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GROWING YOUR OWN SPROUTS

By growing your own sprouts you will save yourself a ton of money. It is a lot cheaper to buy the sprout seeds, grow and harvest the sprouts rather than buying them from your local grocery store. Growing your own sprouts will also allow you to enjoy them when they are at their absolute freshest and tastiest. Imagine the simple pleasure of grabbing a handful of these beauties from their growing container, rinsing them and then gobbling them up! It's fantastic! Because home grown spouts are fresher, they contain higher levels of nutrients. By growing your own sprouts you choose which varieties of sprouts you add to your diet. You're not limited to what's just available at your local market. I heard someone say once that sprouts are the fast food of gardening and that's true and that funny fact stuck with me.


FOOD POISONING AND SPROUTS

There have been many news stories regarding salmonella and or e-coli contamination in sprouts. These have been combined with warnings from the FDA that sprouts could be contaminated with food poisoning bacteria and advising the very old, the very young, and those with compromised immune systems to avoid raw sprouts. So it's no wonder folks are afraid to try sprouts let alone understand all the amazing health benefits they hold. Who knows for sure why or how those sprouts became contaminated. I just say all the more reason to sprout your own! You know exactly where the seeds came from what's going into them and how they are being handled.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO BE EXTRA SAFE?

Use certified organic seeds. Organic certification assures that seeds have been grown and handled in a manner that helps minimize possible sources of contamination. Manure used on organic fields, for example, must be composted for a long period. Composting has been shown to reduce or eliminate pathogens in manure. Organic farmers are also required to use rodent- and bird-proof storage for seeds to be used for human consumption. Make sure that any seeds you buy have been handled as a food crop and not a farm planting seed crop. Find this information out before you buy.

Seeds that have been in contact with animals or animal waste could be contaminated with salmonella or e-coli, leading to food poisoning. Reputable sprouting seed suppliers test all lots of seeds for contamination.

Treat sprouts and foods containing sprouts as you would any nutritious food - refrigerate them until used.

Be sure to check Splendor In The Raw's NEWS tab next Thursday, when I'll present Part 3 of our Fall Sprouting Series.