How many of you have heard "wheat is the staff of life"? What does that mean?
Don't let me lose any of you who can not eat wheat, there are so many other grains, seeds, etc. that will do the same thing for you. Skip down to the Sprouting section if you wish but you may even find out that your body can handle a wheat sprout, as it's molecular structure has now changed from the dry kernal that is the culprit in your wheat intollerance.
Wheat is very versatile
1. You can make anything with it in place of your white flour. It does make things heavier and lends to more practice time in getting the recipes right.
2. Did you know that you can make wheat meat? Yes. There's a whole book on it by LeArta Moulton from right here in Provo, Utah. The title of the book is 'The Amazing Wheat Book'. With special mixes of spices added to an amazing concoction you get when you continuously "wash" your wheat flour, you too can have some pretty tasty meat replacements like beef jerky.
3. One of the most beneficial ways to get the most out of your wheat is to sprout it. When you sprout any grain, seed, etc. the nutrient value increases 300-400%. It is no longer what it was. It has passed into a living stage. It is still a sprout when the growth, also known as it's tail, is no longer than the grain, seed, etc. is. Beyond this point, it is no longer a sprout and has moved into the next living stage, a seedling - a plant.
4. For wheat, barley, alfalfa, and other grasses there may be just one more step better than step 3 and that is to continue to let it grow into wheatgrass. "The Wheatgrass Book" by Ann Wigmore will get you started on this path. The wheat is grown to a 4-6 inch heighth, cut, placed into a special wheatgrass juicer, where it's juice is pressed out and drank by the ounce. Amazingly powerful. It's like giving yourself a pure, healthy blood transfusion. Liquid Chlorophyll.
Daniel's challenge talks about starting your day with a tall glass of pure water with chlorophyll or lemon added. You may produce your own chlorophyll a few different ways. The wheatgrass chlorophyll, by producing it yourself or purchasing it at The Herb Shop or local health food store. Second, growing alfalfa and pressing them as wheatgrass to squeeze out the chlorophyll. Lastly, you could purchase a bottle of Liquid Cholorphyll (alfalfa) at The Herb Shop (address below).
Now, I must get back to the topic at hand... Sprouting.
My favorite book on sprouting is Steve Meyerowitz' "Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook".
Along with the how to's, Sproutman's has tons of recipes. Sprouts are wonderful plain. Wheat sprouts are actually quite sweet. And, if grown under a copper pyramid, even more amazing but that's a whole other topic. Meyerowitz has recipes for sprout bread, cookies, pizza dough, drinks, and so much more.
One of the most healthy drinks made with sprouts (sprouted wheat or rye) is Rejuvelac. Wheat is soaked, sprouted, chopped in a blender, and fermented in pure water for a few days on your counter. During the fermentation process, good, live bacteria are grown other wise known as probiotics. Yep. The same thing you are paying so much for in the store in pill form, you can make yourself - fresh and in as much quantity as your hearts desire for pennies.
You can sprout just about anything. Anything that is that has not been tampered with ie: heated, degermed, etc. I get my sprouts and sprouting supplies like trays, bags, etc. at The Herb Shop, 167 S. State St., Orem, UT.
Sprouts are a must for Emergency Preparedness/Food Storage. Properly stored, sprouts last forever. Take them out, add some water and voila, you have greens. And, 300-400% healthier than your typical green salad you are used to eating now. This is the answer to keeping our health strong during times of crisis when most of our food storage is processed, packaged foods.
What you'll need to start...
Jars with a mesh top to soak and rinse the sprouts
plus
Sprouting trays
or
Sprout bags
or
Homemade baskets
Soaking Time
Soaking - Fill a quart jar with the amount of beans, seeds, grains, etc. you are soaking then fill nearly to the top with pure water. The Sproutman says a few drops of liquid kelp will add extra nutrition (optional).
Soak overnight allowing for at least 8-12 hours of soaking.
Special note: There are many raw food recipes that call for sprouted nuts, seeds, or grains. They don't mean a sprout like we have been learning about thus far. You are no longer looking for a tail. For these recipes, the nut, seed or grain is soaked overnight to "liven it up", rinsed and used immediately in the recipe. Recipes such as milks, cheeses, spreads, home made breads, and many more.
Rinsing
Rinse very well after soaking.
You may find that with some, the shells have floated off. Just rinse them away.
If using a sprout bag, pour them right into the bag. Rinse twice a day by immersing the bag in pure water for at least 30 seconds then drain by hanging the bag in a warm spot (70-85 degrees F)
If using a basket or sprout trays, pour the soaked seeds, grains, etc. into the basket or trays, spread and even them out and cover. Sprout trays come with their own covers. You will continue your home-made process when using a basket by making a greenhouse with a heavy duty plastic bag that allows for 4-8 inches of air space above the growing sprouts.
Again, rinse basket and trays twice a day and drain all excess water by tilting the basket/trays to their side.
Sprouting Time
Varies by the seed, grain, etc. Below is a general guideline but your keen eye is what really matters here. What you are watching for is the tail. When it is as long as the seed, grain, etc. your sprout is ready to eat. You're done. Sometimes, you will find that not all are quite up to par but as long as the majority of them have grown to this point, the rest are good to go.
Remember, allowing them to sprout further changes them to a seedling/plant and with this change comes a different flavor. Your sprout recipes will not turn out as described.
With that said, here are a few general sprout times to get you started...
Soft or Hard Wheat - 2-3 days
Kamut - 3-4 days
Spelt - 3 days
Rye - 3 days
Lentil - 4-5 days
Sunflower - 2 days
Green Pea - 4-5 days
Alfalfa - 2-3 days
Buckwheat - 3-4 days
Now, if you wanted to let them grow to a seedling/plant (sunflower seedlings are wonderful in a salad or wrap), then there's more to watch for.
The tail you were watching is the root. Now you are watching the other end for the stem of the plant to develop. Keep rinsing twice a day. Once the stem of the plant has started to turn up-right and turn green, open your bag, take the top off your sprout tray or basket and allow sunlight to continue this growth. They are ready to eat when the leaf divides in two and 90% of the crop has dropped it's shell or hull.
To harvest, just wiggle them out, rinse off any remaining hulls and eat. Some won't wiggle out. The roots are stuck together. Depending on your recipe, it may not matter but you can also cut off the tops you want and discard the roots.
Soil Planting
I have been taught to plant in soil my wheatgrass and sunflower sprouts/seedlings. I haven't tried the Sproutman's above technique yet for these two plants. One day I will and see how it goes.
What I have learned in classes is that wheatgrass and sunflower sprouts/seedlings need soil. To do this, you will soak each overnight and start the sprouting process as described above. Once the tail starts to sprout, spread them onto a bed of soil, in a growing tray (you can find these 2-3 inch deep, long, rectangular, black trays at any garden center. With holes for draining. I've had to make holes at times.). The soil need only be a half an inch thick, spread the seeds evenly on top, top with enough soil to cover, water till the soil is completely soaked and the tray stops draining. Now, cover lightly with a towel or another tray to keep the sunlight out till the green stalks start to push up the the cover. Lightly water each day. Once uncovered, a spray bottle to water is sufficient and place your growing sprouts near or in sunlight inside.
Sunflower sprouts/seedlings are ready to eat when you see the leaf split to two. They will be fairly tall - about 4-5 inches.
Wheatgrass is ready to harvest when it is 4-6 inches tall. Just cut off a handful just above the soil and start pressing through your wheatgrass juicer.
Yes, you need a special juicer for wheatgrass. Regular juicers do not press, they chew up and squeeze out juices and usually produce a little heat in the process. Heat will cook your delicate chlorophyll and you'll be left with next to nothing nutrients in your cup. There are many different types of wheatgrass juicers on the market. Many are very pricey. I found one for $45. It's manual and takes hardly any effort at all to crank. And, it will juice other stuff like soft fruits and vegetables. Go to http://hippocratesgreenhouse.com/
Books
To help you find the books I've listed in this article and others on this website, Click on Veggie-Amazon Store here or Shop on the upper right in my Products section. This will take you to my Amazon link where you can find the books easily.
Website
Mumm's Sprouting Seeds
Another source of information and sprouting products you can purchase on-line