as a cover crop in his garden in-between growing seasons, sowing the seeds by hand with great enthusiasm, and praising the benefits of buckwheat for the soil.
But in spite of the many benefits for garden and gardener, I love buckwheat because of the cherished memories of Christmases past, when my beloved family gathered around the table to share that very special meal together in Mom and Dad’s cozy kitchen, fragrant with delicious food and warm with love. Too many of those precious people are gone now; but I will treasure the memories for the rest of my life.
At this time, Keith and I would like to wish you and yours a very Merry and blessed Christmas, and every blessing in the coming year. May the wonder of that first Christmas be yours as you gaze into the night sky on Christmas Eve, watching for the first star. Indeed, wise men still follow Him. Merry Christmas, dear friends! Have a love-filled week!
PS: the winter solstice occurred at 4:44 AM this morning, making this the shortest day of the year. It is now officially winter!
