Many people are convinced that wheatgrass is useful for improving digestion, eliminating toxins from the body, cleansing the liver, purifying the blood and increasing the production of hemoglobin. Many health food stores sell ready-made wheatgrass juice, but you can also make it easily at home and without spending too much money. The best nutritional results are obtained by crushing the wheatgrass with a mortar and pestle. You can also use a blender to prepare the juice, but some of the chlorophyll could oxidize due to the rotation speed of the blades and the resulting drink could be a little less nutritious. Alternatively, and if you can afford it, you can use an extractor, but it's a pretty expensive kitchen tool. If you want to find out how to extract juice from wheatgrass in different ways, start with Step 1 of your favorite method.
Ingrediants
- Wheatgrass, enough to get about 115 gr after cleaning and shredding it
- 500 to 750 ml of water
- Lemon
Portions
With these quantities, about 2 portions are prepared
Steps
Prepare the Wheat Grass
Step 1. Collect the wheatgrass by cutting the stem about 1.3 cm above the ground
Use a clean knife or a pair of scissors. The blades of grass should be about 20 cm long, having grown for about a week after sowing. If you don't grow wheatgrass yourself, you can find it in many health food stores.
Step 2. Wash the threads under running water
Put them in a colander and run lukewarm water over and through the threads, in order to remove dirt, insects or bacteria.
Step 3. Cut the wheatgrass using a sharp knife
Put the threads on a cut and cut them coarsely. The smaller the pieces, the easier it will be to crush or blend them to get the juice.
Step 4. Prepare about 115g of wheatgrass
You can cut a few or many strands at a time, as you like, but you need to get the amount to make two servings. This will be enough to give you a good dose of all the wonderful properties that wheatgrass has in store for you.
Method 1 of 3: Use Mortar and Pestle
Step 1. Put enough wheatgrass in the mortar to cover the bottom
Do not fill it more than ¼. If it's too full, you won't be able to crush the pieces well.
Step 2. Squeeze the wires
Use the pestle to crush the threads well until they begin to stick together and spread across the bottom of the mortar. Use the pestle with a rotating motion and press enough to crush the grass. It will take time and a little effort, so be prepared.
Step 3. Add a little water
Equal amounts of water should be sufficient for this method. Crush the water with the crushed wheatgrass, using the same rotary motion described above. Keep stirring until a paste forms. The water will help you to crush the blades of grass well.
Step 4. Pour the contents of the mortar into a clean muslin cloth
Roll up the top of the cloth so the dough doesn't come out but don't tie it. This will allow you to extract the juice from the wheatgrass.
Step 5. Squeeze the cloth to let the juice out and collect it in a clean glass
Press on the cloth exactly above the wheatgrass paste, squeezing it down. You should see a bright green liquid dripping. Keep squeezing until no more liquid comes out.
Step 6. Return the wheatgrass paste to the mortar
Repeat the crushing process until the threads are white, adding a little water each time to create a paste of the same consistency.
Step 7. When all the wheatgrass has turned white, put more threads in the mortar and start the crushing process all over again
Continue until you reach the desired quantity (115gr). It will take some time - at least 10-15 minutes for 115 grams - but it will be worth it. It is better than spending 200 or 300 euros for an extractor.
Method 2 of 3: Using a Blender
Step 1. Put 115 grams of wheatgrass in the blender with 500-750ml of filtered water
If you prefer a stronger, more concentrated juice, add just 500ml of filtered water. If you are not used to the taste of wheatgrass or if you don't like it very much, dilute the juice more using 750 ml of water. Alternatively, you can replace the water with orange juice or coconut water. You will add flavor to the drink.
Step 2. Blend the grass with water at maximum speed
60 seconds will be enough. You should get an emerald green juice with bits of pulp floating on the surface.
The blades of grass could tangle around the blender blades if they are too long. In most cases this is not a problem, just clean the blades once you have poured the juice. However, beware of possible slowing of the blades or strange motor noises. If you think that the blades of grass are blocking the blender, it may be necessary to remove the stuck grass before continuing to blend
Step 3. Place a fine mesh strainer over a clean glass bowl
The colander should not be wider than the diameter of the bowl.
Step 4. Line the colander with gauze
The cheesecloth should be large enough to protrude from the edges of the colander.
Step 5. Pour the wheatgrass from the blender onto the cheesecloth
Most of the liquid will pass effortlessly.
Step 6. Using a silicone spatula, squeeze the wheatgrass pulp to release the remaining juice
The juice will flow from the gauze to the container below. Continue to mash the pulp until all the liquid has come out.
Step 7. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the bowl
The addition of lemon is optional, but it enhances the flavor of the wheatgrass and keeps the juice a little longer. Stir using a spatula or spoon. Lemon will be particularly useful if you used water instead of juice to blend.
Step 8. Pour the wheatgrass into the glasses and enjoy your drink
Serve the juice cold or with ice and drink it as a shot to enjoy it at its best.
Method 3 of 3: Use an Extractor
Step 1. Prepare the wheatgrass
Cut the amount of grass you want to use. You will then have to put it in the extractor.
Step 2. Prepare the extractor
Each model is different from the others, so you will need to follow the instructions in your instruction booklet. Manual extractors look a bit like meat mincers and usually have a knob for grinding and a pestle-shaped object to push the herb inside. Generally, manual extractors can only be used for a few vegetables so if you have decided to give yourself the luxury of an extractor, buy an electric one so that you can use it with many types of fruit and vegetables. Electric extractors squeeze the grass more easily but also take longer to clean.
If you decide to buy a power tool, make sure it is a puller. A centrifuge will not be good for wheatgrass
Step 3. Put the herb in the extractor
In most cases, you will have to fill it up a little at a time, so don't cram it and risk ruining it. The extractor will have included a jug or something similar to collect the juice and a container where the pulp will end up.
Step 4. Pour the juice into the glass and enjoy
You should be done with squeezing. While a juicer can be expensive, if you plan on making juices at home often, it can really change your life. After enjoying your glass of wheatgrass juice, all you have to do is clean the extractor.
Advice
- You can also filter the wheatgrass juice by slipping a clean piece of nylon stocking over the blender's mouth. Secure the piece of stocking, turn the blender upside down and drain the juice and pulp into a cup.
- There are specific extractors for wheatgrass. Both manual and electric versions are available. If you plan to drink wheatgrass juice often, it is worth buying one. Follow the instructions in the package to prepare the juice.
