First you may be asking what are buckwheat groats and why would I want to sprout them?
Quick Facts about Buckwheat:
- They are the hulled seeds of the buckwheat plant
- Toasted groats are called kasha
- Triangular shaped
- No gluten in these babies
- Consist of high quality proteins and contain all 8 amino acids
- High in iron (add some sprouts along with greens in a fruit smoothie – the vitamin c in fruit will help your body absorb the iron from your greens and sprouts)
- Contains all of the B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, and selenium
- Great to use sprinkled on salads, in raw granolas, breads, cookies, smoothies and crackers!
- Find them at Whole Foods, nutsonline.com, sproutpeople.org and amazon.com
Why Sprout?
- Good for you! A sprout is alive and growing right up until you eat it. Think of a growing plant and all the energy it takes to push and unfurl itself above the soil. Your body can absorb that energy right away.
- A lot of savings in a little seed.
- Store-bought broccoli sprouts = $2-$3.99 for a container
- Home-grown broccoli sprouts = $6.58 for 4oz of seeds and 1-2 TB of seeds will make 1 of the store-bought containers. I don’t remember exactly how many sproutings from one bottle, but it was A LOT.
- The value of knowing where they came from and how they were grown. Only you can guarantee the most optimal and sanitary conditions for sprout growing and harvesting. All of that value takes up just a few square inches on your counter.
- A simple process: soak & sprout (drain/rinse the seeds), some seeds require a ‘sun’ treatment on the final day to get their green on.
How to sprout buckwheat groats:
You could sprout any quantity. That’s up to you. I happened to use 1 cup of buckwheat groats. That 1 cup yeilded 3 – 5 cups by the end of the sprouting!
- Take 1 cup of buckwheat and place it in a large bowl adding water to cover it by a couple inches
- Advice here varies.
- I soaked mine overnight but replaced the soak water a few times in the first couple hours because the groats and water become very slimy within the first 30 minutes. I’ve also just left them in the soak water for the full 6-8 hours and they’ve been fine.
- Sproutpeople.com states that buckwheat groats only need 30 minutes of soaking – do what fits your time frame. I’ve never tried it that way, but I think I might in the future.
- Drain them into a colander or strainer, rinsing them good. Spread them around the colander so there is room for air to circulate. Place the colander over a plate or in the sink so there’s a way for the water to drain. They can be left on the counter (I cover mine with paper towel or dish drying cloth). Make sure they are not in direct sunlight and in a cooler spot.
- Rinse a 2-3 times a day (morning, mid-day/after work, and right before bed). This helps so they don’t dry out. Do this for 1-2 days.
- Watch for the tails! Even on the first day a little nub will start to protrude. They will look like the picture below on the third day.
- My one tip…for now: On my first try I noticed what I thought was mold. It was feathery and white growing out of the tails – kind of like a comb. I would rinse them and the feathery strands would go away. After a little research I discovered they were just pieces of the roots growing and reaching out. Pretty cool, huh?
Have you sprouted before? If so, what? Any advice or horror stories?
xoxo
I sprout Alfalfa, mung beans and corn. I am pretty new at this, but sprouing is a Great way of increasing any amount of “seed” and adds to the nutritional values dramatically. The Groats seem to need less soaking time ( hulls removed ) , and I use baskets to raise my little guys up until they leaf out. Micro-greens seem, for me to best bang for the buck.
Thanks for your info and …keep sprouting…
mel
Alfalfa sounds SO good! I need to replenish my supply of those and clover and get into a normal routine. Cheers!
Yes alfalfa is delicious..I have not tried sprouting clover..yet. My wheat grows so fast, it seems I can watch the roots shooting out and growing !!!
mel
Do you make crackers or anything special out of the wheat? It sounds yummy! I feel like quinoa and even sunflower seeds are the same, they grow so quickly.
My only horror story so far – is some growing of mold. I have been diligently DRYING OUT my sprouts after rinsing and it seems to be keeping the fuzzy stuff from growing. A few hours in sunlight really helps. A very fine line between too wet and too dry. I still have lots to learn about sprouting different seeds. Each “crop” teaches me a little more 🙂
mel
You are so right about each crop teaching you a bit more. I love counter-top gardening 🙂
Hi there, thank you for this comprehensive description to soak and sprout buckwheat! I happen to like yours the best and thanks for the extra info and tips! I just bought some buckwheat and I am really wanting to turn it into flour. After the sprouting process, how can I do that? Can I bake them? Thanks!
Hi Kimberly! Sprouted buckwheat flour sounds amazing! I’ve only dried them in the dehydrator and it takes about 2 hours, so I imagine if you use the lowest setting on your oven and give the tray a shake every 10 minutes or so, until they feel dry. They’ll go from very dense to light and airy, with a crispy crunch (that’s how you’ll know they are done).