Garden Happenings: Welcome to Winter Happenings at Featherstone Garden
#35: Winter Happenings @ Featherstone Garden
Welcome to Vol. #1 of Featherstone’s Winter Happenings Newsletter. Each week we will share a rotating variety of garden updates: from heirloom seasonal produce features, to veg-ed(ucation) content, farm fresh subscriptions, plant-centered recipes, community partners, and more. As a subscriber, you will be the first to know all about our Garden Happenings. If you’re not a newsletter subscriber but would like to be, click below to sign up.
Rolling Subscription Signup
Our Winter Salad Kit and Microgreens subscriptions started this week! If you don’t want to miss out on this green goodness, we’re offering rolling subscription signup. Click below to shop Featherstone’s 5-week Subscriptions and subscribe for the remaining 5-weeks.
Wheat Berry Salad w/ Walnuts, Cranberries, & Apple Cider Vin
This week’s Winter Salad Kit features Featherstone greens, wheat berries, dried cranberries, walnuts and our homemade apple cider vinaigrette. We recommend that you cook the entire container of wheat berries (1 cup) at once, then portion into 3-4 servings for more efficient salad assembly throughout the week.
If you’re not one of our Salad Kit Subscribers, you can find the recipe for this week’s salad and homemade dressing on our Garden Goodness blog to make it at home. We’re also sharing an additional recipe under this week’s ‘Featured Recipe’ for an alternative way to turn these ingredients into a hearty grain bowl by adding roasted root veggies into the mix.
A bit about wheat berries:
“Wheat berries are whole wheat kernels and a true whole grain. Since the wheat kernel is left intact, virtually none of the nutrients are stripped away. A cup of cooked wheat berries has about 300 calories and is packed with fiber, protein, iron vitamin E, antioxidants, and magnesium, a good combo for healthy bones and muscles.”
-Dana Angelo White, Food Network
“Wheat berries have a sweet, nutty taste and a delightful chewy texture. They can take a fair amount of time to cook (up to 50 minutes or more), so making a big batch in the beginning of the week and storing it in the refrigerator is both a smart idea and a great beginning to many quick, healthy meals throughout the week”
How to cook wheat berries:
The ratio for water to wheat berries is 3:1. Combine 3 cups water, wheat berries, and 1-2 teaspoons of salt into a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then cover pan.
After about 35 minutes, scoop out a few wheat berries and check the grains for doneness. They should be chewy, and not tough. They will likely need more time, so continue simmering with the lid on for an additional 10-25 minutes. Once they reach your desired consistency, drain the berries in a strainer, transfer to a bowl, and toss with a splash of olive oil and another pinch of salt.
For additional wheat berry cooking resources, click here for instructions by Love & Lemons.
Warm Grain Breakfast Bowl w/ Root Vegetables
Yields: 2-3 bowls
Do ahead: Cook grains in advance for a simple breakfast bowl prep.
Ingredients:
Mixed leafy greens of choice
2 1/2 cups cooked wheat berries (or other grain of choice. add’l suggestions: farro, cous cous, orzo, quinoa)
4 tbsp oil, divided
4-6 heirloom carrots, halved lengthwise
1 large beet, chopped & skin peeled
2 shallots or 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh dill, de-stemmed & chopped
1/2 teaspoon course ground salt (or 1/4 teaspoon table salt)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 teaspoon brown sugar (or 1 tablespoon maple syrup)
walnuts (or other choice of nuts)
dried cranberries (or other choice of dried fruits)
Garnish Suggestions:
sunny up eggs
avocado
microgreens or shoots
Directions:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Step 2
Peel and chop beets into small (1/4–1/2”) cubes. Cut carrots in half, lengthwise. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil (save the last tablespoons for Step #3). Stir well.
Place beets & carrots onto a large baking sheet without overcrowding the pan. (Note: Over-crowding veggies causes them to become soggy and increases bake time; use two baking sheets if necessary). Using a pastry brush or spoon, douse veggies with the spiced olive oil mixture. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until carrots are lightly browned and beets are tender enough to pierce with a fork. Allow roasted veggies to cool slightly while cooking onions, garlic,(optional) eggs and prepping the individual grain bowls.
Step 3
In a saucepan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to sauté onions and garlic on medium-high heat. Add a pinch of salt, and cook until translucent. Turn heat down slightly, add egg(s) on top of the onion and garlic and cook to make sunny up eggs.
Assembly
For individual grain bowls: Add 3/4 cup of warm wheat berries (or grain of choice) over bed of greens. Top with roasted beets & carrots, add nuts, dried fruits, and 2-3 tablespoons dill; drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinaigrette and toss to combine ingredients.
Garnish with additional add-ons, such as sunny up egg, sliced avocado, microgreens, shoots, or additional fresh herbs.
Enjoy!
For additional recipe notes & tips, check out this original post on our Garden Goodness Blog.
Holiday Gifts & Dry Goods
Featherstone is offering a variety of preserved dry goods, holiday cards, and merchandise for the holiday season. Think: hot sauce, pickled chilies, stir fry sauces, jams, and other artisan goodness. Stay tuned for our new winter offerings in our upcoming newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
For more about our garden, follow us on instagram (@featherstone.garden), and check out our website. Feel free to email us or comment below with any questions or suggestions. We’d love for you to share our newsletter with a friend by clicking the button below.
Have a great weekend,
Annie, Aaron, Renee, Jessi + Chili, Pepper & Bean (our farm cats)
