Manual Juicers for Wheat & Wild Grass, Prices, Info, Wild Edibles

[Raw Mom]

Better price on the Healthy Juicer unless you live in Ca. Then tax is extra. Shipping is included in the price. http://rawretreat.com/ (scroll down) This is the one used at the Optimum Health Institute in Fla. so it HAS to be sturdy.

Manual juicing is quite easy. Just takes a bit more time.

Revvell

Actually, It's Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida. And they don't use this juicer, but they do recommend it for a great home use juicer. Hippocrates uses the stainless steel ones. More durable for juicing mega ounces a day.

[Revvell]

Well then, I guess Brian Clement lied to me. He told me they used it there and sold it to me personally. You're right it is HHI. My bad.

Actually, It's Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida. And they don't use this juicer, but they do recommend it for a great home use juicer. Hippocrates uses the stainless steel ones. More durable for juicing mega ounces a day.

[FirstGarden]

A word on wild grasses & other wild edibles:

It was stated on another thread that indoor grown grass is better; that common lawn grass is tougher and harder on a juicer; that cows have very different digestive systems. I think these are all valid concerns.

I believe that this will also vary, based on which grass we're talking about. Wheat grass has been selected as the most commercially viable in the juicing industry. What all the factors are behind that decision, I don't know. I suppose they are good reasons like the predominantly, relatively soft blades, ease of growing in various climates; and maybe more economic because it is so common. But it caught on, and so wheat grass is "it." Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Grown indoors or outdoors? Not so sure this really matters, much. It seems to me that more sunlight would be preferable in that plants use the process of photosynthesis to convert sunlight to chlorophyll. On the other hand, indoor growing gives us a more controlled environment, providing protection from various elements.

I think the fascination for grasses and other wild edibles is threefold:

1) Economics - Though we can afford to grow our own, some of us just love the thought of finding it plentifully in the wild, much like having fruit trees around and gathering at will.

2) A Hobby - It's fun. And knowing where to find it, and how to identify it is part of the challenge.

3) And a very distant 3rd place - some of us have that survival bent in us. Not that we live in fear, but we'd just like to know how to take care of ourselves in this day of potential 911s and greater catastrophic events.

(No one wants to think about it, but experts say it's a matter of "when," not "if." That's a whole other thread, and I do have predictions. But I'm not inclined to start such a fear-oriented conversation on such an unpopular subject. )

[sweet pepper]

about cereal grasses. I learn so much on this site.

I wanted to address the first post about juicers - I have the Green Star Juicer and one of the reasons I chose that one is because it does juice grasses. I grow my own wheatgrass and have been juicing it with my Green Star. I just didn't understand why you said it would not. Is it that it doesn't get all the juice? It seems to leave the fiber really dry.

Swt Pepper

[FirstGarden]

about cereal grasses. I learn so much on this site.

I wanted to address the first post about juicers - I have the Green Star Juicer and one of the reasons I chose that one is because it does juice grasses. I grow my own wheatgrass and have been juicing it with my Green Star. I just didn't understand why you said it would not. Is it that it doesn't get all the juice? It seems to leave the fiber really dry.

Swt Pepper

Hi sweet pepper - Sorry, my bad.. the orig post read like this:

"With a Greenstar juicer costing around $500 and others like the Champion -- great in their own right -- but not designed to juice grasses, the price of a manual juicer begins to look very attractive."

It should have read: "the Champion -- great in it's own right..."

This was in reference to the Champion, not the Greenstar - which is apparently a totally awesome juicer! German built, they do have cheaper models, but I believe that their best model is needed for grasses. For economic reasons, most will find the manual alternative appealing.

Have a Awesome Juicing Day! :)

p.s. day by day, I plan on putting together a guide of sorts for wild edibles, beginning with the grasses. (It's quite time-consuming, but LOTS of fun!) There's only so much you can cover on a juicer, so I guess this thread morphed into a field guide, lol. And there are soooo many varieties of each kind within the grass family! For instance, there could be dozens of barley grasses. As such, I will try to refer to the most general or common versions found in various regions. If interested, anyone with a printer could print out the images for convenience.

[FirstGarden]

Barley Grass (Hordeum vulgare)

Barley grass is one of the green grasses - the only vegetation on the earth that can supply sole nutritional support from birth to old age. Barley has served as a food staple in most cultures. The use of barley for food and medicinal purposes dates to antiquity. Agronomists place this ancient cereal grass as being cultivated as early as 7000 BC. Roman gladiators ate barley for strength and stamina. In the West, it was first known for the barley grain it produces.

Astounding amounts of vitamins and minerals are found in green barley leaves. The leaves have an ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. When barley leaves are 12-14 inches high, they contain many vitamins, minerals, and proteins necessary for the human diet, plus chlorophyll. These are easily assimilated throughout the digestive tract, giving our bodies instant access to vital nutrients. These include potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, beta carotene, B1, B2, B6, C, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. Indeed, green barley juice contains 11 times the calcium in cows' milk, nearly 5 times the iron in spinach, 7 times the vitamin C in oranges, and 80 mg of vitamin B12 per hundred grams.

Barley also contains a -glucan, a fiber also found in oat bran and reported to reduce cholesterol levels. The root contains the alkaloid hordenine which stimulates peripheral blood circulation and has been used as a bronchodilator for bronchitis. Barley bran, like wheat bran may be effective in protecting against the risk of cancer.

Part Used: Grain, left when barley hull is removed.

Common Use: Barley is widely cultivated grain used as a food and in the brewing process. It is an additive for human and animal cereal foods. It also makes a flavorful flour for use in baking breads and muffins.

Care: It is a very hardy plant and can be grown under a greater variety of climatic conditions than any other grain, and a polar variety is grown within the Arctic Circle in Europe.

More Info:
http://www.kcweb.com/herb/barley.htm

[Revvell]

I just didn't understand why you said it would not. Is it that it doesn't get all the juice? It seems to leave the fiber really dry.

Swt Pepper

Who said that? It's one of the best for greens of all kinds.

Revvell

[FirstGarden]

Who said that? It's one of the best for greens of all kinds. Revvell

Revvell, you're right about the Greenstar. What sweet pepper said was based on a misunderstanding. She thought that *I* was saying that, but I wasn't. I was refering to the Champion regarding the grass juicing limitations. But in my original post, it looked like I was referring to both juicers in this regard. I did go back to correct my original post. Maybe that's where the confusion is coming in.

[Revvell]

Ahhh, okies. I'd read the Champion in the first post so was very confuseled.

Revvell, you're right about the Grrenstar. What sweet pepper said was based on a misunderstanding. She thought that *I* was saying that, but I wasn't. I was refering to the Champion regarding the grass juicing limitations. But in my original post, it looked like I was referring to both juicers in this regard. I did go back to correct my original post. Maybe that's where the confusion is coming in.

[sweet pepper]

Hey First Garden! Thanks! I really enjoy your writing on the cereal grasses. I have learned alot.

Sorry for the confusion Revvell!

Sweet Pepper

[FirstGarden]

Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes of the Northern United States
Edward Knobel,

Book Description:
With its clear descriptions and accurate drawings, this easy-to-carry little volume will allow you to differentiate over 370 of the most common species: timothy, rye, foxtail, fescue, bluegrass, many more. Key. 500 illustrations. Updated nomenclature by Mildred F. Faust.

Publisher: Dover Publications (1977-06-01)
Price: $4.95


Grasses: An Identification Guide
(Sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute)

Book Description: How to identify 135 of the most common species of North American grasses, sedges, and rushes, with their economic and ecological importance.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (1992-04-30)
Price: $16.00


How To Identify Grasses: And Grasslike Plants
H.D. Harrington,

Book Description: There is no easy was to identify grasses. And no one understood this better than H.D. Harrington, who observed thousands of students struggle and learn. His clear, concise, and well-organized guide will continue to be a basic and essential text for use in the classroom or in the field. The book contains over 500 drawings and an illustrated glossary.
Publisher: Swallow Press (1977-01-01)
Price: $11.95

[FirstGarden]

An earthen sister entered the wood and came upon a clearing amid playful chirping birds flying overhead. Rabbits and other creatures whimsically frolicked in the morning air. White-winged butterlies flitted from flower to flower. Her long skirt flowed in the gentle breeze which played with her hair, as she delightfully recognized a familiar friend of her youth. Rich swaths of tall green grass adorned the meadow just ahead, glistening in the sunlight. She reached down and harvested enough to fill her antique wicker basket. Then she gracefully strolled home with her treasure, washed it off, shook it dry and juiced it in an ancient manual juicer affixed to a wooden counter. She then deeply imbibed the sweet essence of her divine elixer, and embarked on the sojourn of a beautiful day.

[FirstGarden]

California Oatgrass is usually found in transition areas between wet and dry places. This grass has been known to be on both sides of the Cascade Mountains. This perennial is often found in full sun areas and can grow 1-2 ½ ft. tall. Adaptation of this grass is very broad and are mostly sparse populations when found. This grass is found in open areas across when there is not a lot of taller competition and on the borders of forest tolerating some shade.

[FirstGarden]

THE HURRICANE WHEATGRASS JUICER $104.95

It has few parts to wash and assemble, it will never rust, and it will last you a lifetime.* It is comparable to any other stainless steel juicer on the market such as the Miracle Juicer .

Superb Extraction

Stainless Steel

Easy to clean

Mounts on Countertop

Lightweight*

Juices Wheatgrass, Barleygrass etc.

Five year warranty, 30-day full money back guarantee!

*TRADE IN PROGRAM

We have found that people don't want to invest in an electric wheatgrass juicer until they experience what wheatgrass can do for them so we have created the trade in program.

[FirstGarden]

Ryegrass

Ryegrass (Lolium) is a genus of nine species of tufted grasses, family Poaceae. Also called tares, these plants are native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but are widely cultivated and naturalised elsewhere. Ryegrasses are naturally diploid, with 2n = 14, and are closely related to the fescues Festuca.

Ryegrass should not be confused with Rye, which is a grain crop.

Turf-type Perennial Ryegrass can be grown as a permanent home lawn in the US, however, its adaptation range is limited to areas with mild winters and summers.