How to process grains

In this lesson, we will teach you a simple method to manually process grain seeds.

Once the wheat is harvested and dried, you’ll need to isolate the seeds so that they can be consumed or used for planting.

For this you will need:

chicken wire,

grains (here, we’re using rye),

scissors, string,

a broom and dustpan,

and a label and pen.

wire

grains

scissors and string

broom and dustpan

label and pen

Step 1: Start by tying the grains into small bundles.

Step 2: Place the bundles directly onto the chicken wire and use your feet

to separate the seed from the stems.

Step 3: Lift the chicken wire, collect the seeds and store them in a container.

Step 4: Now, it's time to separate the seeds from inedible organic waste.

For this step, we'll use a fan.

Empty the container of seeds directly in front of the fan.

You'll notice that the seeds fall into the bin, while the lighter organic waste is blown away by the fan.

Repeat this step until only the seeds remain.

Note that you can also perform this step outside, using the wind.

Step 5: Place the seeds in a container. Here we used a glass jar.

If you want to keep the seeds for growing, be sure to label your jar indicating the species, variety, date of harvest and source.

Attach the label to the jar.

For plants such as quinoa or amaranth, it's best to separate the seeds from the stalks by rolling the dry plants in your hands.

Note that you'll still need to separate the seeds from the inedible organic waste.

Stems and residual organic waste should be deposited in the compost pile where they will function as carbon material.