Soaking wheat grains is the first step in the process of growing wheatgrass.
We have to water-soak the grain well before sprouting.
Why do you need to soak grains?
The short answer is because you have to break the defense of seeds designed by Mother Nature.
All seeds consist of semi-finished products - canned building materials. These are mainly starch, proteins, and fats. In addition, the seeds contain inhibitors - substances that prevent digestion. Mother Nature has made sure that animals and birds carry seeds over long distances undamaged.
When seeds germinate, dramatic changes happen: inhibitors are destroyed, starch is converted to simple sugar, proteins to amino acids, and fats to fatty acids.
Therefore, beneficial substances are synthesized in seeds, and reserves are mobilized to throw all the energy into the growth of the plant. As a result, the preserved and dormant abilities of the seeds alive and release a huge potential for the birth of new life.
The wheat grains awakening process should start!
Grain must be healthy, not broken, and non-GMO, capable of waking up and sprouting.
How to soak wheatgrass seeds?
Day 1 - Morning
- Take 3/4 cap of grains. (this will be enough for two persons for three days)
- Rinse grains with cold water in a mixing bowl.
- Remove any waste.
- Also, look for broken seeds and throw them away. (they can be a reason for the appearance of mold in the following steps)
- Cover wheatgrass seeds with cold, clear water and let them rest until evening.
The water must be about 50°-70°F (10°-20°C), no hotter!
DO NOT use hot water! DO NOT kill seeds!
Fill with clean water, at least from under the filter. I usually use meltwater.
Note: It is enough to rinse the soaked grains twice a day. But if you can do this every 8 hours, you can rinse three times daily. In my experience, I have always rinsed twice, in the morning (before breakfast) and in the evening (after work).
Day 1 - Evening
- Rinse seeds with cold water through a strainer.
- There are no sprouts yet, but these are not the exact grains from the very beginning. They are ready to wake up!
- Fill with fresh, clean water again and leave them until the following day.
Starting from the second time, rinse the grains as carefully as possible. Cause the grains are no longer hard, in half a day, the grains absorbed water and became soft. You can easily damage them even with your fingers by mixing them in a bowl of water.
Why do my sprouts smell bad?
Because soaked grains are starting to turn sour, at first, damaged grains and other organic waste you did not remove turn sour. And then even healthy seeds begin to sour.
That is why it is necessary to rinse sprouts at least twice a day, and even better three times - every 8 hours.
Note: Use high-pressure water that cleans sprouted seeds that oxygenate them also. And the cooler water you use for rinse, the better!
Leave soaking seeds for another day without rinsing or changing water, and you will feel what I am talking about smells!
You cannot fix it, so it would be better to start all over again.
Tip: Every time before rinsing, smell the bowl. Does it smell sour? If you smell a solid sour aroma, throw it away and start over. Cause of mold in the following steps.
At the end of Step 1:
By the following day, we have well-soaked wheatgrass grains ready for germination.
STEP 1 | Go to STEP 2
