Jacob’s Cattle Beans Stew with Hard Red Winter Wheat Berries

Last weekend, I picked up some fresh, organic, locally grown
Jacob’s Cattle Beans from the Carrboro Farmers’ Market. They looked good and I thought I’d cook them tonight with hard red winter wheat berries.

I rinsed and then soaked the beans (I had a quart bag full) for about 8 hours; since they’re fresh, I didn’t really need to soak them or, at least, not for so long. But it doesn’t hurt and was convenient. I drained the beans and put them in the Instant Pot pressure cooker with just enough fresh water to cover them. I thought that I’d cook them for 20-25 minutes under pressure.

Wheat berries cook in a 1:3 ratio under pressure for 25-30 minutes. So, I measured out about a half cup of the wheat berries and three times (i.e., 1 1/2 cups) water, and added to the Instant Pot. I also mixed in:

• a medium carrot cut into approximately 1/4″ slices
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped (into maybe 1/4″ pieces)
• 1t ginger, finely (1/8″) minced
• 1/8 t turmeric
• 1/4 t ground cumin
• 1/8 t lemon pepper
• 1/8 t onion powder

Then, I cooked under pressure for 30 minutes. I waited a few minutes for the pressure to come down, then I carefully opened the pressure cooker. I mixed in:

Results

Ideas for the future

I don’t know why I don’t use wheat berries more often – I should. I would like to get more Jacob’s Cattle Beans! Maybe I could try another bean dish with ample crispy lettuce pieces mixed in at the end.