Wheatgrass needs no introduction, and rightly so! While there are many “health” foods gaining rapid popularity, most of them also die back quickly, without a trace! Wheatgrass, perhaps, is the only “wonder-food” that is even recommended by doctors to treat a ton of ailments.

WHAT IS WHEATGRASS?

To put it simply, wheatgrass is the name for 2-3 days old wheat seedlings, that appear grass-like. They are then harvested and juiced for consumption.
It has been named a super-food for all the right reasons as it contains all sorts of nutrients raging from all vitamins, minerals, amino acids and most importantly chlorophyll, which is an important component for building Red blood cells.

BENEFITS OF WHEATGRASS JUICE FOR HEALTH

In a nutshell, wheatgrass is known to heal the body from inside out and hence,is beneficial for acidity, arthritis, bad breath, detoxification, anemia, boosting immunity and general well-being.

Wheatgrass has also been extensively linked to healing cancer and the side-effects of chemotherapy. One reason for this belief is that, chemotherapy kills the good blood cells along with the bad ones, hence reducing immunity. Wheatgrass boosts the production of RBC’s thereby providing strength and immunity to the body. It is also believe to kill cancer cells though this has not been scientifically verified, yet.

HOW TO GROW AND CONSUME WHEATGRASS?

Just like any other fresh juice, it is recommended to consume wheatgrass, as fresh as possible, to reap the maximum benefits. It is also advised to take this juice first thing in the morning, while harvesting as soon as the sun rises. Hence, it is the best to grow your own supply at home, which is a quick and easy process.

STEP 1: GATHER ALL MATERIALS NEEDED
You will need:
a) A container to grow in. Anything wide and moderately shallow does the job. The good thing about growing wheatgrass is that there are no set rules for drainage. If your container has drainage, it’s good; if it doesn’t but is deep enough, that is good too. Also, you can have some additional drainage by adding a layer of gravel at the bottom. You can even poke a hole at the bottom of a some plastic container to use it for sowing the seeds. Hence, this is quite a flexible choice.

b) Wheat seeds(grains). Most people buy their own bags of wheat for flouring and i just snag some from my parents’ stock(it comes from their own fields, so i know it is largely chemical-free)

c) Seed sowing mix. THIS is important. An ideal mix is free from weed seeds and is light-weight to allow the roots to grow. Hence, i mix the following- compost, garden soil(with sand) and cocopeat.

d) Spray bottle or your hands to gently water the seeds.

That’s it.

STEP 2: FILL YOUR CHOICE OF CONTAINER WITH THE SEED SOWING MIX. Leave about 1″ at the top for watering and covering the seeds. Do not leave a lot of space on top or it will become difficult to harvest the blades later.

STEP 3: SPREAD SEEDS. The seeds must be thickly sown to get a lush harvest, but also not overlapping.

STEP 4: RAKE AND COVER. Lightly fork the seeds into the soil and cover with a layer of cocopeat. It helps preserve moisture for germination and prevent unsightly fungus on top layer. Take care that while the seeds should not be visible, they must also not be sown too deep.

STEP 5: WATER. Use a spray bottle or your hands to moisten the top few inches of the soil. Do this gently so that the seeds do not float around.

STEP 6: PLACE AT A COVERED LOCATION. The seeds should get ample daylight but not direct sun or rain. We neither want them to dry out not be flooded if it rains.

STEP 7: HARVEST. In about 3-4 days, the blades should have grown tall enough(2-3″) for harvesting. Use a knife or a clean scissor to harvest the blades early in the morning.

JUICING WHEATGRASS

Crush the blades in a blender/mixie with some water. It will turn into a paste. Filter this paste through a strainer to obtain Wheatgrass Juice. Consume fresh.

HOW TO IMPROVE THE TASTE OF WHEATGRASS JUICE

Some people(like me) find the taste and smell extremely repulsive and bitter. If your doctor suggests, or if you are not consuming it for any specific ailment, you can add fresh orange juice,apple juice or honey to it to make it palatable.

WHEATGRASS POWDER

If you are lazy(again, like me) or travel extensively or do not have a green thumb OR cannot stand the taste, try wheatgrass powder, which is dehydrated blades powdered and packed for consumption as per your convenience. Remember, while this is a good option to be considered as a part of your general health routine, do not rely upon it for curing anything. For that, fresh juice is the way to go!
I have made a habit of consuming this wheatgrass powder every morning and love it with a spoonful of yogurt/dahi.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH CONSUMING WHEATGRASS

A few years ago, i was advised to consume wheatgrass juice post an intestinal surgery.Since i hated the taste yet had no choice, my mother force-fed it to me every morning( read early morning) while i was still half-asleep, of-course adding apple juice to it to try and improve the taste. I loathed the whole process, but this is what i loved about it:
A) RAPID INCREASE IN HEMOGLOBIN LEVEL. Surgery means loss of a lot of blood and wheatgrass juice helped the HB levels rise up quick.
B) GLOWING SKIN. My skin was testimony to the fact that wheatgrass truly detoxifies and cleans the body. There was an unmistakable glow and it was almost spot-less for a few months when i consumed wheatgrass juice.
C) GENERAL WELL-BEING. I definitely remember feeling less lethargic and much more active.

TIPS TO SUCCESSFULLY GROW WHEATGRASS

• The most important thing to do is sow in succession for a constant supply. This means, allot 5-6 containers and sow one, each day, so that you may get fresh harvest everyday.
• Never, under any circumstance, allow water to flood or stand in the container. This way the seeds/seedlings may rot or wash away. Protect it from direct rain.
• If the container is just shallow enough for the roots, ensure proper drainage.
• Use the freshest seeds and check for rot before sowing.
• If you feel that water isn’t draining down quickly, add some sand to aid drainage.
• The color of cocopeat is a measure of moisture level. Dry cocopeat is light brown, which means it needs water. Wet is dark brown.
• While watering, ensure that there is enough water to reach and wet the seeds not just the top.

DOES WHEATGRASS REGROW?

You may take a second harvest from the same pot, but it won’t be as lush and nutritious as the first one. So, the best thing to do is re-sow once harvested.

To do this, empty the potting mix onto a flat surface and let it sun-dry for a day. Strain it to remove leftover seeds, add some compost and reuse. Meanwhile, fill the original container with a fresh mix and re-sow seeds. So technically you will have to keep sowing seeds every day or on alternate days, max., to ensure a regular supply. It may sound tiresome but it isn’t if you keep the potting mix ready in bulk. Also, the hard-work is definitely worth it!

WHEATGRASS JUICE USES FOR BEAUTY

If you are not a fan of consuming wheatgrass juice or have some leftover, you may use it in your homemade face packs mixed with fullers earth or oats powder for an amazing face pack! In-fact HERBALISM CLEANSER by the brand LUSH has chlorophyll juice as one of the main ingredients(and i love it). Wheatgrass is actually chlorophyll juice!

P.S. Consumption of wheatgrass juice is also known to prevent grey hair!

Have you/do you consume(d) wheatgrass? Is there anything i missed that you would want to share? Do comment below!

Till then,
HAPPY GARDENING