How to Make Rejuvelac
Rejuvelac is a fermented beverage made from sprouted cereal grains,
such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, millet, amaranth, quinoa, brown
rice, wild rice, or buckwheat. This healthful drink is almost as easy to make as yogurt. It can be ready in 3-4 days.
You
can use yogurt whey (the liquid from yogurt) or naturally occurring yeast and
bacteria to ferment it. People have been making fermented drinks with grains
for thousands of years, but the raw food advocate Ann Wigmore is credited with
popularizing rejuvelac as part of a holistic health diet.
Rejuvelac
is pretty sour, tasting much like the liquid whey from plain yogurt, so on its
own this drink is an acquired taste. As with plain yogurt, you are welcome to
add other flavors and sweeteners to rejuvelac. Personally, I can’t drink it
plain without gagging, but it becomes a lot more palatable if you add some
sweetener after the ferment, such as fruit juice, maple syrup, or honey.
Rejuvelac also makes a simple and effective fermented base for sodas or
smoothies. This is a very healthy probiotic and quite easy to make.
First,
you need some whole grains. Wheat, barley, oats, and rye are usually the
cheapest and easiest to sprout. Even with the best of strainers, the small
seeded grains, such as millet, amaranth, and quinoa, become pretty difficult to
wash without losing some down the drain. I recommend using only organic grains
if you can find some, because you will know they are free of any pesticides.
Besides damaging your body, such chemicals may interfere with the fermentation.
You
can either buy sprouting seeds, such as the hard red winter wheat that is
generally grown to make wheatgrass juice, or you can just get some grains from
a bulk bin at your local health food store. As long as you can find whole
grains that are fairly fresh (which you can only confirm by trying to sprout
them), then they should germinate reliably. It will take 1-2 days to sprout the
grains. For a more comprehensive guide to sprouting raw foods, I recommend my
short book How to Sprout Raw Food: Grow an Indoor
Organic Garden with Wheatgrass, Bean Sprouts, Grain Sprouts, Microgreens, and
More,
which is available in e-book and print editions on Amazon.
Making Rejuvelac
Recipe makes one quart
Required materials:
One
glass jar (a quart-sized Mason Jar works well)
Strainer,
cheesecloth, or a sprouting lid for the jar
One
large container (large enough to hold two quarts of liquid, glass or plastic)
Ingredients:
Half
cup of whole grains
Water
Process:
1.
Rinse
the grains. Put them in the jar and cover with water. Let them soak overnight.
2.
In
the morning, drain the water from the grains, rinse them, and put them back in
the jar.
3.
Rinse
the grains at least twice a day to prevent mold. Continue this for 1-2 days
until you see little sprout tails on each of the grains.
4.
Rinse
the grains one more time and put them in the large container. You could use the
same jar if it’s big enough. Make sure to clean it well before using it again.
5.
Cover
the grains with one quart of filtered (non-chlorinated water).
6.
Optional:
Add a couple of tablespoons of yogurt whey (the liquid from some good quality
yogurt). This provides the culture necessary to ferment the beverage. If you
use whey, it will ferment more quickly, probably in 1-2 days. Without this, you
will need to wait for the natural yeasts and bacteria to proliferate, which may
add another day or two to the fermentation time.
7.
Cover
the container loosely. A loose lid, a towel, or cheesecloth works well. Place
the container in a quiet place away from direct sunlight. Every 24 hours, use a
clean spoon to taste it. The Rejuvelac should taste sour like yogurt. The ferment
may take from 1-3 days depending on the temperature and strength of the
culture.
8.
Once
it is ready, strain the rejuvelac into bottles or jars to cover and
refrigerate. The spent grains can go in your compost. The best part of them is
left in the water for you to drink. You can dilute it or add some fruit juice,
maple syrup, or honey to make it tastier. Or use it as a base for the smoothies
and sodas mentioned later in this book.
