Pecan and buckwheat granola

I am new to pecan farming. And to be fair I am not a real pecan farmer - in that there are not enough trees to commercialise the production, but too many by far to get through by ourselves. The first year of pecans beat me. I picked up every single one I could by hand - but after a few kilos of hand shelling, I slowed down.

I have just invested in an electric pecan cracker and so, although the pecan trees are on an "off" year, I intend to make very good use of the smaller harvest whilst they are fresh. The taste can not be compared to those you buy dried and packaged. They are sweeter and nuttier with no bitterness.

So many things on the list to make with them, including more of this scrumptious pecan granola.

Granola evolves doesn't it? This is my hybrid version that began with a batch of Anna Jones' malted chocolate buckwheat granola (a modern way to cook). It will probably keep changing, but I will stick with this one for a little while... it is well balanced, crunchy, and with all that coconut feels a little bit tropical. I cant wait until I am growing surplus blueberries and can dry my own! And perhaps in the future my own cacao too? Very exciting.

Let me know if you try it, and if it evolves into something of your own I would love to hear what combination you end up with.

Pecan and buckwheat granola 

200g raw buckwheat

200g rolled oats

200g pecans, roughly chopped

60g shredded coconut

50g puffed quinoa

40g cacao nibs

30g white chia seeds

100mL maple syrup

60mL coconut oil

1 egg white

70g dried blueberries (optional)

1 cup toasted coconut flakes (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C

2. In a large bowl combine the buckwheat, oats, pecans, quinoa, chia seeds, shredded coconut and cacao nibs.

3. In a jug, combine the maple syrup, coconut oil and egg white. Mix into the dry ingredients.

4. Spread thinly on baking paper lined baking trays, clump slightly to form clusters. Cook for 10 minutes before removing, gently stirring and returning to the oven (swapping shelves if you have more than 1 tray) for a further 5-10 minutes until just a golden brown. Be careful not to burn it.

5. Let cool - it will crisp as it does so. Add the dried blueberries and toasted coconut flakes. Store in a glass jar.