Published On: August 18, 2025Categories: Local Grains, SAgE624 words3.1 min read

Grow Grains as a Cash Crop

On a hot, sunny mid-August evening, farmers, agriculture professionals, bakers, and more gathered at the Foodshed Alliance’s SAgE farm in Andover, NJ to learn more about growing a wide variety of small grains as cash crops. The Foodshed Alliance’s SAgE Program and Local Grains Project worked together to implement and care for a roughly two-acre small grains demonstration plot. Plantings began in April and continued through June.

Attendees learned about three major grain crops in a (mostly) healthy rotation, but the real highlight crops were the very niche, specialized grains and beans that would not only enhance a farmer’s crop rotation with supplemental nutrients, but also have extremely high market potential. Participants also watched as the Foodshed Alliance’s newly acquired grain drill was calibrated, and saw the newly acquired grain combine. Both pieces of equipment are available for shared use by farmers in the Local Grains Project.

With the expertise of Elizabeth Dyck, founder and coordinator of Organic Growers’ Research and Information-Sharing Network (OGRIN) and lead partner on this project, the team highlighted twelve crops with both high market and soil building potential. Click here to download a synopsis of each crop, written by Elizabeth and shared with all event attendees. 

In addition to the growing information, attendees sampled salads and baked goods made with some of these niche crops. See below for recipes for buckwheat blueberry bundt cake, amaranth pancakes, and a sampler of grains salad.

All in all, it was an informative – and delicious – event!

To learn more about the Foodshed Alliance’s Grains Project, contact Project Manager Meg Vetter, Meg@foodshedalliance.org ; and visit foodshedalliance.org/projects/local-grains/

Grain Recipes

Here’s a versatile method for cooking whole grains—perfect for wheat, einkorn, emmer, spelt, rye, and barley.

  • Ratio: Use 2 parts water to 1 part grain, just like cooking brown rice.

  • Prep: Rinse grains well under running water.

  • Cook: Combine grain and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover tightly, and simmer until the texture is to your liking. I prefer mine with a slight crunch.

Approximate cooking times (after boiling):

  • Einkorn: 10–15 minutes

  • Emmer, spelt, barley, rye, wheat: 20–30 minutes

For extra flavor, toss in a bay leaf while cooking.

See Emmer (Farro) Salad recipe from Love & Lemons.

*Can swap romaine and a bit of red cabbage for the radicchio, and Parmesan or Romano for the pecorino—delicious!

Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 cup buckwheat flour

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • ¾ cup brown sugar (dark brown looks and tastes best)

  • 4 tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp salt (I use ¼ tsp)

Wet Ingredients:

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 cups buttermilk

  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

  • ¼ cup honey

  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries (thawed frozen berries work well too)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a standard bundt pan.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder.

  3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, then add buttermilk, butter, honey, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. (Tip: If the butter or honey solidifies in the cold buttermilk, whisk vigorously, or bring eggs and buttermilk to room temperature first.)

  4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until combined—do not overmix.

  5. Layer the batter: pour in ⅓, top with half the blueberries, add another ⅓ of batter, remaining blueberries, and finish with the last of the batter.

  6. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the cake rises and edges pull away from the pan.

  7. Cool for 10–15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. This cake often tastes best after resting 24+ hours.

Try the Easy Amaranth Pancakes recipe from King Arthur Baking.

*May need a bit more milk than called for, and chia eggs work well as a substitute for chicken eggs.

Resources

Agronomic Assessment of Alternative Crops in the SAgE Andover 2025 Demo Plot

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