Activated Buckwheat means the buckwheat is in an active form and not in dormant form which is usually the available form in store bought packages. Activated Buckwheat benefits our health as the nutrients have been unlocked and their enriching tendencies are more bioavailable now. This is actually the best possible way to eat nuts and seeds to enjoy all their goodness.

When we buy buckwheat from store in a package, it’s in dormant form. It doesn’t turn active and alive again until you soak it.

If you think of how this process works in nature, this mechanism would make a lot of sense then. In nature, buckwheat grows as grass and when the grass reaches a certain maturity, it flowers. This flower has seeds & these seeds are the buckwheat grains. As the flower dies, the seeds dry & fall off into the surrounding earth.

Overtime, the seed will become buried in earth and will lay there dormant until a strong rain comes, soaking the earth & the seeds within. At this point, buckwheat becomes alive again and begins the process of growing into grass again.

At home, when we buy buckwheat seeds and any other seeds or nuts, we are acting like mother nature, when we soak seeds, we bring them back to life in order to reap their wonderful “alive” benefits.

Activation makes it easier for our body to absorb the nutrients as they are now called ‘unlocked’ allowing us to get more from our food as well as making their digestion a little easier.

How to Activate Buckwheat at home?

1. Take your desired amount of Buckwheat. Just ensure that your bowl is less than half full as the activated buckwheat will expand.
2. Rinse with water using a fine strainer.
3. Add normal temperature water in a 2 part water and one part buckwheat ratio or just enough water to cover buckwheat by two inches. You can add lukewarm water to fasten the process a bit. It will be better to use distilled water.
4. Let it soak for about 4 hours at room temperature.
5. Drain and rinse well with lukewarm water.
6. Add the rinsed buckwheat to a jar or bowl. Add normal or lukewarm water like before.
7. Leave it for 10-24 hours. The time taken highly depends on temperature. The warmer the temperature, the faster will be the sprouting. If you are using lukewarm water and placing it at 30 degree celcius, then the time taken would be ideally ten hours.
8. You can also judge the exact time by checking for sprouting. For our purpose, we only want a tiny emergence of the tail, as this would be the best form of activated buckwheat to eat. The longer the tail grows, the bitter will be the taste and less yummy will be the activated buckwheat.

9. If it’s particularly warm in your home, then do one more rinse in between to keep it hydrated. Also if takes more than ten hours then also do another rinse to avoid the foul smell.

10. When the desired tiny sprouting has taken place, then do one final rinse.

11. Finally spread the activated buckwheat to a dehydrator tray and and dehydrate it at 115°F for about 8-10 hours or until it becomes crisp and dry.

12. The buckwheat is now ready to be eaten and can be enjoyed by simply sprinkling on top of yoghurt, or can be mixed with muesli, granola, or smoothies.

13. Store the activated buckwheat in an airtight container at room temperature for several months.

How to make Activated Buckwheat flour?

Add the above made buckwheat to a high powered blender and process it until a fine flour forms. This will hardly take a minute or two.

Activated Buckwheat Benefits

1. The nutrients are present in a more bioavailable form in Activated Buckwheat.
2. It becomes easier for our body to absorb the nutrients now since they are not out of reach in the locked form.
3. The soaking process also makes the digestion more easy.

Buckwheat is a highly nutritious grain with alkalizing properties and is rich in protein, essential amino acids, dietary fiber, B vitamins and carbohydrates. It’s also naturally gluten-free and paleo-friendly making it a very popular grain to suit a range of diets. It also does not cause inflammation like wheat.

FAQs(Frequently asked Questions)