Dark Days Eat Local Challenge, Week #15

Wow. Week 15. Soon we’ll be eating asparagus…

This week’s Dark Days Eat Local Challenge meal was Peregion beans over wheat berries with spinach on the side.

I picked up these beans at the Coventry Farmers Market. I probably created a scene in my excitement over finding local (really local) dried beans.

Peregion beans are new to me, so I didn’t bury them inside a  recipe this time. I wanted to see what they tasted like on their own. I simmered them in lightly salted water with a bay leaf and some bacon grease. I’m thinking that perhaps even the bacon was too much extra flavor, but it was local and bottled oils are not.

The wheat berries are pretending to be rice.  I actually like wheat berries a lot—it’s like having bread or macaroni without having to go through the trouble of milling, mixing, relaxing or rising, and so on. Just add water (okay, and simmer for an hour.)

Sources:

• Peregion beans from Purity Farm in Moosup, CT
• bacon grease from Greyledge Farm bacon (I sure am getting a lot of mileage out of this!)
• bay leaf from NYS
• sea salt from Maine
• soft spring wheat berries from Wild Hive Farm
• spinach from Newgate Farms
• garlic from Holbrook

I liked the Peregion beans and would use them in recipes calling for Pintos or black beans, maybe even black-eyed peas recipes.

The dish went pretty well with Couer De Lion, a red wine from Cascade Mountain Winery & Restaurant, in Amenia, NY. (It was open, not specifically chosen for this dish.)