Sprouts

Sprouts are known for their nutritional value. Sprouts are a complete food, able to sustain life. They contain essential vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, and chlorophyll. Plants achieve their maximum nutrient density in the first 5-10 days. Sprouting creates a living food, dramatically increases the nutritional value of seeds, beans, and grains, and even creates nutrients that are not present in the dry seed, such as vitamin C. Homegrown sprouts are easy to digest, inexpensive, fresh, and organic.

  1. Choose the variety of sprout based on the desired use.
    1. Salad. Many sprouts grow tall enough to be used as lettuce—as a salad, a salad topping, or a sandwich topping. Use in coleslaw or as a garnish.
    2. Vegetable. Most beans can be sprouted to increase their nutritional value, to reduce gassiness, and to shorten cooking time. A small amount of sprouted beans can be added to salad for extra crunchiness, but larger quantities of beans will need to be cooked after sprouting to be digestible.
    3. Bread. Some grains can be sprouted and then added whole to bread dough. To add 1 cup sprouted wheat berries, subtract ½ cup flour and ½ c. water. Sprouts will quicken the leavening action of breads. Sprouts can also be dried and then ground before adding to bread dry. Place sprouts on a cookie sheet in a 175 oven, in a dehydrator, or on a wood stove, etc. Grind the dried sprouts and add the powder to baking.
  2. Choose a growing method and the desired size of sprouting container.
    1. Canning jar with a lid that allows drainage, such as a piece of nylon stocking held with a rubber band or a purchased strainer top: This method works well for beans and grains, but it results in crowding of salad-type sprouts.
    2. Sprout bag: Bags made from nylon, cotton, hemp, or linen work well for beans and grains just like jars. Soak the seeds in a jar overnight, then transfer them to the bag and hang it to drip. Fill or swish with water twice a day.
    3. Commercially made plastic tray, or homemade wood tray with screen bottom: Trays work well for upright growing of salad-type sprouts. Upright growing yields three times as much growth as jars do. Plastic trays don’t drain as well as screens. Wood frames tend to grow mold on the wood.
    4. Bamboo baskets—Baskets work well for upright growing of salad-type sprouts, but the bamboo tends to grow mold.
    5. Mesh screen strainers and splatter screens—Strainers work well for upright growing of salad-type sprouts but tend to get overcrowded. Splatter screens provide good space and drainage. Look for ones made from stainless steel; avoid aluminum.
  3. Measure the desired quantity of seed into a jar or cup and soak in water overnight. The quantity will be determined by the size of your sprouting container.
  4. The next morning, pour the soaked seeds into your sprouting container. If using a tray or strainer, spread the seeds around to cover the surface. (If you find that the seeds have expanded to exceed the capacity of your sprouting container, transfer some of the seeds to another container. Overcrowding will encourage mold to grow.)
  5. Rinse the seeds with a strong stream of water. Sink sprayers work best, but inexpensive faucet sprayer attachments are available at hardware stores.
  6. Arrange the sprouting container for good drainage.
    1. Jars can be tipped upside down at an angle and set into a plastic food container, such as a square freezer container.
    2. Sprout bags should be hung up to drain over a sink or bowl.
    3. Trays, baskets, and splatter screens should be propped up to allow drainage and roots to grow underneath. Set a splatter screen over a bowl or a houseplant drip tray.
    4. Mesh strainers with handles can be set in a bowl.
  7. Cover the sprouting container to create a greenhouse effect.
    1. Jars and bags don’t need to be covered.
    2. Trays, baskets, and splatter screens can be covered with houseplant drip trays, plastic cake lids, or plastic storage containers.
    3. Plastic grocery-store bags can be propped over the top of any sprouting container like a tent.
  8. Rinse the sprouts at least twice a day. Three times a day is better. When the sprouts have firmly rooted to the container, they can be completely immersed in water to help remove seed hulls. A little white mold is not harmful and is easily washed off. If gray or black mold appears or the sprouts smell bad, throw them out.
  9. Sprouts can take from two to nine days to grow. When the sprouts have reached the desired size, cover and store in the refrigerator. You can rinse them occasionally to help them stay clean and crisp.
  10. Sprouts don’t need light to grow. You can put them in indirect sunlight on the last day to green them up a little.
  11. You can fertilize sprouts for extra nutrition, if desired. Add a few drops of liquid kelp to the initial soaking water. Add it again about halfway through the growth cycle by placing the kelp solution in a bowl and setting the sprout roots in it. You can also mist the sprouts regularly with a kelp solution.

Small sprouts

lentil, mung, bean varieties, wheat

These sprout best in a jar or bag. Most of these are sprouted only long enough to see a small tail. French lentils are my favorite because they are crunchy.

Mung bean sprouts are used in Chinese food. The sprouts from home will not be as fat as store-bought because commercial growers use ethylene gas to make the sprouts grow plump.

Sprouting beans before cooking will reduce gassiness and turn the bean into a live, alkaline food.

Wheat sprouts are a complete food. Ideally, try to eat them raw because cooking will destroy the enzymes.

Try this recipe for Amazing Wheatballs made using wheat sprouts.

Medium sprouts

alfalfa, broccoli, clover, chia

Broccoli sprouts contain 50 times the amount of cancer-fighting substance found in mature broccoli.

Chia sprouts are edible. The most fun way to grow them is with a Chia Pet—ch-ch-ch-chia! Eat only the sprout; the seeds and roots are bitter. Use half the amount of seed recommended in the directions. Cover the sprouter loosely with a plastic bag to keep the sprouts from drying out.

Tall sprouts

fenugreek, buckwheat, and black sunflower

These sprouts grow quite tall and can be used like lettuce.

Sunflower comes in two varieties. The shell-free kind is only meant to grow a small tail. The black-shelled kind is meant to grow very tall and form green leaves.

Teri’s favorites Quantity of seed Container #Days
wheat ¾ c. jar 2-3
lentil ½ c. jar 3
mung ½ c. jar 4
alfalfa 3 tbs. 12” screen 5-6
broccoli 2 tbs. 10” screen 5-6
clover 2 tbs. 10” screen 6-7
fenugreek 4 tbs. 12” screen 7
buckwheat 4 tbs. 12” screen 8
black sunflower 7 tbs. 12” screen 9-10

Sources

sprout lid: Sprout-ease (Amazon); True Leaf Market; Christopher’s Herb Shop
splatter screens: Norpro 13 Inch Splatter Screen Strainer (Amazon)
sprouting sack: Christopher’s Herb Shop, Trueleaf Market
liquid kelp: Gardens Alive! (or 513-354-1482)
seed sources: