Buckwheat

Yesterday, I started soaking a third of a jar of buckwheat in acidic water (water with a few drops of apple cider vinegar added) in preparation for cooking it. Buckwheat is usually grouped with the non-gluten grains.

I looked up the benefits of eating buckwheat in Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions. Sally is the President and Treasurer of the Weston A. Price Foundation. This is what she says:

• vitamin B17 (nitrilosides) in buckwheat protects against cancer;
• vitamin P aka bioflavonoids enhance the absorption of Vitamin C, stimulate bile production, lower cholesterol levels, regulate menstrual flow, help prevent cataracts, and have antibacterial effects;
• a source of Vanadium, a micromineral (trace mineral) that the body requires for cellular metabolism and the formation of bones and teeth. A deficiency of vanadium has been linked to cardiovascular and kidney disease;
• it is not a grain (though usually included in extended lists of grains), but a seed of an herb that is a relative of rhubarb;
• buckwheat porridge has traditionally been eaten in regions with warmer climates, places like southern Russia;
• it is an important component of Jewish cuisine and is high in lysine and calcium, as well as vitamin E and the vitamin B complex.

Now that the buckwheat has expanded to twice its size, what shall I do with it? According to my sources, I need to rinse the buckwheat and add more filtered water and leave it overnight once more, so that tiny sprouts appear. Then it is called “kasha” and Sally Fallon has three recipes that use kasha: an egg dish, a casserole, and a nut loaf. And today, of course, I could always cook it as porridge.

The Weston A. Price site has lots more entries about buckwheat, very worth while reading.

I’m off to rinse my soaked buckwheat.

Best of health, naturally,
Nina