by Shannon Stonger
Health Impact News

Wheat grass is the young green shoots of the wheat plant. Like sprouts, this young growth creates a most nutrient-dense source of vitamins, minerals, and chlorophyll. What’s more is that wheat grass can be grown and juiced in the home kitchen.

Growing wheat grass at home can be done in large or small quantities, depending on the number of servings desired and whether or not you wish to make larger batches and store shots of wheat grass in the refrigerator or freezer.

Growing Wheat Grass

Growing wheatgrass requires glyphosate-tested sprouting seeds, growing trays, and a growing medium such as soil or compost. Once the supplies have been gathered, the process of growing the wheat grass can begin.

1. Soak the Seeds

The first part of growing wheat grass involves initiating germination by soaking the seed. To begin, determine the size of your growing tray and how much seed is to be grown. A growing tray of 1‘ x 1’ will require 1 – 1.5 cups of wheat seed.

To begin:

• Place the seeds in a strainer and rinse them well.
• Transfer the seeds to a large bowl and cover with 5-6 cups of water.
• Allow the seeds to soak for 12 hours.
• Return the seeds to the strainer and rinse.
• Return the seeds to the bowl and repeat the soaking and rinsing process for a total of three times or until the seeds begin showing tiny sprouts.

2. Grow the Grass

The wheat grains can now be transferred to a growing tray with soil to encourage grass growth. To grow wheat grass:

1. Place a paper towel or a clean cloth in the bottom of the growing tray in order to provide the roots something to hold onto.
2. Fill the tray with two inches of soil or compost that has been moistened.
3. Sprinkle the seeds over the soil evenly. Gently press them in but do not completely bury them.
4. Gently water the soil and seeds using either a watering can or a spray bottle. Cover the seeds with a damp, light towel.
5. Gently water the seeds at 12 hour intervals to ensure that they do not dry out. After 3-5 days grass growth should begin to be visible.
6. Remove the towel to allow indirect sunlight to hit the grass. Going forward, the grass should need only one watering per day.
7. After a total of approximately 10 days the grass will begin to “split” or grow a second blade. At this point it will be approximately 4-6 inches tall and is ready for harvesting.

3. Harvest the Grass

Harvest the wheat grass when it is no more than 4-6 inches tall. This provides optimum nutrition while avoiding the fibrous nature of the wheat grass when it gets too large.

Cut the grass just above the level of the roots with sharp scissors. Once this first harvest has been made, you can water the roots again and get a possible second crop. Or, if you’d prefer to start over, simply compost the root system and start with new seeds, soil, and water.

Juicing Wheat Grass

Most commercial vegetable juicers are not conducive to juicing wheat grass. The fibrous nature of these grasses can cause trouble for vegetable and fruit juicers which are designed to work with different types of vegetation.

Instead, there are juicers specifically designed to work best for the juicing of wheat grass. These juicers press the grasses as opposed to vegetable juicers which grind and apply centrifugal force. Manual grass juicers also ensure that heat and oxidation are kept to a minimum which preserves the many benefits of the juice.

Using a  Wheat Grass Juicer

It is best to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, if available, or follow these simple steps:

1. Harvest and rinse wheat grass, keeping in mind that ¼ cup chopped wheat grass will produce roughly one shot.
2. Roughly chop the grass into smaller pieces.
3. Feed the wheat grass into the juicer and grind or juice as instructed
4. Capture the juice and consider passing the pulp through a second time which can help to extract as much of the juice as possible.

Wheat grass juice is most beneficial directly after juicing but can also be made in larger quantities and refrigerated or frozen, if desired.

Juicing With a Blender

If a juicer is unavailable, a high-powered blender can be utilized to juice wheat grass. Keep in mind that some water will have to be added which dilutes the strength of the wheat grass juice.

To utilize a blender:

• Prepare the grass as above and add to the blender.
• Add enough water to allow the blender to run and begin chopping the grass.
• Blend the grass and water just long enough to liquefy.
• Pour into a clean tea towel or several layers of cheesecloth set over a clean glass.
• Close the towel up so that the liquid and pulp are completely enclosed in the towel.
• Squeeze the liquid from the towel, allowing it to drip into the clean glass.

Serving

Wheat grass juice has a distinctively strong flavor that many find unappealing and legitimately grassy. To make it more palatable it can be diluted with water or other juices.

About the Author

Shannon Stonger grew up in a small town in northern Minnesota. She studied chemistry in college, graduated, and married her husband one month later. They were then blessed with two baby boys within the first four years of marriage. Having babies gave their family a desire to return to the old paths – to nourish their family with traditional, homegrown foods; rid their home of toxic chemicals and petroleum products; and give their boys a chance to know a simple, sustainable way of life. They are currently building a homestead from scratch on two little acres in central Texas. There’s a lot to be done to become somewhat self-sufficient, but they are debt-free and get to spend their days living this simple, good life together with their four young children.