Fall Sprouting Series - Part 3

Sproutable Seeds

Most seeds can be sprouted and eaten but avoid sprouting any seeds from plants that may have poisonous parts. Common seeds for sprouting include alfalfa, fenugreek, sunflower, lentils, peas, radish, and red clover. Mung beans have been sprouted in Asia for thousands of years, but take more equipment and time than other seeds. Other less common seeds include kale, cabbage, broccoli, garbanzos, pumpkin, mustard seed, and quinoa. Most grains can grow chlorophyll rich grass crops in soil, and grains without hulls can be used as short sprouts. Save garden seeds -sunflower and radish seeds are easy, just let them go to seed and harvest when dry and ripe. Caragana seeds make delicious sprouts.  The seeds you buy must be high germination (90%+), preferably organic and labeled for sprouting.  For beginners, it is recommended that you only grow one type of sprout at a time, as they can all have different growth times.

Roasted or salted nuts, seeds, grains, and beans will not sprout. Some hulled seeds sprout, but have a shorter seed shelf life. Raw almonds and peanuts can be successfully sprouted without their shells. In general, most nuts are not recommended because they take weeks to germinate and may not taste good. Large beans such as black, red, navy, lima, pinto and kidney beans will all sprout; but don't taste good in the raw sprouted form because they're pretty starchy. Some grains are good sprouters. Hard and soft wheat, rye, and triticale all sprout well. Oats, barley millet, and brown rice sprout well, but are not very flavorful.

 How Much Does it Yield?

A very small amount of seeds will give back very high yields. Here's an example: five tablespoons of alfalfa seeds (1/3 cup) will give you over a pound of fresh sprouts, at a cost of 30 cents!!  This is why sprouting is so affordable and a great way to stretch the family food budget! But these babies need room to grow, for they are big producers. Alfalfa sprouts increase in volume over 32 times from seed to sprout! If 3.5 pounds of alfalfa seeds cost $13.95 and yield over 128 pints, that's only 11 cents a pint. Buy that same pint at a store and it would cost at least 99 cents. This can really add up!

An 8 oz. bag of seeds equals 1 cup. Using the equation above, that would yield over 3 pounds of sprouts, at a total cost of less than $1.00. Now that's family friendly and budget wise.
 
5 Inexpensive, Common Household Items You Will Need To Start

1.   A glass jar, wide mouth, 1qt. to gallon (1 to 4 liters) size, depending on your appetite for sprouts and size of your family. Quart canning jars are a bit small, with little room for the little darlings to grow.  I personally like half gallon jars.

2.   Something to prop up the jar at a 45 degree angle - I use a wood dish drainer as shown below.

3.   Netting. It can be wire window screening, stockings/hosiery, nylon tulle, or a  cheesecloth. Anything that allows the soaking water to drain through at the jar's mouth.

4.   Rubber band to hold screen in place over the open mouth of jar.

5.   Fresh water. I like to use distilled or bottled water.

Next, purchase your seeds and you're ready to get sprouting!

 
Easy Sprouting Directions (for most smaller seeds)
 
Sprouting from scratch is very easy. The seeds do all the work. All you have to do is water and rinse them. A minute or two, twice a day is all it takes.  You can start a fresh batch in the mornings. It's better to grow in smaller quantities and eat fresh sprouts than to grow larger quantities and store them in the refrigerator for days on end. I have had sprouts go bad this way, even when stored in green bags - sometimes less is more. By sprouting less at a time, you can also keep a fresh rotation of sprouts.
 
Your seeds need to be soaked in water so that they can expand. The sprouting process begins as the seeds absorb sufficient water to activate the germination process. Sprouts are unique in that they absorb nutrients from the water. They can also absorb contaminants. Your sprouts will taste better and be healthier when sprouted in pure, clean water.

1. Soak your seeds. for 6-8 hours. Put 1 to 4 tablespoons of seeds in your wide mouth glass jar. Cover with netting and secure with a rubber band. Add water, swirl, and drain. Then add 1 cup cool water and soak seeds for 6- 8 hrs.  The rule of thumb for smaller seeds (kale, alfalfa, broccoli, clover, radish, etc.) is two tablespoons of seeds in a half gallon jar.

2. Rinse. Twice a day, swirl and drain out the stale water.  Once in the morning and once in evening (12 hours apart). Invert jar by propping at a 45 angle on your dish drainer. The reason for this is to insure proper water drainage, and air circulation. If the jar is placed straight up and down, then no air circulates through the jar and seeds are on top of one another - this can cause mold.

Again, sprouts grown in a jar expand and fill the jar, and need to have proper aeration.

The residue left on the sides of the jar is putrefaction. This is why I thoroughly rinse my sprouts each and every day, once in the morning and once at night.

 
Repeat Step 2 For 2-3 Days

Keep the seeds in a warm dark place for the first 3 days, under a kitchen cabinet in a perfect location.  On the 4th day, place them in diffused or indirect sunlight this way they can begin to develop chlorophyll and they will begin to turn green. This is a vital step as we need the chlorophyll. Never place the sprouts in direct sunlight as they will wilt or die.

Viable seeds have stored nutrients which multiply when sprouted. Sprouts achieve their maximum nutrient density after the first 2-5 days of growth. When the sprouts are ready to harvest, remove them from their jar and place them in a cool bath of water. You can now gently shake and rinse the hulls off your sprouts by using your hands. Hold a handful of sprouts, make a S pattern with them and soon you will see the hulls float to the top of the water and attach themselves to the side of your sink. Place the rinsed sprouts in a strainer and repeat this process until all of the hulls are removed from your sprouts. Place them in a green storage bag in your refrigerator for up to one week.

 
 For larger seeds and beans, such as sunflowers, lentils, garbanzo, and pumpkin, soak up to ½ cup of seeds for up to a day (until little tails start to appear) instead of 6-8 hours as was suggested for the smaller seeds.  The rest of the instructions are the same.

Enjoy.  Your sprouts should be ready to harvest in 3-6 days when they are about 3 - 5 centimeters or 1 - 2 inches long, they should also be a beautiful shade of green.



Harvesting and Storing Sprouts. Sprouts should be harvested when they taste the best. Some people prefer longer, more fibrous sprouts and others like very tender sprouts. Harvest times may vary depending on the seed, amount of watering, and growing temperature.  Most sprouts can be ready to eat in two to three days, this just depends on your liking.

Some sprouts keep well in the refrigerator for one to two weeks after harvesting. Never freeze your sprouts! Storing sprouts in regular plastic bags tends to rot them. I enjoy using the Green Bags as they absorb and remove damaging gases, dramatically extending the life of  sprouts. Some signs of deterioration are bad odor, soft or soggy texture, mold, or darkened sprouts. If some sprouts in a batch go bad, throw out the whole batch and start a new crop.

I like to rinse my bagged sprouts once every 3 days to help them maintain their moisture. Leafy green sprouts generally keep in the refrigerator for 7-14 days after maturity depending on variety and season. Bean/legume sprouts last 10-21 days. Store dry seeds in glass jar with sealed lids. Keep in them in a cool place, ideally away from heat and light.

Be sure to check Splendor In The Raw's NEWS tab next Thursday, when I'll present Part 4 of our Fall Sprouting Series.