Random volunteer buckwheat plant in my front yard

 Buckwheat grains are very hardy. Every year I find a few plants that either didn't germinate when first planted, or fell off some later plant. I do recycle soil I use so sometimes I'll get buckwheat growing in a container with carrots or squash.

I always wait till the seeds are mature and pull up the plant. Buckwheat loves to replenish itself and for every seed I plant, I get lots of seeds per plant even if it's neglected or growing in poor quality soil or in a shady area. 

Four flavors of buckwheat crackers from the state where I live

 I've posted about Maine Crisp buckwheat crackers before, when I was only aware of two flavors. Either I hadn't seen the whole line or they've come up with more. Saw these yesterday in the little market up the street from my house.

Whole, medium, and coarse

 Since my adult daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease, I've been buying her a package of kasha (roasted buckwheat) whenever I get one for myself. I see that it comes in a pouch now instead of a box, and I had my choice of whole, coarse, or medium. I chose medium because -- well, it's medium, haha. But I think I'll try the two other textures the next time I shop. 

Recipe for salmon blinis -- small buckwheat pancakes served savory or sweet

Found this recipe in The Little Fish Cookbook by Anness Publishing, and I'm gonna try it out. 

Bought some Maine Crisp buckwheat crackers

 

Driveway buckwheat!

 Buckwheat has been grown in places where other plants won't grow for centuries. Peasant folk who live in the mountains will toss handfuls of buckwheat groats up onto rocky hillsides, because the grain will fall into bits of soil which have accumulated in crevices and buckwheat plants will sprout up. 

Because I transport garden soil from one place to another, I get buckwheat "volunteers" in all kinds of interesting places, from seed which dropped off the plant onto the ground. When the dirt got moved, so did the seeds. 

I was pulling weeds in the side yard recently, and discovered two different buckwheat plants growing where the driveway has cracked apart and soil has settled in. One was right in the driveway and one was along the edge, where some weeds had also found a home. 

 

 I love to find these plants, which even when small can have 20 seeds on them. One seed multiplied to twenty is a good return, especially since they aren't plants I ever did anything to establish!

My buckwheat "planter"

 I didn't grow this in the watering can. When I move garden soil around in the yard, some seeds travel with the dirt and become volunteers. I pulled this plant out of the basin of an old porcelain sink I fill with geraniums. I needed somewhere to plonk it until I could harvest the groats and this watering can was handy.