Sprouts

After being asked several times how to sprout seeds I though maybe I should try to figure this out.  So I did a little research and found it is extremely easy.  So I sprouted some of my own seeds (below) and found that in-fact, it was even easier then I initially though.  I'm surprised more people don't do this.  The basic process is first, soak seeds 8 to 12 hours.  You will need some sort of jar to soak them in where the water can be easily drained off.  I used a 1 quart mason canning jars with their bands.  The bands were used to hold pantyhose in place. 

Day one.  Mung beans (left) and alfalfa (left) soaking in canning jars.  The jars are canning mason jars with a portion of pantyhose held on the top with the threaded bands.  Seeds need to be soaked 8 to 12 hours and then drained by pouring the water out through the pantyhose.  Note: The number of seeds I soaked in the jars above was way too many, it would have been better with a quarter to a tenth as many seeds.

Then, after soaking the water was drained off through the pantyhose and the jars were left to sit on their sides.  The seeds are still wet at this point so they continue to sprout.  the sprouting seeds need to be rinsed two or three times a day simply by filling the jar up with water (through the pantyhose) and then immediately draining the water off through the pantyhose.  The moisture keeps the seed sprouts growing and rinses a lot of the bacteria.  If you set your sprouts in sunlight they will green up.  Keep doing this until your sprouts are the size you want to eat them.  I started eating my sprouts on day three but continued to rinse them and let them grow until day six.  Personally, I thought they tasted better the longer they grew and the greener they got.

Day two.  These sprouting seeds have a small root showing after being drained from the initial soaking about 12 hours ago.  I left my jars like this in a sunny window, rinsing three times a day.

Day three.  Sprouts have been rinsed three times a day and were left in a sunny window.  The beginnings of green leaves are showing.  Sprouts in areas not receiving sunlight remained yellow.  I started eating the sprouts on day three but found they tasted much better on day five and six.

Some things to keep in mind when sprouting seeds.  It is important to rinse the sprouts, this keeps the sprouts growing, prevents dehydration, and washes away bad bacteria before it can build-up.  Also, make sure if you remove the pantyhose to replace it quickly before bugs can infest your sprouts.  Also, sprouts from some seeds such as kidney beans are toxic, so be sure that you know it is safe before sprouting.  Here is a great resource for growing your own sprouts: sproutpeople.org/.

Sprouting is a great way to improve the nutritional content of seeds.  Apparently, all seeds contain anti-nutritional factors called phytic acids.  With only a few hours of soaking these anti-nutrients disappear and the seed begins to increase in protein, vitamin, and fiber quantity and quality.  The nutrients continue to increase with several days of sprouting.

Check out Wikipedia for more information on this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprouting