Arky
04-09-2008, 10:48 AM
Recently there has been some discussion, here on the board, about whether or not one can juice wild grasses (e.g. http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=38254 ). Since it is springtime and is thus a time when wild grass is particularly vibrant and fresh, I thought I would go and find out for myself what the pros and cons of wild grasses might be. Accordingly, I went and picked two large bags full yesterday and set about putting them through my Oscar 900 juicer as soon as I returned home. I won't deny that there was a little trepidation as I drank the juice, since I did not know if there was any potential for certain strains of wild grass to cause digestive upset. However, I needn't have worried and have found the whole experience an entirely postive one, and one I now intend to repeat, although next time I'll take a pair of scissors with me, so I don't end up pulling up roots along with the grass blades.
Here are my findings:
The juice doesn't appear to be as powerfully cleansing as homegrown Wheatgrass
The wild grass yields (unsurprisingly) juice of a deeper green - i.e. it is richer in chlorophyll.
The wild grass juice tastes much more mineral-rich, in an 'earthy' sense, that those of you familiar with wild nettle juice will immediately understand and recognise.
The wild juice contains massively more fat content (a positive thing, in many respects, since these will largely be EFAs. However, this might tone down any cleansing potential, so there're pros and cons to this). This (relatively) high fat content is something I have also noted with wild stinging nettles. It seems that wild greens more fully develop their EFA content than farmed or sprouted greens, which, again, is not surprising, really.
The wild grass juice is far less pungent than home-grown wheatgrass.
The wild grass juice is far less sweet than home-grown wheatgrass. For more on this, see the following webpage:
http://www.synergyproduction.com/pages/organic-wheatgrass-juice-powders.html
The wild grass juice is, without any question, the most enjoyable green juice I have ever consumed, regardless of the type of green vegetable or place or manner of growth. So rich is this grass, and so full-bodied in flavour, that, in a bizarre way, it's almost like drinking chocolate, even though it doesn't actually taste like chocolate. I know how strange that sounds but it's something one has to experience to grasp. It is nothing like the taste of kale or collards or spinach or parsley or any other farmed green you can think of. Truly, wild grass juice is class-in-a-glass! :)
Provided you can find somewhere that is relatively wild, in the sense of not being at risk from human-intervention with herbicides and pesticides, dog walkers etc., I would encourage you to go ahead and try wild grasses for juicing purposes. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the juice I obtained, and have experienced absolutely no digestive concerns whatsoever (in fact, the juice is far easier to handle than homegrown wheatgrass!). I wish I'd tried this years ago...
J.
Here are my findings:
The juice doesn't appear to be as powerfully cleansing as homegrown Wheatgrass
The wild grass yields (unsurprisingly) juice of a deeper green - i.e. it is richer in chlorophyll.
The wild grass juice tastes much more mineral-rich, in an 'earthy' sense, that those of you familiar with wild nettle juice will immediately understand and recognise.
The wild juice contains massively more fat content (a positive thing, in many respects, since these will largely be EFAs. However, this might tone down any cleansing potential, so there're pros and cons to this). This (relatively) high fat content is something I have also noted with wild stinging nettles. It seems that wild greens more fully develop their EFA content than farmed or sprouted greens, which, again, is not surprising, really.
The wild grass juice is far less pungent than home-grown wheatgrass.
The wild grass juice is far less sweet than home-grown wheatgrass. For more on this, see the following webpage:
http://www.synergyproduction.com/pages/organic-wheatgrass-juice-powders.html
The wild grass juice is, without any question, the most enjoyable green juice I have ever consumed, regardless of the type of green vegetable or place or manner of growth. So rich is this grass, and so full-bodied in flavour, that, in a bizarre way, it's almost like drinking chocolate, even though it doesn't actually taste like chocolate. I know how strange that sounds but it's something one has to experience to grasp. It is nothing like the taste of kale or collards or spinach or parsley or any other farmed green you can think of. Truly, wild grass juice is class-in-a-glass! :)
Provided you can find somewhere that is relatively wild, in the sense of not being at risk from human-intervention with herbicides and pesticides, dog walkers etc., I would encourage you to go ahead and try wild grasses for juicing purposes. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the juice I obtained, and have experienced absolutely no digestive concerns whatsoever (in fact, the juice is far easier to handle than homegrown wheatgrass!). I wish I'd tried this years ago...
J.