The Benefits of Growing and Cooking Rye

I've been a fan of rye for a long time, but this summer has really sealed the deal for my love affair with the handsome grain. Rye is a wholesome and incredibly nutritious grain and for the past few years, I've had the joy of watching it grow.

This summer, when a micro-storm wreaked havoc on many of our grain fields, rye was the only grain that stood tall and proud, unfazed and untouched by the heavy winds and hail that pummeled down. Aside from being a resilient grain, it's one that nourishes not only humans, but soils as well. Many farmers use rye as a winter cover crop because it increases organic matter and holds nutrients in the soil, as well as reduces soil erosion. Rye is a wonderful grain for northern climates, one of the most cold hardy. It's also a fabulous crop for organic farmers like ourselves because it contains compounds that are allelopathic, meaning they naturally suppress weeds. On top of that, because rye is planted in the fall and establishes itself before the snow comes, by the time spring comes around, the plants already have a head start and can easily out-competes the weeds.

If you follow this blog, you're already familiar with some of my rye recipes: there's the rye blueberry cookies and then the rye brownies that I make with fresh-milled rye flour. But I also often use the whole rye berries in various recipes.

They're nutty, tender, and chewy. Rye berries are cooked in the same way wheat, spelt, kamut, or emmer berries are: in plenty of water, like pasta instead of rice. The water is drained after cooking. I follow the Nourishing Traditions approach to preparing whole grains. That means soaking them overnight in water with a spoonful of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. This isn't necessary but soaking in this manner helps to break down the phytic acid in the grain and makes the nutrients in the grain more readily available for your body to absorb. After theyve soaked overnight, you simply drain the water and cook them in fresh water, like pasta.

Plain cooked rye berries can be used in all kinds of recipes, from breads to salads and they're a wonderful substitute for rice, alongside meat or vegetable dishes. They're a great way to diversify your grain consumption!

One recipe that I've been making again and again is this rye berry salad with red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, feta, and fresh dill.

It's a perfect late summer/early fall dish that takes advantage of the bountiful harvest at this time of year. It's wholesome, filling, and nutrient-dense. But you could easily substitute any of the grains I mentioned above if you don't have rye berries on hand: wheat, spelt, kamut, emmer, or even barley will work well in this salad. You can also modify it with whatever vegetables you have on hand. In fact, I've made completely different rye berry salads (here's one example). However you chose to make it, I hope you enjoy it!