Residue Wheat Berries Method

Advocates for the eating of raw foods, including juices and meals made with wheat grass are teaching others how to live as they do. Purchasing wheat grass from a natural foods supermarket can be expensive and you don't always get the freshest ingredients. With a small tray, some water and wheat berries, you can grow your own wheat grass without the expense of purchasing it elsewhere.

Rinsing

• Place 1 cup to 2 cups of wheat berries into a glass or plastic container and rinse them. This will help loosen the outer shell of the berries and aid in the removal of the residue that adheres to the berries. This is what gives the residue wheat berries method its name. Fill the container with clear water, cover over the container with a towel to keep the berries out of the light and let them soak overnight.

Jarring

• The wheat berries will have to be soaked and rinsed for a period of a few days two to three times each day. Take a Mason jar and lid and cut off a piece of metal screen to fit over the jar opening. Screw the open canning lid onto the jar to keep the screen in place. Fill the jar with water and shake gently. Turn the jar upside-down and drain onto one towel and cover the jar with another towel. Keep rinsing each day until the water is clear. This will tell you that any residue still left after the first few days of rinsing is working its way off the berries.

Watch for the Tails

• After about the third day of rinsing, draining and drying, the berries should be ready to plant. You will know the berries are ready when you see the small tails coming from the center. These tails are the beginning of the root system.

Substrate

• If you are growing this wheat grass indoors, chances are you don't want wet compost draining over and onto your sink and counters below the windows you will be using. Layer a plastic tray with your chosen substrate. Soil and/or compost make good choices for outdoor growing, but vermiculite makes an excellent choice for indoor growing. Vermiculite does not have the odd weed seeds that some potting soil or compost might have and is a cleaner alternative.

Watering

• Water the wheat grass correctly. Too much water can cause one kind of mold to grow and not enough water can cause other kinds of mold to grow. The substrate should be damp, but not soaked. Once the sprouts begin to form, use a sprayer to water them, don't pour from a cup into the tray. Cover the tray with a wet piece of newspaper to help retain the moisture the sprouts need. Keep the tray in a dark place. Spray the paper and the sprouts every day while they are still covered. When the grass is close to 3 inches tall, remove the paper and set it in the sunlight.