Home grow wheat grass

I love wheat grass juice. I used to buy one bottle of wheat grass juice whenever dining outside in Malaysia. It tastes sweet and has a special green aroma like pandan leaves. I have not drinking wheatgrass juice for a long time. I did notice that local groceries store like New Seasons is selling wheat grass plant but never really know how people using it.

Last week, I was searching for healthy breakfast idea online and came across a blog on growing wheat grass at home. It seems easy enough for a brown thumb like me. I watched a copule of youtube video on how to grow it and decided to get a wheat grass starter kits to try out. The starter kit comes with came with growing tray with drain holes, organic wheat grass seed, organic growing mix, Azomite (natural trace mineral fertilizer) and step by step instruction on growing wheat grass.

Here are the steps:

1. Rinse the 2 cup of wheat seed for 2-3 times and soak it in a bowl for 6-8 hours.

2. Drain off the water and rinse for a few time before putting it back to the bowl without water. Cover it with wet paper towel and let sprout 24 hours. Plant the seed anytime during the next day

after leaving it for 24 hours. Sprout started to show up.

3. Prepare the growing tray by filling it with about 1 inch of soil. Sprinkle Azomite over the soil, evenly. 

add soil

sprinkle Azomite

 4. Spread the sprouted wheat grass seed over the top of the soil and not buried them under soil.

Day 1 of planting

close up photo on how the sprouted wheat grass seed looks like

5. Put 4 layer of paper towel on top of the seed. Water right through the paper towels till the water drips from the bottom of the tray.

Day 3: Put paper towel on top of the seed

6. For the next three days, it is important to keep paper towels wet. If the paper towel dry out, the root hairs on the sprout will dry out and the grass will not come up well. On second or third day, take the paper towels off and water the grass and then place the paper towel for one more day.

Day 4 of planting

7. When the grass is 1-2 inches tall, remove the paper towel and expose to indirect light. Water it once per day until water drips from the bottom.

Day 5

Day 6

8. Harvest the grass when it is six to seven inches tall and start juicing it.
9. Wheat grass growth rate will slow down and the taste will degrade after the grass is harvested. So need to replant after 2 harvest.

I am so amazed by how fast the growth rate of this wheat grass. You can actually notice the difference within a day. I felt so satisfied seeing the green grass growing up each day. :)

I cut the grass, wash it, blend it with water using blender and strain it to get the juice. It tasted like spinach and a little bit of sweetness. I blended a banana or honey dew with the wheat grass juice and it tasted like milk shake. Yummy!

There are the wheat grass benefits that I found online:

1. Wheatgrass Benefits #1: Wheatgrass Builds Blood: Many health experts have highlighted that the chlorophyll molecule in wheatgrass is almost identical to the haemoglobin molecule in human blood. The only difference is that the central element in chlorophyll is magnesium and in haemoglobin it is iron. Due to this inherent similarity the human body can easily transform chlorophyll into haemoglobin increasing the red blood cell count as well as the blood’s capacity to deliver oxygen and other nutrients to the body’s cells (Hagiwara, 1985) .
   Chlorophyll has been shown to build red blood cells quickly, normaliseblood pressure by dilating the blood pathways though out the body, destroy poisonous carbon dioxide, release free oxygen and promote higher metabolism and stimulated enzyme systems. On top of all of these benefits, consuming chlorophyll from wheatgrass is a highly effective way to alkalise the blood and energise the body!
2. Wheatgrass Benefits #2: Wheatgrass Cleanses the Body: Wheatgrass is an extremely beneficial food in terms of both its cleansing capabilities. The contents of wheatgrass juice and powder (green drink) are reported to be within the region of approximately 100 separate elements with scientists dubbing it a ‘complete food’. According to ‘The Wheatgrass Book’ (Wigmore, 1985), just 140g of fresh wheatgrass offers the same nutritional value as over 3kg’s of fresh green vegetables! Thats a great way to get your daily fresh vegetable quota rocking – all from one wheatgrass shot.
   Wheatgrass is a great source of vitamins B, C, E and carotene which are hugely effective in destroying and eliminating free radicals and cleansing the body. Wheatgrass is also highly regarded for its ability to cleanse the blood, organs and gastrointestinal tract.
   Because it is also high in saponin, wheatgrass offers excellent support to the lymphatic system, helping to carry away hundreds and thousands of toxins from the cells of the body. Kulvinskas (Survival into the 21st Century, 1975) wheatgrass helps to ‘detoxify the body by increasing the elimination of hardened mucous, crystallised acids and solidified, decaying faecal matter…It is the fastest, surest way to eliminate internal waste and provide an optimum nutritional environment’.
   These are just some of the cleansing wheatgrass benefits, and I have barely scratched the surface with regards to listing its nutritional content. Put most simply, whether you are looking to undertake a formal cleanse, or simply try to add more nutrition to your diet – these reasons alone are enough to consider adding wheatgrass to your daily lifestyle.
3. Wheatgrass Benefits #3: Wheatgrass Has High Amino Acid Content:: You may have heard the expression before that – amino acids are the building blocks of protein. They are absolutely essential to our growth and cell regeneration. It is the astonishingly high amino acid content in wheatgrass that is leading to many bodybuilders and gym-goers incorporating fresh (a wheatgrass shot) or wheatgrass powder into their daily routine.
   Wheatgrass benefits are so impactful because it is a complete protein and contains, amongst others, the following amino acids: arginine, serine, absenisic, lysine, aspartic acid, glycine, alanine, methionine, leucine, tryptophane, phenylalanine, and valine.
4. Wheatgrass Benefits #4: Wheatgrass Fights and Protects Against Illness: Organic wheatgrass powders and juices are an extremely effective way of boosting the body’s immune system to fight against and recover from illnesses and ailments. Wheatgrass is a great source of beta carotene, contains most of the B vitamins and vitamins C, E, H and K, and also contains over 90 different minerals and 19 amino acids. It also contains several active enzymes which play a major role in breaking down fats, undertaking biological functions and assist hugely in weight loss. Of the 90 minerals found, many of these are very alkalising and include calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and iron.
   Many of the health benefits of wheatgrass stem from the fact that it is a living food. Being highly anti-bacterial, consuming wheatgrass will help to alkalise and detoxify the lymph and blood cells, helping the body to rebuild and transport toxins out of the body quickly and effectively.
   Again, coming back to the chlorophyll content of wheatgrass – this can protect the body from carcinogens more effectively than any other food. Studies conducted on animals have shown that wheatgrass consumption has reduced the absorption of a number of very serious carcinogens whilst strengthening cells, detoxifying the liver and neutralising polluting elements within the blood.
   

   
   

Granola recipe

I love granola. But the granola that I got from grocery stores is always too sweet. I tried out several granola recipes that I found online, this is the recipe I like the most. It is easy to do and it smells really good. I reduced the sugar from original recipe by half. So it is not too sweet.

Ingredients:
2 egg
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup toasted oat
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup sliced almond nut
1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/4 cup toasted sesame seed
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Direction:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Toast oat, pecan nuts, almond nuts, sesame seed and coconut flakes separately till fragrant.
3. In a large bowl, whisk egg. brown sugar, oil, salt and vanilla extract. Stir in toasted oats, dried cranberries, sesame seeds, nuts and flour.
4. spread in prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut into bars.

you can substitute or add more nuts based on your preference.

Before baking.

after baking