Maximum Yield USA 2015 November | Page 113

How to Enjoy Wheatgrass Shoot It Blend wheatgrass juice and drink it as a shot. Place a large handful into a juicer. A blender can also be used, but the juice must be strained before drinking to remove the pulp. Drink 1-2 oz. of wheatgrass liquid. Make Tea Water the seeds thoroughly at this stage—your media should be pretty saturated—then cover the tray with a ventilated lid or paper that has been saturated with water. If you opt for a paper cover, it’s important to keep the paper moist throughout the sprouting process, so be sure to spray it with water a few times a day to keep everything damp. To achieve a darker-colored wheatgrass, add a light touch of organic liquid fertilizer. Once your wheatgrass is about an inch high, you can remove the cover. Water the seedlings every few days until they are about 6-in. tall. Use a food dehydrator to dry out a handful of fresh wheatgrass. Crush the wheatgrass into a powder using a mortar and pestle, place 1 tsp. of the powder into a mug, then pour boiling water over it. Allow it to steep for at least one minute. Juice It Add apples and oranges to sweeten the taste of wheatgrass juice. Place a small bunch of wheatgrass, 2-3-in. in diameter, into a juicer. Add two sliced, peeled apples and one sliced, peeled orange. Blend until the liquid is the consistency of juice. Remove the pulp and discard it. Drink on an empty stomach. Harvesting Veg It Up When it comes to yield, the general rule of thumb is wheatgrass will yield about as much weight in grass as in grains planted. Once your wheatgrass reaches about 6-in. tall, you’re good to harvest, but technically you can harvest it whenever you like. Cut the wheatgrass just above the media. You can easily produce a second crop from your wheatgrass, just leave it alone once you’ve harvested and continue watering. Combine wheatgrass juice with carrot juice for a vitamin-packed drink. Place a small bunch of wheatgrass that is 2/3 -in. in diameter in a juicer. Add three carrots and ¼-cup water, then blend until it is the consistency of juice. Remove the pulp and discard it. Drink on an empty stomach. Raquel Neofit is a freelance writer for the horticulture, travel and lifestyle industries. She has a background in business and radio, and is an avid believer that hydroponics is the future of gardening. Follow Raquel’s writing at My Food Story on Facebook. Consult your doctor before drinking wheatgrass juice for a medical condition. Ann Wigmore, author of The Wheatgrass Book, suggests drinking 1-2 oz. of wheatgrass juice three times a week. Source: livestrong.com. Maximum Yield USA  |  November 2015 111