Wheat is Grass – grow a pot or a plot

You don’t have to live on a farm to start a crop of wheat. Here’s how to grow a little plot in a little pot:

1. Fill a small clay pot (or any container) with potting soil.
2. Evenly spread a layer of grains over the top of the soil without overlapping seeds.
3. Cover seeds with a thin layer of soil – like a blanket.
4. Water to moisten soil, and keep it moist (but not drenched) each day.

In 5-7 days, the seeds will sprout into bright green blades that require little water and are uniquely sweet and refreshing. Every morning each blade will be tipped with a glistening tiny droplet of moisture. Once the seeds grow to about 6 inches, pinch off 10-12 blades at a time and chew them to extract the juice. Yes, graze like a cow. Juicy, invigorating and nourishing. When you’ve chewed up all the flavor, throw out the remaining fiber or … swallow it!

The sweet strong-tasting juice in each blade is filled with chlorophyll – and is reported to hold 92 of the 102 minerals found in soil as well as almost all the vitamins known to benefit humans. Scientists and health enthusiasts claim that wheat grass is a miracle food with benefits that range from purifying the blood to preventing gray hair. A miracle food? Maybe – but no one will argue that each blade has a taste and an elegant beauty that evokes wonder and draws the attention of cats as well as humans.

For a crop of full grown wheat, plant the seeds one by one in rows one inch deep and one inch apart. Allow six inches between the rows, and let the young blades grow to maturity. In eight months or less (depending on the region and the variety of wheat), they will develop into stalks as tall as 7 feet.

You can buy the whole grains in almost any natural foods store. Look for "hard red winter wheat."

 

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