ARCHIVE: Milk Substitutes (long)
Preliminaries:
Like the previous archive post, this was written for general distribution, and
may be freely placed on web sites. I'm not 100% certain, but I think it was
never posted to the old veg-raw. It is formatted for printout, which was its
original distribution method: 66 lines per page, 80 characters per line.
I hope you find the following useful and/or interesting. Next archive item
will be a repost, off the diskette library. This is still material that is
widely available, so it may be "old" for some. Eventually, will start
combing through the diskette archives, and will have some "new" archive
material to post, things that are not so readily available.
I hope to post archive materials twice a week, perhaps on a Wednesday &
Saturday schedule.
Tom Billings
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****Begin Archive Post****
Notes on Sprouting, January 1995
Milk Substitutes Made From Sprouted Oats
Copyright (c) 1995 by Thomas E. Billings. This document may be distributed
freely for non-commercial purposes provided 1) this copyright notice is
included, 2) the document is distributed free of charge, with the sole
exception that a photocopy charge, not to exceed ten cents (U.S.) per printed
page may be charged by those distributing this paper. All commercial
rights reserved; contact author for details (contact address given at end).
Oat sprouts are not commonly consumed, or appreciated by, the sprouting
community. This is unfortunate, as the oat sprout has a flavor that is
similar to dairy (cow's) milk, and it can be used to make a number of
good milk substitutes.
The problem with oats is that to sprout them you must use unhulled oats. So-
called "whole oats" or "oat groats" won't sprout. The only (known) general
source for unhulled oats is Jaffe Bros., a mail-order firm specializing in
organic foods, address: P.O. Box 636, Valley Center, Calif. 92082-0636;
phone 619-749-1133.
Using oat sprouts as a base, one can prepare many types of sprout milk. There
are two basic recipes (really two versions of the same recipe) that can be
used. The basic methods are described below, and produce a large glass of
sprout milk (approx 1.75-2.0 cups of liquid). To produce larger quantities of
sprout milk, simply multiply quantities below by the appropriate scale factor.
Method 1
Take 1/4 cup dry sprouting oats and 1/8 cup of other grain/seed. Soak overnight
(12 hours) then put in sprouting environment for 1.5 days - i.e., allow to
sprout for 1.5 days. At that point the sprouts can be processed into milk, or
refrigerated and processed later. To make milk, rinse sprouts, put in blender.
Add one cup water, blend on high for 30 seconds. Stop blender, add 2/3 cup
water and blend for 30 more seconds. Then strain using steel mesh sieve. Use
spoon to squeeze ground pulp to get maximum extraction of sprout liquids.
Discard pulp; the liquid left is, of course, the sprout milk. Add extra water
to milk, if necessary, to adjust to your taste preference. Drink immediately
if possible; can be refrigerated but length of storage life is unknown. Also
the milk will oxidize quickly in the refrigerator -- best if taken *fresh*,
with enzymes and nutrients at their maximum.
Method 2
Take 1/4 cup dry sprouting oats, soak overnight, sprout for 1.5 days as above.
Take 1/8 cup other grain/seed, and soak/sprout accordingly (will vary by seed
type). In this method, the oats are usually sprouted separately from the other
grain/seed. When ready, put rinsed oat sprouts in blender, grind and strain
as above to give milk made only of oat sprouts. Discard oat hull pulp as above.
Rinse out blender, put oat milk and other (rinsed) sprouted grain/seed in,
blend on high for 30-45 seconds. Straining optional here; generally not
recommended. Use immediately or refrigerate, as above.
Note that the oat sprout should be very short, i.e., the root tip should be
just emerging from the seed, for use in milk. Long sprouts are not desirable
here. Using the cloth method, this occurs at *approximately* 1.5 days; sprouts
can take more or less time depending on seed viability and other factors. If you
use the jar method or other method (i.e., commercial sprouter) of sprouting,
it may take slightly more or less time (probably longer time in jar), for the
sprouts to reach the optimal growth stage.
Once the milk has been made, using either method, one can add options:
sweetener of choice (*raw* honey, date sugar, raisins, etc), flavorings such
as carob, vanilla bean, and so on.
Below is a summary of oat milk recipes tested, listed by (subjective)
flavor quality. Grain/seed blends listed are approximately 50-50%, by volume.
Additional comments follow at the end. Reminder: the recipe is 1/4 cup
oats (sprouted ~1.5 days) plus 1/8 cup grain/seed given below (produced as
indicated; times are for cloth method of sprouting), made using milk method
suggested below. Note that the 1/8 cup is approximate; for (shelled) nuts below,
use more to compensate for spacing of nuts in measuring cup.
Rated Excellent in Flavor
Milk Proc.
Grain/Seed Production Method Comments
Almonds spr, 1.0 day 2 remove skins from almonds before
blending; don't sprout more than 1
day, don't refrigerate almond sprouts
more than 1 day; used 20 almonds in
recipe. Wonderful flavor!
Sesame spr, 1.0 days 2 can use soaked 12 hrs instead; sprout
and refrig time should not exceed 1.5
days else sprouts can turn bitter
Wheat spr, 1.5 days 1 very much like dairy milk; easy to
make and economical!
Buckwheat spr, 1.5 days 1 use raw hulled buckwheat groats; soak
only 15-45 minutes (add buckwheat at
end of oat soak); very smooth and
excellent milk; recommend immediate
use as flavor can get strong in
refrigerator
Blend: Wheat/ spr, 1.5 days 1 comments on buckwheat apply; very
Buckwheat smooth, excellent milk.
Filberts soak 12 hrs 1 very rich flavor! Also easier to
make than other nut milks.
Brazil nuts soak 12 hrs 1 superb flavor! Pre-shelled nuts were
boiled before shelling, so are not
raw; recommend using in-shell nuts
that you shell by hand. Flavor gets
stronger when refrigerated.
Rated Very Good in Flavor
Milk Proc.
Grain/Seed Production Method Comments
Pine Nuts soak 8-12 hrs 2 don't soak pine nuts more than 12 hrs;
can get mushy. Also might want to
strain milk twice. Milk is flavorful;
tastes just like pine nuts.
Macadamias soak 12 hrs 2 smooth, distinctive flavor. Might
want to strain out macadamia pulp -
can be gritty. Soaking has little
effect on macadamias.
Walnuts soak 12 hrs 2 very good but might want to add
sweetener. Recommend using organic
in-shell nuts that you shell by hand,
then soak shelled nut meats.
Rated Very Good in Flavor (cont'd)
Milk Proc.
Grain/Seed Production Method Comments
Pecans soak 8-12 hrs 2 sweeter than walnut milk; pecans can
mushy if soaked more than 12 hours;
use in-shell nuts that you shell by
hand (pre-shelled pecans are heat
treated and are technically not raw!)
Pumpkin Seeds soak 12 hrs 1 sprouting pumpkin seeds can be hard -
high spoilage rate. Soaking safer,
more reliable.
Raw Sesame out of jar, 2 smooth, creamy; not as good as milk
Tahini 1-2 tablespoons made with sesame sprouts!
Blend: Wheat/ spr, 1.5 days 1 not as good as pure wheat; barley
Barley content reduces shelf life
Blend: Barley/ spr, 1.5 days 1 comments on buckwheat and shelf life
Buckwheat of barley apply
Peanuts spr, 1.0 day 1 method 2 can be used if desired. Remove
peanut skins before using in milk.
Discard peanut sprouts if yellow mold
develops; because of mold, best to
sprout peanuts and oats separately.
Milk tastes like sprouted peanuts.
Rated Good/Fair in Flavor
Milk Proc.
Grain/Seed Production Method Comments
Coconut, fresh crack, remove 1 can use method 2 - straining advised
coconut meat as otherwise milk is gritty. Can save
coconut water and use in milk; gives
very (too) sweet milk. Milk is a bit
oily. Coconut is hard to blend - blend
for at least 90 seconds.
Barley spr, 1.5 days 1 easy to make; has short shelf life
as barley ferments (fermented barley
sprouts are a major ingredient of
beer!)
Sunflower Seeds spr, 0.75 day 1/2 stronger flavor than other milks;
milk has "protein" or "earthy" flavor
Oats spr, 1.5 days 1 pure oat sprout milk - a bit bland,
but certainly drinkable!
Corn spr, 1.5 days 1 smooth, bland, with slightly sweet
aftertaste. Suggest using 2.5 day old
(field) corn sprouts for sweeter
flavor. Need to use jar for 2.5 day
sprouts; mold likely in cloth method.
Rated Good/Fair in Flavor (cont'd)
Milk Proc.
Grain/Seed Production Method Comments
Rice spr, 1.0 day 1 bland, but has nice texture. To
sprout short grain brown rice: soak
12 hrs, change water, soak 12 more
hours. Then allow to sprout 1 day, no
longer (rice sprouts can get bitter
after 1 day).
Millet spr, 1.5 days 1 smooth but bland flavor. Millet
sprouts are tiny and crunchy; may
need to strain twice
Rye spr, 1.5 days 1 has a grainy aftertaste; might be
better if use 1.0 day old rye sprouts
instead
Kala Channa spr, 1.5 days 1 kala channa is a miniature garbanzo
bean, available from (East) Indian
food stores. Flavor same as garbanzo,
but easier/more reliable to sprout.
Milk has strong protein taste; can
disguise flavor by adding ginger.
Not recommended due to strong flavor.
Additional Comments
** Ratings of Oat Sprout Milks:
* Best in Flavor: Almond (truly delicious!)
* Best For Ease of Preparation: Wheat, Filbert, Buckwheat, Wheat/Buckwheat blend
* Best for Low Cost of Ingredients: Wheat (delicious!)
* Best Overall: Wheat, Almond
Note: the above ratings reflect the (subjective) tastes of the author.
** Shelf life under refrigeration has not been tested for most of the above
milks. Based on earlier tests, suggest a maximum storage period of 2 days for
milks made with barley. Buckwheat, if it oxidizes, can develop a strong flavor;
suggest using milks made with buckwheat immediately (within 2-3 hours). Other
types of milks not tested for shelf life.
** The following items were not tested but might be useful in making sprout
milks:
* Kamut - a large grained type of wheat; should give results similar to wheat
* Spelt - very similar to wheat; should give similar results
* Triticale - cross between wheat and rye; should give similar results
Note: ordinary wheat gives an excellent milk and is cheaper than the above.
** Suggest you do *not* use for sprout milks:
* Amaranth, quinoa - very strong and unpleasant flavor
* "Raw" Cashews - so-called raw cashews are heated in processing and are really
not raw. Cashews also ferment very quickly in water, so keep that in mind if
you experiment with them.
* Pistachios - thick peel can get slimy in water; suggest you use unsoaked or
peel soaked pistachios, if you experiment with them.
* Legumes/beans, such as lentils, mung beans, and so on - would give milk an
unpleasant flavor (see kala channa above for test of milk made from a bean).
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