Weekend Roundup and Q & A #8

Every once in a blue moon we will post some questions that readers have asked with some (hopefully) good answers. Please be patient as we try to answer all your questions. More questions? Email us!

Previous Question and Answer Posts


Other Informative Posts:
All About Oats
All About Beans
Let's Talk About Wheat
All About Rice
All About Rice Storage


My hubby always gets the wheat grass "shots" at Jamba, is this the same thing?

I had a couple of questions about the wheat grass in smoothies when I posted the wheat grass tutorial. My daughters both have low iron in their blood and as they aren't big meat eaters, I make them spinach shakes for breakfast occasionally. I puree either fresh or frozen spinach with orange juice concentrate (to increase iron absorption) as well as frozen or fresh fruit and yogurt. When I have wheat grass growing, I'll snip off a handful and throw it in the blender with all the rest. It's delicious, and my daughters, as well as Mountain Man love the result. I don't know if the wheat grass really increases the benefits of the shake, but it sure makes me feel better. Like they're getting TWO servings of vegetables for breakfast! Kind of makes me chuckle.

So, what is wheat grass juice? According to my research (gotta love google) it's wheat grass that is fully grown and put through a juicer. This made me shudder because when I was young, my parents invested in a juicer and made us all drink carrot juice for breakfast. Any of my social or emotional issues I blame on this period of my life. I did some more "research" to see if you could make wheat grass juice in a blender and came across a slightly disturbing youtube video of a man making wheat grass juice. He blended wheat grass in a blender until it was a ball of pulp, then he put it in a sieve type bag (I'm guessing cheesecloth would work as well) and squeezed all the juice out of the ball of pulp with his hands. He then proceeded yell and rant about how this juice would cost him $10 in a store and he made it without an expensive juicer. While I applaud his ingenuity, quite frankly, he scared me. But there you have it, with a blender, cheesecloth or some type of sieve, and wheat grass you can make wheat grass juice too.


I have always wanted to make English Muffins, but have been a bit scared over the griddle part. What's an approximate time per side?

Honestly I don't know. I've never been a timer type of gal. I just hang tight next to the stove top for my first couple of batches, checking the bottom of the muffin to see when it is lightly browned. Depending on the heat of your griddle, I would say 1-2 minutes. And I ALWAYS test the first batch to make sure it's done all the way through--I'm just looking out for my family. It's just like pancakes though, so don't be scared. Um, do you have a smoke detector?

How did you store the leftovers (english muffins)? I wonder if I could freeze some after they have cooled...

I'm sure you could freeze them. Almost anything bread-like freezes well. I've never frozen them because they don't ever last long here. We eat lots hot off the griddle, because that's when they're best, then toasted for breakfast, and then for english muffin mini pizzas. Kids love 'em.

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Have a wheat allergy in your family? Preparedness Brings Peace has an article about the different types of substitutions you can make when baking.

Totally Ready has put out an informative post all about glowsticks and their uses in emergency situations which I found interesting, my only exposure to glowsticks being at firework shows.