Growing Your Own Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass juice is increasing in popularity and with very good reason, it's just baby wheat, grown and juiced, but it's one of natures most powerpacked juices.

" It's not the food in your life, it's the life in your food " Anon

Never a truer word said, if you are on a quest to increase health making your own wheatgrass juice at home will be a potent weapon in your arsenal to optimum vitality! So how do you grow it? OK! Here's the JP's quickie guide.

We think for a couple of people looking to increase health levels you need to start three trays of wheatgrass every three days, so you have three trays maturing at about the right time! Its the 3x3x3 plan!

Simple soak your wheatgrass seeds overnight to get the germination process rolling, then spread the seeds over a potting tray with an inch of compost in the bottom. Water them again when planted, there is no need to cover them with more soil. I use standard potting tray from the garden centre.

When it's cold outside, wheatgrass will grow very slowly, so bring the trays in overnight to prevent growth stagnating altogether and mould setting in.

" Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so called scientific knowledge "

Thomas Edison ( You know, the inventor of the light bulb )

Wheatgrass is ready to juice in typically 10-12 days or at a height of approximately 10" (24 cms) to harvest simply slice the grass off at the root with a serrated knife. You can only juice wheatgrass in a single auger juicer or a twin gear juicer, centrifugal juicers will just end up with grass dancing around in the top!

One third of the tray's grass will give you two good shots of wheatgrass juice, personally I don't mix it with any other juice, it's taste will overwhelm pretty much any other juice it's in. If you prefer you can mix it up with any other fruit or veggie juice, just be prepared for a greener more wheatgrassy juice!

On the three trays every three days plan you will have three shots a day for two people, this is a good level to maintain optimum health and detox. If you are battling illness then more is required but start off slowly, wheatgrass juice is so powerful most people will experience it's detoxing side effects be it nausea or a headache. Stick with it, this is normal.

What can you expect? well look at it like this, you are growing your own organic wheatgrass, juicing it and drinking it fresh, it doesn't get much more potent than that! With a live organic juice from a baby green plant you are drinking sunshine itself! On a more practical note wheatgrass juice is a great multivitamin and mineral juice, will help regulate blood sugar and cleanse you on a cellular level! Keep your cells happy and you're in good shape!

Wheatgrass powders and tablets, obviously there is no substitute for the fresh stuff, but done properly dried wheatgrass is good stuff! It can be as high in protein as a fillet steak but without the animal lard! Dried you will get most of the goodness but the usual rule applies, there is NOTHING better than fresh