How are lentils harvested is an excellent subject matter to know especially if you start having your polytunnel. According to UK garden specialists and farmers, lentils are edible legumes with Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B6, and Magnesium when grown in the British garden and then cultivated for the kitchen.
In this edition of our blog, you will learn more about lentils and how they are grown, side effects for your health, and more questions mostly asked online before concluding how you can have lentils at home.
How Are These Harvested Individually And Commercially?
Lentils: Individual Harvesting
These lentils are swathed and cut into windows around a week before harvesting them dry down their weeds. The lentils offer uneven crop maturity and heavy infestation from weeds. The technique of swathing enhances the uniformity of moisture among the lentil seeds, thus reducing the amount of seed discolouration.
Commercial Harvesting
To harvest lentils commercially, these are straight combined when their seeds and pods are fully mature. Gardeners in the United Kingdom often use their threshing equipment with the flex header, pick-up reel or air reels, automatic height controls, and vine lifters to make this even more possible.
Take note, though, and the excessively drying the seed may chip and peel during the time of threshing.
How Do You Pick Lentils?
Picking or harvesting lentils involves various steps that beginners may follow by the dot. Still, advanced farmers have already familiarised themselves with this, which comes to them as a review. Let’s take a look.
- Apple your desiccant around a week before harvesting to hasten the drying.
- You may also go and pull these lentil plants from the ground once they are ready for harvesting.
- Prepare the harvested plants to dry under the sun for such an organic approach.
- Begin to have these lentils dried indoors if the weather may be too wet or cloudy, not ideal for your lentils.
- You can also choose to thresh the crops to have them shaken loose from their plants.
- Then, you must be able to remove the lentils’ pods by hand should there be anything that will remain after the threshing.
- A process known as winnowing the lentils one should do for you to take away the chaff and other elements.
- Then, store your lentils in a cool, dry area.
Side Effects
At home, lentils are great ingredients for the kitchen. These lentils are excellent protein sources, so if you need to supplement your workout for better muscle formation, you may need to have these in your diet.
However, not every time, lentils could offer these health benefits. It has been said that intaking more significant amounts of fibre from the lentil may bring about flatulence and constipation. They also have the FODMAPs or fermentable carbohydrates, which may cause digestive problems for IBS or irritable bowel syndrome.
You also have to note the lentils you purchase in grocery stores since these are processed and preserved. It is best to have them from farm-to-table or the fresh produce from your polytunnels.
Can You Eat Lentils Raw?
No, you may not be able to eat these lentils raw, and there is a need to have them processed in cooking.
Unlike other crops that may be consumed raw, lentils should not be eaten in this form. Lentils categorised as legumes such as beans, but they are also not eaten raw unless, of course, they have sprouted in the first place.
The nutritional value of lentils are excellent, and cooking these lentils and having them served with your dishes will add more value to soups, salads, and vegetable stir-fries.
To start cooking the lentils, you may need to rinse them off before having them prepared to remove the dirt and other debris. Then, you can also soak them in water for approximately seven hours before letting them sprout.
The lentil’s sprouting process is also exciting to note. It has been said that they can take two to three days, but then again, you will never have to soak these lentils before having them boiled. Choosing this method recommended having these boiled for about 30 minutes until you reach their ideal tenderness.
Do Lentils Make You Gain Weight?
Aside from knowing about how lentils are harvested, some individuals are particular about the health advantages of these lentils. Fitness enthusiasts and those interested in weight loss have always searched for products and food they can add to their diet.
This time, it is the opposite. Those who want to gain weight may look at lentils and manage them right into their diet.
It has been said that you can have lentils to your weight loss program without guilt. These crops are famous for their fibre and protein content. Foods high in fibre may take longer for anybody to chew, thus giving the body and the anatomy plenty of time to prepare for digesting the lentils. In these instances, you are less likely to commit yourself to overeat.
Krostrade.com And Lentils
Krostrade.com has various options to give when you want to get started with your very own polytunnel. These polytunnels are necessary to offer the ideal habitat and environment for your plantation. Select from the range of commercial polytunnels, hobby polytunnels, mini-polytunnels, and more.
“Mini polytunnels allow you to extend the growing season beyond the normal timeframe. It protects your seedling when the ambient temperature fluctuates and can drop below sub-zero (not below -2 deg. C) level overnight. Thepolytunnelconserves, the heat, allows the soil to stay hydrated, and protects your UK garden,” the official website of Krostrade stated.
How are lentils harvested is one of the most accessible UK gardening techniques and processes to find yourself in. Some people travel to the countryside to have these done, but you can have this right in your own homes. With Krostrade’s polytunnels, you can have many choices for having the lentils for your diet, well-being and health.