Seeds that have begun to germinate or sprout
contain vitamins and active nutrients in dramatically greater quantities, and
in a more digestible form, than dormant seeds. Sprouts are particularly rich in
B complex, C, and E vitamins. Since sprouts can be eaten raw or only lightly
cooked, all of those magnified, living nutrients make it directly into your
plate, with lots of cooking energy savings to boot.
Uses for sprouts:
-
Raw or lightly steamed in salads or on their own
with dressing
-
Like any other vegetable in stir fries, curries,
soups, etc.
-
In sandwiches/wraps/burritos
-
Blend into batter for pancakes, waffles, breads,
etc.
-
Blend into breakfast smoothies
Sprouting is by far the cheapest and easiest, not
to mention miraculous, way to get extremely nutritious, tasty “live” food year
round in any climate. Sprouts are not fussy – the humblest grain, seed or bean
will sprout in your kitchen with no more space and equipment needed than a jar.
If you’ve been intimidated by the idea of sprouting before, you will be amazed
at just how simple it is once you try it. You might even feel like you’ve
discovered “free” food. Within just a few days that handful of dry grain or beans
will grow to several times its original size and present you with 10 times the
nutrition (not calories).
Materials:
To get started you’ll need a roomy jar (glass is best), a sturdy rubber band
and a piece of screen/mesh/cheesecloth/lace curtain/pantyhose big enough to
cover the mouth of your jar – this will be held in place by the rubber band to
allow for quick draining during the sprouting process. Depending on your screen
material you may be able to fit a canning jar metal ring over it instead of the
rubber band. It’s best to sprout just one type of seed per jar as different
seeds will have slightly different growth rates. You’ll be rinsing the sprouts
each morning and evening, and during the intervals the trick is to sit the jars
upside down at an angle, for simultaneously better drainage and air
circulation. This setup prevents excess moisture from drowning the bottom layer
and the top layer from drying out too quickly. To prop the jars at roughly a 45
degree angle and to catch water I find it convenient to use a sturdy bowl or a
tray with tall sides; for 2 or more jars at a time a salad bowl works well. If
you know for certain you’ll be sprouting on a regular basis you could of course
buy a multi-level sprouter for $20-$60, but many people still prefer the glass
jar method, and it avoids issues with small seeds clogging water drainage in
sprouters.
Method:
1.
Pick over the seeds to remove any stones and
weird-looking or broken grains (leaving these in may cause mold). For a
quart/liter jar, use ½ to 1 cup dry seeds (they will expand 2-6X by harvest
time).
2.
Wash well and soak in plenty of warm water for
10-12 hours (some seeds should not be soaked at all or only need 30 minutes –
please see chart). For convenience soak right in the jar with the screen in
place; if all goes well you won’t need to remove the screen until you’re ready
to eat the sprouts!
3.
Rinse the sprouts each morning and evening for
2-5 days, depending on the seed type and ambient temperature by filling the jar
with room temperature water and vigorously
swooshing & draining completely.
4.
Rest the jar upside down at a 45 degree angle in
your tray/bowl in a warm place out of direct sunlight. Make sure sprouts are
not crowding the mouth of the jar too much; air circulation is as essential as drainage.
5.
Taste your sprouts at each rinse to determine
your favorite size. The cool thing about this living food is that you can cook
them at any point after the initial soak, or eat some raw/lightly blanched
after the root pokes out while letting the rest keep growing – that’s days of
edibility without refrigeration!
Sprouts do not need darkness to grow but they do
need to breathe! Being out of direct sunlight is enough. It’s not a good idea
to hide sprouts in the pantry or closed cupboard because they need good air
circulation and also if you put them too far out of the way there’s a risk of
forgetting to rinse them! If you want green sprouts, they’ll eventually need
light to develop chlorophyll (but not direct sunlight as this may overheat
them). However, some people prefer the taste of mung beans that were grown in
relative darkness; one way to achieve this is to use a non-transparent jar, or
put an old sock on the jar’s bottom.
You don’t need to buy special sprouting seeds, any
food seed will do, but sometimes you may get an old batch with a low
germination rate. If that happens and there is a significant amount of
unsprouted or barely sprouted seeds after 4 days, separate the “ready” sprouts
by placing the mass in a large bowl with water: the grown sprouts will float to
the surface.
Exceptions:
Mucilaginous seeds (e.g. chia, flax) that form a jelly-like coat when wet are
an exception to this sprouting method. They should not be soaked or kept in a
jar or sprouter; these seeds will mold because they can’t drain properly in a
non-porous container or if spread too thick. Simply sprinkle a single layer on
a paper towel or unglazed clay tray and moisten from a spray bottle twice a
day. Hulled seeds (sunflower, almond, pumpkin) are brought to life by soaking like
any other seed, so in a sense they too are “spouts”, but they are not likely to
grow a root even if you wait for days – so simply enjoy them after soaking for
2-8 hours (depending on size of seed).
Storage: Properly stored sprouts will keep well in the
refrigerator for weeks, although longer sprouts with leaves may not last as
long. Once sprouts have reached your desired size and are dry to the touch
(i.e. it’s been 6-10 hours since the final rinse) you can transfer them to a
dry, tightly closed container (e.g. Pyrex) or salad spinner to keep in the
refrigerator. It’s best not to refrigerate wet sprouts (or any produce for that
matter) – that is why we wait for the final rinse water to dry before
refrigerating.
There are literally hundreds of seeds you could
use for sprouts, available from organic seed companies. Below I list a few
delicious, quick sprouting possibilities that you might already have in your
pantry. Note that other bean varieties are not usually sprouted because they
will have to be thoroughly cooked anyway and simply soaking them accomplishes
as much nutritionally as sprouting (neutralizing enzyme inhibitors and removing
some of the hard to digest starches).
Sprout Possibilities
|
Notes
|
Special seeds
|
|
Chia, flax
|
Don’t rinse/soak
these mucilaginous seeds; spread in a single layer on a paper tower, spray
with water 2x/day. Takes 1-2 weeks to reach maturity (with nice green
leaves).
|
Amaranth
|
This tiny seed
won’t need more than 30 minutes of soaking; short sprouts have a nice crunchy
texture
|
Hulled raw oats
|
Soak only 30-60
minutes; continue sprouting as in the standard method
|
Buckwheat groats
|
Soak only 30
minutes, rinse very thoroughly until water is clear
|
Quinoa
|
Soak only 30
minutes; sprouts are ready in just a day or two, but can keep growing longer
for softer texture
|
Mustard
|
Yellow mustard
(from Indian store) is the best kind to sprout as it’s non- mucilaginous;
soak normally; green sprouts are ready in 5-6 days; like alfalfa and
fenugreek, they are 35% protein-rich.
|
Fenugreek
|
Can buy cheaply
at an Indian store. Sprouts quickly, but like the fenugreek seed, sprouts are
a bit bitter. You may wish to get rid of hulls by agitating the mass of grown
sprouts in a big bowl of water.
|
Grains
|
|
millet, brown
rice, wheat, rye, barley
|
You’ll need the
hulled grains if you intend to eat these rather than growing grass for
juicing.
|
Beans
|
|
Adzuki beans
(red)
|
Will pale to a
light pink as they take up enough water. Some adzuki have a tough shell; if after
12 hours many beans are still hard and dark as before soaking, change water
and soak for another 12 hours.
|
Mung beans
|
Same as with
adzuki – you’ll know they’re properly soaked if they become plump and paler
green. Your sprouts are likely to be short and curly. Don’t expect to get
long straight fat sprouts in a jar (a different method is used commercially
to make those).
|
Lentils
|
French, brown,
red – try any color; follow the basic method
|
Peas
|
All types are
good for raw sprouts (except pigeon peas, which should be cooked)
|
Peanut (raw,
hulled)
|
The root will
still be very small after a few days (more like a bulge), but it’s ready to
eat
|
Garbanzo/Chickpeas
|
Ready to eat as
soon as the beak-like root is prominent, but can be grown for a few days
longer
|
Any other bean
|
BUT unlike those
listed above, other bean sprouts need to be cooked well, same as after
soaking
|
Growing
baby greens at home
You can grow your own baby greens any time of year
in any container/flower pot/planter/tray. It’s arguably even lower maintenance
and provides a more continuous supply of food than sprouting in a jar. Fill
your container with an inch or two of soil (more if fine too). Closely scatter seeds (pre-soaked overnight)
on moist soil and cover with enough extra soil so that the seeds aren’t showing
through. Cover your container with plastic wrap to keep seeds moist and warm.
Put in the warmest place in your house. Water every day or every other day to
keep moist, but don’t overwater if the soil seems soggy or moldy. After a few
days you’ll see shoots coming up; remove plastic cover and put your “garden” in
a place with lots of light (but still warm). Continue to grow until shoots are 3
to 6 inches tall. When it’s time to harvest some for lunch, simply cut the
sprouts near soil level, rinse, and enjoy! If you have young children, they’ll
love getting involved in growing and eating sprouts and learning to tend a
sprout garden of their own.
Examples of seeds that have
particularly tasty baby greens and are quick & easy to grow: sunflower in
hull, radish, daikon, fenugreek, arugula, mustard, garden cress, buckwheat in
hull, wheat, rye.
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