Sprouting Hulled Buckwheat
A man at the Farmer’s Market yesterday told me about sprouting buckwheat. It sprouts quickly (1-2 days) and makes a great breakfast. We do eat buckwheat now and then, cooked, for breakfast, but the kids don’t enjoy it that much because it gets a bit slimy. According to this man, buckwheat — sprouted — is not slimy. I’m willing to try it!
Last night, I put 3 cups of hulled buckwheat in a 1/2 gallon jar and soaked it for only 5 minutes. Soaking it only briefly prevents it from getting slimy. I topped the jar with a sprout screen and ring. I drained all the water out.
Edited to add: I would have been better off starting with 2 cups of sprouts, as the 3 cups ended up filling the entire 1/2 gallon. Also, I laid the jar on its side — with all the grains distributed evenly — on a cookie sheet in between rinses.
This morning when I checked, I see that the grains are already sprouting. So I assume that means we’ll be able to eat them for tomorrow’s breakfast. The guy said to sprout them for 1 to 2 days only. I rinsed the grains this morning and plan to rinse again this evening and tomorrow morning.
We’ll top it with dried fruit, some cinnamon, nut milk and honey. I’m eager to try it. I’ll let you know…
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That sounds interesting. I haven’t tried sprouting buckwheat before. I am looking forward to hearing about your breakfast tomorrow. 🙂 Do you like the sprout screen? I bought a sprout master and have lost the little divider. It seems like whatever I use, not a whole lot of the seeds actually sprout. 🙁
Michelle, I have tons of those little dividers and never use them. Email me with your address and I will send you one. I’m sorry your seeds aren’t sprouting. Could they be old? Perhaps they aren’t wet enough or it is too hot. Once I stacked my trays up on the counter right to the side of the fridge and nothing sprouts. I don’t think they liked being near an electrical appliance. What have you tried sprouting? The easiest think I have ever sprouted is clover. But lentils and alfalfa sprout really easily too.
Thanks Wardee! I’ll email you. I like to use the divider, because I am the only one who eats the sprouts. Sometimes the hubs will. I hadn’t thought about them being cold. I use tap water. I’ll try warming it up a touch. I have sprouted, white wheat (very sweet on salads), Adzuki, Alfalfa, Lentils, Mung, and Barley. I wanted to try and make Barley Malt, but the Barley really smelled bad the next day, so I threw it out and hadn’t tried since. I haven’t done Clover. I am not sure I can get it here. When I sprout alfalfa, it seems like there are a lot of seeds that don’t sprout. I eat it anyways. LOL
Michelle, I didn’t mean that they’re sensitive to cold, I meant that I don’t think they liked being near the electical currents or magnetic fields of the refrig. I use tap water, too, so I’m not sure that is the problem. Do you let the water drip out enough so they aren’t soggy? I get lots of leftover alfalfa seeds, too. I think that is normal. When it gets really hot in the summer, they don’t grow that well. And if it is too cold, they don’t grow well either. They are so finicky, aren’t they? 😀 Keep it up, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I’ll send you that divider soon, and I’ll send you some clover seeds to try, too. Oh, I think mung beans are hard to sprout. Well, that’s what I’ve heard. I think they like it warm. Don’t quote me on that, though. I’ve never heard of making barley malt! How intriguing. That comes from sprouts?
Thanks Wardee. Maybe the sprouts are normal and I am expecting too much. LOL Thanks for the clover seeds, I would love to try them. Mung beans are not hard to sprout, but just like the others not all sprout.
I’ll find the instructions on the barley and send it to you. It was in Hearth & Home by Karey Swan.
I lied Wardee. It is called Diastatic Malt, it is a natural sweetner and I wanted to put it on oatmeal and cereal. I am going to email the instructions. If you have the book it is on page 113. 😀
No, I don’t have the book. I would love the instructions. Guess I heard wrong (or remembered wrong) about the mung beans!
Dear Wardee,
I have been reading on your website about sprouting grains. Where I live in Europe I can easily buy whole spelt grains, oat grains, and buckwheat grains. So I would love to try that. Also, I would like to sprout beans befor I cook and eat them.
But here is where I hesitate because I haven’t been able to find an answer to this:
What about mold traces and myotoxins/aflatoxins.
I there a realistic threat of developing those when using organic grains, or is it negligible? I haven’t seen special sprouting grains for sprouting oats or spelt (and it would be too expensive probably if there those)
I hope you can help me 🙂
Hi, Nelly.
There’s always a potential for mold.
This is why rinsing thoroughly is important as well as proper storage.
Here’s our Ask Wardee episode on storing sprouted grains: https://traditionalcookingschool.com/food-preparation/sprouting/how-long-do-sprouted-grains-last-aw136/
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team
Thank you so much for your answer. I am aware of the potential risk for mold. But mold is visible, so I can see that and take actions. But are there also invisible risks like aflatoxins (I think you can’t see those, right?)
Hi, Nelly: Yes, those risks are invisible and could be present. But soaking in an acidic medium (ACT, lemon juice, kombucha, etc.) helps overcome them. And if you dehydrate the grains thoroughly before using them or storing them, you should be just fine. —Sonya, TCS Customer Success Team