How to Sprout Buckwheat

Buckwheat is one of the fastest and easiest grains to sprout and yields a sprout with a delicious nutty flavor, perfect for breakfast, on salads, in sandwiches or mixed in with delicious dips. Sprouted buckwheat is a fantastic alternative for getting your daily grains, is bursting with nutritional value and is fun and easy to grow.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Organic, raw, hulled buckwheat
• Flat glass or plastic tray
• 2 (100 percent) cotton cloths

1. Choose hulled, organic, raw buckwheat for sprouting. Toasted buckwheat is generally a golden brown color, unhulled is black and hulled, raw buckwheat will be white or light green.

2. Place the buckwheat into a wide-mouthed glass jar and cover with water, soaking for just 20 minutes. While most sprouting processes require long soaking times, up to 14 hours, buckwheat is a quick sprouter and should not be soaked longer than 20 minutes or it may result in mold growth. Remember that 2/3 cup of raw buckwheat will yield about 1 to 1 1/4 cups of sprouts, so only prepare as many as you can eat in about 2 weeks.

3. Rinse the buckwheat thoroughly and then set aside to drain. Line the bottom of a flat, plastic or glass container, such as a serving platter, with a damp piece of 100 percent cotton cloth and spread the buckwheat evenly on the cloth. Cover the buckwheat with a second piece of damp cotton and then leave in a cool, semi-lit location.

4. Check the sprouts every 8 to 12 hours, removing the seeds and rewetting the cloths if needed to maintain dampness. After about 1 or 1 and 1/2 days, your buckwheat sprouts should be ready.

5. Remove the seeds from the cloth and place in a bowl or container, storing your sprouts in the refrigerator to stop them from growing more. Make sure that you eat your sprouts within about 2 weeks to ensure freshness and flavor.