Consumers have yet to develop a taste for Kernza, the environmental wonder grain
startribune.com
startribune.com
The issues I've run into is that it's relatively expensive and doesn't have prominent gluten. So it's best used in pastries or baked goods that you'd use a softer wheat for, like muffins, biscuits, or pancakes. Maybe that will change over time as other varieties are developed?
I was surprised to read about the farmer with the backlog of Kernza. It's very new and has been relatively hard to find. I imagine he's running into price issues, or connecting with buyers.
> Billed as the new wonder grain — a wheatgrass with a nutty, graham or rye-like flavor — Kernza uses very little nitrogen fertilizer, and its extremely long roots make it a powerhouse at soaking up nitrogen that would otherwise seep into groundwater, research has shown. It's the type of eco-crop promoted for farm country to help cut the nitrate leaching from nitrogen fertilizers into the state's waters.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinopyrum_intermedium :
> Nutritional values and use of Kernza: Kernza contains higher values of protein, ash content and dietary fiber content when compared with wheat. Further 100 gram uncooked Kernza provides 1540 kilojoule (368 kcal) of food energy and is a good source of calcium (120 mg) as well as iron (5.5 mg). Comparing Kernza to white wheat berries, calcium contents are 4.8 times higher and iron values are more than double. Kernza contains gluten but is deficient in high molecular weight glutenin, which limits its use especially in baking. The higher fat content in Kernza may increase overall rancidity, but a higher antioxidant content than wheat may offer a protective effect. [31][32] There are existing products with Kernza such as Honey Toasted Kernza by Cascadian Farms[33] and Patagonia Provisions’ Kernza beer.