Category Archives: sprouting

NOW Sprouting jar with mesh insert in the lid

I hope you’ve tried sprouting and have enjoyed it. If not – check out my previous post on sprouting.

Recently, I found this fabulous jar at the Health Food Store locally.

I like sprouts. Bean sprouts are even more fun because they’re ready so much faster. A great resource for getting supplies and information on sprouting is The Sprout People website. I love them!! If had had the good sense to check in with them sooner I would have learned that it’s usually best to eat bean sprouts BEFORE they get leaves. *sigh* I had to pitch an entire jar of sprouted adzukis because I let them go too long and they didn’t taste good anymore. My compost heap is the richer for it, though.

Let’s sprout some Adzuki beans!

Put 1/3 cup of clean beans into the jar. Cover with water and let soak for 12 hours.

Rinse well every 8-12 hours until roots appear. (the link for Sprout People shows much better photos of this part)

Drain them well. Pour them out onto a clean dry towel to remove excess moisture then put them into a sealed container and store in the fridge. Don’t forget to Eat them!!

Sprouting. The easiest form of vegetable gardening – EVER.

I love the fresh ‘green’ taste of sprouts.  They’re also very nutritious.   I do NOT love the price of store bought sprouts.   So I do my own.  I have a fabulous little sprouter that I use to keep a fairly steady supply of sprouts at the ready.

I couldn’t find this online.  But if you google Kitchen Crop you’ll find similar models.

A plain old mason jar also works perfectly fine.

I mix my own seed blend.  Our family prefers a blend of broccoli, radish and alfalfa seeds.  The radish gives it such a nice little boost.

Here’s what I do:    Make sure your tray (or jar) is clean and also be sure the little siphon valve is also scrupulously clean.

Measure one tablespoon of the seed blend into the clean tray.

Remove the siphon valve and cover the seeds with water. 

We also enjoy sunflower sprouts but prefer to do them in their own tray instead of adding them to the mix.   I measure 2 tablespoons  (double what is normally used) of sunflowers seeds into the tray.

Be sure to pick out any broken seed or hull-less seeds.  They’ll rot and give you trouble.

We’re not thrilled with Bruno’s blend.  But love the sunflowers.

If you need a suggestion on where to buy your seeds, I recommend Sprout People.   I’ve used their tutorials on sprouting as well.  I don’t own any of their sprouters so I can’t say how they work – but I feel safe in assuming they work just dandy.

 Word of advice.  DO NOT JUST SPROUT ANY OLD SEED.   Be sure you’re using organic seed.

Anyway.   Let the seeds soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours.    Replace the siphon valve and give them a good rinse.    The directions on the sprouter say to fill gently with water and let it drain into the next tray.   I didn’t like the results with that method.  The sprouts didn’t get rinsed well enough.   So, now I just hold them under running water and give them a gentle shower until the tray is filled with water, then I sit each tray on the edge of the sink and let them drain into the sink.   The seeds should be rinsed morning and evening every day until they’re ready to eat.

Those tiny fuzzy places are roots.  Not mold.   They look this way for a few hours.
The sunflower sprouts.

In about 5 days they’re ready to eat.   We just pull out a clump or two and eat them straight.  But you can add them to sandwiches or anything you wish.

My mixture of broccoli, alfalfa and radish.  You can see the pink from the radishes.

When the sunflowers get too tall to sit the top tray over them, I just flip it upside down and make a little terrarium for them.

Another helpful tip if you live in a cold area where nights are still chilly:  Use tepid (not cold) water to rinse.   When I switched to using tepid temp. water my sprouts began to thrive much better.

I hope you decide to sprout something soon.   You’ll be glad!

Have you ever had sprouted sunflowers?