Somehow we inherited a 25kg sack of organic wheat grains when buying back surplus stock from a campaign gathering. Should we plant it in the Sumac Garden or take it for milling into flour at the local Greens Windmill?

Or … Wheat Sprouts

This info from the website of the sproutpeople.com:

Sprouting Instructions

Yields approximately 1 Cup (1/2 lb.) of Sprouts

Put 2/3 Cup of seed* into a bowl or into your Sprouter.
Add 2-3 times as much cool (60-70 degree) water.
Mix seeds up to assure even water contact for all.
Allow seeds to Soak for 6-12 hours.

Empty the seeds into your sprouter if necessary.
Drain off the soak water.

Rinse thoroughly with cool (60-70°) water.
Drain thoroughly.

Set anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal) between Rinses.

Rinse and Drain again in 8-12 hours.
And, perhaps one more…
Rinse and Drain in 8-12 hours.

We usually stop here. We like our sprouts small.

Depending on your climate and the time of year you are sprouting and most importantly your personal preference – You may Rinse and Drain again at 8-12 hour intervals for several days. However – we prefer to sprout only to the point where most of the seeds have sprouted tiny (1/4 inch) roots, which is typically after just 2 or 3 Rinse and Drain cycles.

As always, we suggest that you taste your crop at EVERY RINSE – including the very first – just after the Soak period. The soaked seeds are already alive and though they may not be their most nutritious they are still very nutritious – they are already without enzyme inhibitors (a very good thing indeed) so they’ll digest themselves and nourish your cells without requiring anything from your body!

Grow them for as long as you like (as long as you continue to Rinse and Drain every 8-12 hours) and find out for yourself when they are most delicious! If you grow for a week you’ll have grass growing as well as roots.

Experiment! Have Fun! It’s All Good!

Harvest

Your sprouts are done 8-12 hours after your final rinse. Be sure to Drain them as thoroughly as possible after that final rinse.

The goal during the final 8-12 hours is to minimize the surface moisture of your sprouts – they will store best in your refrigerator if they are dry to the touch.

Refrigerate

Transfer your sprout crop to a plastic bag or the sealed container of your choice – glass is good too – and put them in your refrigerator.

Note: Grains do not store well in refrigeration so you should try to grow just what you need. It isn’t actually that they store poorly, it is just that grains are cool weather crops, so though they slow down quite a bit, they continue to grow – even in the refrigerator.

Remember that the yield will be approximately 1.5:1, so in theory you can start with as much as 2/3 as much dry seed as your Sprouter has capacity.

Using Wheat Sprouts

We have found the sprouts so tasty just to snack on, but great also for adding to buffet salads.

You can also make what must be the simplest bread imaginable, Sprouted Grain Bread, or

According to the The Essene Whole Grain Bread Recipe at motherearthnews.com you simply sprout, grind, shape, bake (2 1/2 hours at 120C / 250F / gas mark 1/2) and enjoy a round, flattened loaf — rather like a sweet, moist dessert bread or cake — containing all of the virtues of unadulterated sprouted grain, its sole ingredient.