Rejuvelac

My obsession with this awesome fermented beverage was inspired by a recipe in one of my new raw books, "Rawsome" by Brigitte Mars. Fermented foods have probiotics that help promote a healthy colony of beneficial bacteria in your gut, and provide digestive enzymes to help your body absorb maximum nutrients from all of the foods that you eat. This Rejuvelac is no exception, and makes a great cleansing drink on it's own, a base for smoothies and fruit drinks, or even a vital ingredient of making your own homemade fermented nut cheese! Making rejuvelac is a multi-day process but once you make it a habit, the steps will become automatic and easy. If you drink it daily (8 oz-1 quart recommended daily for ultimate digestive gut health) you should start a new batch every 3 days to have a constant supply.




Ingredients:

2 cups soft wheat berries (rye, buckwheat, millet, or quinoa can be also used)
Filtered water

Directions:

Soak the berries overnight in a jar of pure water. In the morning drain the water from the wheat but don't rinse them. Let them sprout for 2 days without rinsing or adding water.

Once white tails start to sprout from the grain, add 6 cups of pure water (if your jar is too small, divide evenly into multiple smaller jars. For example I divided by 2 cups of sprouted wheat into 3 quart sized jars and added 2 cups of filtered water into each). Cover the jar(s) with cheesecloth or a flour sack towel with a metal ring or rubber band around it and set in a warm location (like a counter top) for 24 hours to allow to ferment.



You'll know it's ready because it will be a pale yellow color and likely have some bubbles too. You can strain the liquid out from the grains. It should taste slightly lemony/tart, and a little yeasty.  Sometimes the fermentation process will make it slightly carbonated. It can then be stored in the fridge.

You can also reuse the wheat two more times with half the amount of water. Once the wheat is used up, compost it or throw it out for the birds.

Drink the rejuvelac daily for maximum health benefits.