Frequently Asked Questions
About Growing and Juicing Wheatgrass
- Why
do I need a wheatgrass juicer vs. a regular juicer?
A wheatgrass juicer is basically a press that slowly presses
out the juice. This method
is better because it does not destroy the enzymes.
If one uses a high-speed juicer to juice wheatgrass there is
a danger of two things: the
juicer will get clogged up because the grass has so much fiber, and
the centrifugal force of the juicer will oxidize the enzymes.
- Which
is the best wheatgrass juicer?
There are so many things to think about
when buying a wheatgrass juicer! If you just want to juice
wheatgrass you may consider the best option as a Manual Juicer. There are three good ones available each has a year long warranty and
is made of stainless steel! (beware of cheaper plastic juicers the
often leak and are not reliable, and beware of cast iron because the
have a tendency to rust over time) The three Reliable Manual
Juicers are:
1 Back to
Basics Stainless Steel Manual (1 year warranty, longest on the
market, best priced)
2 Hurricane
Stainless Steel Manual Juicer (this one has a newer design and
juices really well)
3 Miracle
Stainless Steel Manual (this one is like the hurricane
only with a matte finish)
* Each of these manuals comes with a trade in value of $60
toward any Electric, so if you decide to upgrade later there is no
risk is first trying a manual.
Now the next item of importance! If you plan to juice everything
like carrots, apples, beets, celery, etc along with Wheatgrass and
Barleygrass, then the best option is a Multipurpose Wheatgrass
Juicer. They are so versatile! Here are are Electric
Multipurpose Wheatgrass Juicer recommendations based on experience
and customer feedback:
1 SoloStar by
Tribest (This juicer is know for having the best juice
yield! I have one at home and it gets the pulp very dry. I have
done carrots, beets, and apples as well as lots and lots of wheatgrass
and it has held up great! It has a 5 year warranty)
2 Omega 8003
and 8005 (This juicer also has a 5 year warranty! Many
have raved about the Omega. It is one of the most attractive
juicers for the kitchen- the 8005 in Black and Chrome. Also it
does all kinds of nut butters and will juice all vegetables and of
course wheatgrass. Very good feedback on this juicer!)
3 Samson 6
in 1 Juicer (This juicer is much like the others and has a few
really good things about it as well. It has a 5 year warranty on
parts and the best part is it comes with a 10 year warranty on the
motor. It will do all vegetables and wheatgrass! Also
Available the Samson
Ultra.
You may have many questions
as you research which juicer is best for you! Please contact us at
toll free at 866-948-4727 (866-WHTGRAS) or by email kaitlin@wheatgrasskits.com
and we would be happy to answer any questions. We will try to
beat any price you find on a juicer.
- Do
we ship outside of the US?
Yes, we ship outside of the United States, however we do not
ship seed or growing medium (soil).
Our shipments outside the US would include trays, book, instructions
and juicer. Please e-mail
us for a shipping quote if you live outside of the US.
admin@wheatgrasskits.com
- How
can I get rid of Mold?
Mold seems to be inherent with wheatgrass growing.
It doesn’t thrive when the weather is cold (if you grow your
grass outside), but during the heat of the summer, many people have
trouble with mold on their wheatgrass.
There are several ways that work sometimes to eliminate mold.
Put about one tablespoon of elemite into your watering can.
Mix well. Sprinkle
onto wheatgrass---or use one tablespoon of
real salt (mined in Redmond Utah and available at most healthfood
stores). If this doesn’t
eliminate the mold, after the grass is ready, cut what you need, put
into a large strainer, power rinse, and then juice.
- What
are sunflower sprouts vs sunflowergreens?
Sunflower sprouts begin with hulled sunflower seeds.
Soak for about 6 hours and then sprout.
Sunflower greens begin with unhulled seed.
Plant and grow exactly like wheatgrass.
It takes about ten days until ready and then it is basically
a tall green sprout, 5 to 6 inches tall—use like a salad green.
- What
do I do with my grass before it begins to get old and yellow?
Sometimes a person grows a flat of wheatgrass and doesn’t
use it fast enough. It
will start to get yellow. Before
that happens, it is better to cut the grass and put it into a plastic
bag (with some holes) and then it will keep in the refrigerator for
one week. However
if one knows he will use it fairly fast, it is better to cut only what
one needs for that day to make juice.
- How
does wheatgrass juice taste compared to barleygrass juice?
Wheatgrass is sickeningly sweet, a strong grass taste.
Barleygrass juice is very bitter but easier to take for some
people. It is better to
take both straight, but some people mix with pineapple juice.
If one mixes with a juice, it is better to mix with a canned
or bottled juice than a fresh one.
- How
much wheatgrass juice should
I take?
Ann Wigmore recommends that a person begin with one ounce per
day. It should be drunk
within six minutes after juicing.
After a couple of weeks one should then take 2 ounces per day
and then gradually increase to 4 ounces per day over a period of a month
or two. Increasing gradually
and slowly will help a person not to detox too fast.
- Should
I grow the wheatgrass outside or inside?
It is optional. Your
wheatgrass will do better if it is in indirect sun and a fairly cool
place. The hot sun of the
summer will wilt your grass. 70-80
Degrees is the optimal temperature.
- What
are some good books to learn more about wheatgrass, barleygrass and
sprouting?
We like Nature’s Finest Medicine by Steve Meyerowitz because
it is so comprehensive. Other
books are: The Wheatgrass
Book by Ann Wigmore, The Sprouting Book by Ann Wigmore, Green
Barley Essence by Yoshihide Hagiwara.
- Powdered
grass vs. fresh?
We believe that one should eat foods with the maximum number
of enzymes. Enzymes=Life
Force. Those companies
that juice and powder wheatgrass or barleygrass, try very hard to not
destroy the enzymes however we believe that the absence of water naturally
destroys some of the enzymes. Sometimes people get improvement by using the powder but we believe
a high state of health can only be reached by drinking the juice and
eating a living foods diet.
- Recently
looking at your site for information about wheatgrass and we went to
the "medical references" page. It struck us that none of the
articles cited are more recent than 1959!!! In medical terms these articles
are outdated and virtually irrelevant. Can you direct us to more recent
research?
Thank you for your
e-mail. We are glad you visited the site, and took the time to
contact us. You make an interesting and provocative observation
about the timeliness of the articles posted. In reply to your comments,
there is a short answer, and a long one.
The long one is food for an article or
even book, and we will pass your question along to one of our contributing
authors, as the story about chlorophyll is closely tied with big business,
the pharmaceutical, and the medical establishment.
For the short, first of all, we do not
claim that the list provided on the site is exhaustive, but it does
give quite a bit of background material of importance. In fact,
a great deal of that work is still quite relevant in our opinion, and
becoming more so by the day.
Second, as you well know, in this day
and age research dollars are provided usually with the motive to find
ways to make more money. Large pharmaceutical or medical companies,
and often the universities or laboratories associated with them, are
funded based on the evaluation of the applicability of the work to make
new products for new markets. Generally now, the direction is
ever more towards the 'genetic manipulation' model, huge budgets, expensive
technology, and other accoutrements of big business. Chlorophyll, wheatgrass,
raw foods, etc. are not 'big ticket' items, and people are not dependent
on an outside entity to supply them. Not much of a market in that.
As you noted by the dates of the research
articles, they cluster in the 1930's to 1950's. During those years there
was a tremendous push, accelerated by the advent of world war two, to
find a suitable, inexpensive, effective antibiotic. Molds,
sulphas,
and in fact chlorophylls were widely researched via formal funding streams
as the motive then was more basic to the problems of infection since
penicillin was not yet developed, or in its very early stages. Once penicillin showed such remarkable properties, other research fell
off.
I think now there is a resurgence of
real, formal investigation in the area of chlorophyll and enzymes, and
we only have to go to the works of Pines, or Hagiwara, or Howell.
However, giving people MORE control over their lives and health at minimal
expense and dependency is not really in the interest of most of the
large pharmaceutical or medical entities. as you know, the 'Terminator'
grain seed (does not reproduce) is the direction large seed companies
are going, not really the reverse.
For us, there is optimism that somehow
people are becoming researchers themselves, and our site gives people
tools and information they need to participate actively in this.
For example, Optimum West Health Center has had many thousands of people
pass through their doors who have taken an active role in research and
put themselves on the line to do it. This is very exciting, humbling,
and can give us hope that we ourselves can participate in this life
adventure as effectively and productively as a scientist doing 'research'.
Results of efforts made by participants at Optimum, for example, are
at the least edifying, and in many cases extraordinary. The formal
medical establishment, however, views many of these results as incompatible
with modern medicine, and sometimes goes to no small effort to quash
certain findings.
Given the above, each person studying
in an area such as enzyme nutrition or use of chlorophyllins can in
fact become a 'researcher of one' and add to a small, but growing body
of knowledge.
The book 'One Straw Revolution' by Matsunobu
Fukuoka is highly recommended as a viewpoint that, like 'Be Your Own
Doctor' by Ann Wigmore, puts the responsibility on each of us to pursue
and investigate life in the ways that intrigue us, not necessarily look
to others.
We hope you continue your investigations
and research in this area, and hope you will share with us findings
you would like others to know about.
Kind regards,
Chuck Juhn
Please
feel free to e-mail us at anytime with any other questions that you
have. support@wheatgrasskits.com
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