How to Sprout Raw Buckwheat at Home

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you sprout raw buckwheat at home? Gather the ingredients. Pay special attention to choosing the buckwheat itself. Again, only raw green buckwheat is suitable for sprouting; ordinary brown buckwheat won't sprout. The water is for pre-soaking the grain, but it's still best to use good-quality filtered or bottled water.

2. Step 2:

   

   Pick over the buckwheat, removing spoiled grains and debris. Then rinse it thoroughly under cool running water. Even if the grain looks clean to begin with, don't skip this step. Cover the clean buckwheat with cold water so it's covered by about a finger's width. Leave the buckwheat for an hour. This activates the grains - they soak up water and get ready to grow.

3. Step 3:

   

   If your buckwheat soaks longer, that's fine. Just don't keep it in water for more than 10 hours, or fermentation will start, and we don't want that. Next, rinse the swollen buckwheat to get rid of the mucus that forms during soaking. It's better to rinse it in a sieve or colander - just make sure the holes aren't too big so the grains don't fall through. Rinse under running water, working the grain with your fingers.

4. Step 4:

   

   Take a container for sprouting. Glass or ceramic is best - try to avoid plastic and metal. Put the rinsed buckwheat in the container and spread it with your fingers along the bottom and sides, trying to make a thin layer. In general it's better to sprout a small amount of buckwheat at a time - one or two servings. The fresher the sprouts, the healthier.

5. Step 5:

   

   Cover the container with plastic wrap. Use a toothpick to poke lots of holes so air can reach the grain. Put the buckwheat in a warm, dark place for a day. I put mine in a kitchen cabinet.

6. Step 6:

   

   After 24 hours, sometimes a little sooner, small white sprouts will appear on the buckwheat - that means you did everything right. If it doesn't happen, try sprinkling the grain with water and leaving it a while longer.

7. Step 7:

   

   You can eat the sprouted grains right away. You can store them in a sealed container in the fridge, but don't keep them there more than a day. The freshest sprouts are the healthiest, so portion accordingly. I used the sprouts in a salad.