One thing to remember if you are looking for grains to sprout -- you need the entire grain. Hulled or sprouted barley and hulled buckwheat, for example, won't sprout, because they need all their 'parts' for the germ to activate. The grains we eat are the seeds of the plant, and sprouting is the first stage of growing them.

Brown rice, buckwheat, barley, and additionally, a wide array of beans. Just be careful about which ones you eat raw, or too much in general. Supposedly, some contain toxins while others inhibit the absorption of protein, etc.

Our columnist Tom Hirschfeld has a great primer on growing sprouts at home here: http://food52.com/blog/6539-how-to-hustle-spring-along-grow-your-own-sprouts