The Complete Book of Raw Food (8 page)

No matter what kind of sprouter you use, it’s important to keep it clean by washing and disinfecting it regularly. To clean your sprouter, disassemble and wash it
thoroughly with soap and water or in the top rack of the dishwasher after each use. You might find that a few sprouts have become stuck in the mesh; simply use a paper clip or toothpick to dislodge them. After every few uses, disinfect your sprouter by soaking it for 10 to 20 minutes in a weak bleach and water solution (1 tablespoon bleach per pint of water), then scrubbing it thoroughly. Make sure to rinse it very well—you don’t want the bleach on your sprouts.

Sprouts, if grown long enough and in the right conditions, will start to grow into plants with leaves. The major difference between sprouts and greens is that sprouts are eaten roots and all, whereas we generally discard the roots of greens and harvest and eat only the leaves. Also, greens are generally grown in soil. Popular greens include sunflower, buckwheat, and pea—and with the right mix of seeds, you can even grow your own mesclun salad greens.

Two types of seeds are appropriate for growing greens. The first, called
micro-greens
, come from tiny seeds such as arugula, alfalfa, broccoli, and clover. Many micro-green seeds are mucilaginous, meaning they hold water within the seed casing. This saves you the step of having to soak or pre-sprout them before planting. The second type,
traditional greens
, generally need to be soaked and pre-sprouted, using the method above.

The following is an easy method for growing greens and micro-greens. As with sprouts, different types of greens may require different steps, so be sure to follow the instructions that come with your seeds.

Buckwheat seeds are among the most popular for greening
.

First, you must decide on a growing medium. Most greens are grown in trays with soil, but micro-greens may be grown on the surface of a dampened sprouting bag, kitchen towel or paper napkin—unbleached if possible. When using a tray, make sure that there are holes in the bottom to facilitate drainage—otherwise, you’ll drown the seeds. On-line seed purveyors, such as the Sproutpeople
(
www.sproutpeople.com
), sell suitable trays, and you can also find them at your local garden center. When setting up your growing area, be sure to put a drip tray (or, in the case of micro-greens grown on a sprouting bag, a plate) under your tray to avoid making a mess.

Pre-sprout the seeds, if necessary (information about whether or not the seeds you’ve chosen need to be pre-sprouted will be included in any instructions packed with the seeds). Most seeds need to be soaked and pre-sprouted until they grow a root of about ⅛- to ¼-inch long. To do this, follow the instructions for
sprouting
. Once the seeds are pre-sprouted, spread them evenly over the moistened planting medium and cover the tray. For a cover, you could use an inverted tray of the same type as your planting tray, or any cover with holes that will allow for proper air circulation.

Store your covered tray in low light at room temperature. Water lightly every day or two until the greens are 2 to 3 inches long (for traditional greens) or just until the greens grow leaves (for micro-greens).

Once the greens reach the appropriate length, you’ll probably notice that they’re yellow—not green. That means it’s time to expose them to sun: Uncover the tray and move it to a well-lit location. Direct sunlight is not necessary, but if you do use it, remember to give your greens enough water to compensate. In a few days, your greens will be green, grown, and ready to eat. To harvest, use scissors to cut them off above soil level. Store them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or airtight container.

Like greens, grasses have a high nutritional value, and many can be juiced and consumed along with your favorite vegetable and fruit juices.

The grasses used for juicing are similar to the ones that grow in your backyard. You may have seen trays full of wheat grass, looking like miniature lawns, at health food stores and juice bars. Although wheat grass is the most popular grass for juicing, there are other grasses that are powerfully nutritious in juice form as well. The best part is, they are all equally easy to grow; once you know how to grow one, you can branch out and try whichever you like. To help you decide which to try, the following is a description of the different types of cereal grasses, courtesy of Gil Frishman of the Sproutpeople:

Wheat Grass
. The most popular of the cereal grasses. When juiced, it has a slightly sweet yet intense flavor, which may take some getting used to, but stick with it. You might want to mix wheat grass juice (or any other grass juice) with other juices such as apple or carrot to make a tastier juice with all the same nutritional benefits.
Note:
Even those with wheat sensitivities can usually tolerate wheat in its grass stage.

Barley Grass
. A broad blade grass with a lighter green color than wheat, barley grass is consumed by many people in capsule form. The juice is more potent than the powder, which is true of all fresh foods. The juice has a very intense flavor, so we advise mixing it with other grasses, such as wheat grass, to come up with your tastiest juice.

Rye Grass
. Rye produces a red tinged blade of grass. It has much the same flavor as wheat grass, and is just as nutritious, but you might want to try rye instead if you feel like growing something festive.

Spelt Grass
. Spelt also has flavor and nutritional benefits similar to those of wheat grass, and is recommended for those with wheat allergies who want to enjoy the benefits of grass juices.

    The method for growing all of these grasses is the same, and it is quite similar to the method for growing greens. Fill a tray, with perforations for water drainage, with soil, moisten the soil, and spread the seeds over the soil. There is no need to pre-sprout grass seeds. Cover the tray with another perforated tray that allows for air circulation, and water often enough to keep the soil moist (about every 1 to 2 days). Once the grass is about 1 or 2 inches high, uncover it to allow the blades to get green. You may use direct or indirect sunlight, but remember to water more often if using direct sunlight. After about 9 or 10 days, the grass can be harvested.

Cut the grass just above soil level, using scissors or a knife. The blades of grass will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator; however, to obtain maximum nutritional benefits, it is generally recommended to juice and consume grasses immediately after harvesting.

D
rying food to use later is as old as humanity. If food is dried at low temperatures—118°F or lower and preferably not above 105°F—the living enzymes are not denatured and the food remains raw.

       There are three ways to dehydrate food. You can:

• Hang it to dry in your kitchen—this works for herbs and leaves such as bay leaves;
  

• Place it in the hot sun outside—this works fine as long as you can keep bugs and critters off; or you can
  

• Use an electric dehydrator.
  

The first two options for drying your food—hanging it in your kitchen or placing it in the sun—have limited capabilities. You cannot hang some foods to dry in your home, as they will often simply fall apart—at best—or start a giant infestation of bugs and other pests. And drying your food in the sun works well indeed, when there
is
sun. Outside factors such as the weather can be a real obstacle, and since many raw recipes require you to dry the food that you eat, you may want to think about investing in a dehydrator.

There are many types of dehydrators, and most provide not just heat but a fan to facilitate more even drying. A popular brand among rawfooders is Excalibur,
^®
whose 3926 model is large, with nine trays, enough for a family-size batch of food.

There are four basic components to a dehydrator—the oven itself, the plastic rigid trays, the flexible polyscreen tray inserts, and the Teflex™ tray insert liners or sheets. The shelves and polyscreen inserts can be removed to facilitate cleaning and to dry larger foods—such as cakes and pies—that require more clearance
and space. Dehydrators are incredibly simple to use, and every Excalibur comes with a free how-to booklet, offering tips on its assembly and use.

Unlike ovens, dehydrators use very low heat, and it can take hours—and sometimes days—to dry your food to a point where it can be eaten, or safely stored away. It is a good idea to check your food periodically, especially in the beginning as you’re learning to use your machine.

In general, most foods are best when flipped at some point during the drying process. Some, such as fruit, can be turned by hand, but crackers and other products that start with wet batter or dough need more care. A quick way to do this is to place another polyscreen tray insert on top of the food, then another rack, and then turn over this “sandwich” carefully using both hands. Remove the rack that’s now on top, then the polyscreen tray insert, then gently peel the Teflex sheet off of the semi-dry batter. Score the dough into the shapes you desire with a spatula or knife, and dry it for another 12 to 24 hours until it becomes crisp or chewy, according to your preference.