Cooking with Cover Crops

Cover crops play a vital role in restoring nutrients to farmland and preserving the delicate soil structure and beneficial microbial communities below. They are planted between seasons to contribute to better soil health, utilized not for harvest but for their unique root systems and ability to prevent erosion and the growth of pesky weeds.  

To make sure cover crops don’t compete with the next harvest, they are generally turned into the soil before they fruit or flower, instead adding valuable soil fertility as those plants break down. But did you know that many plants used as cover crops are also edible (and delicious)?  

For example, many legumes like black-eyed peas and fava beans are utilized for their nitrogen fixing abilities which helps enrich the soil. Others with narrow and long root structures like radishes and oats help aerate the soil while the root systems of barley and winter peas help with water filtration. To spread awareness and appreciation for their wide-ranging benefits for supporting soil health, we are challenging our chefs this Earth Day to celebrate the tasty power of cover crops!  

If you too would like to cook with cover crops, savor the taste of soil health with these five inventive recipes utilizing soil-friendly legumes, vegetables, and grains from breakfast to dinner.  

Buckwheat Pancakes with Oranges and Honey  

Cover crops: buckwheat, wheat, canola 

Sesame Barley Salad with Seaweed and Cucumber

Cover crops: barley, soybeans 

Fava Bean and Fresh Mint Spread

Cover crops: fava beans 

Pea Shoots and Soba Noodles with Oyster Mushrooms

Cover crops: soy, pea, buckwheat 

Sweet Potato and Kale Mac and Cheese  

Cover Crops: kale, wheat, oat (if using oat milk)