Homemade Sprouts

Sprouting is the practice of germinating seeds to make a green vegetable that will be eaten raw or cooked before the plant has grown to maturity.  Sprouts are rich in digestible energy, bioavailable vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, and phytochemicals, that are necessary for human health.   They are easy to make using available household materials and a little patience.

Raw seeds contain proteins, starches, and lipids (fats).  When seeds are sprouted these elements are converted by a enzymes in a complex metabolic process into simpler compounds that are used by the plant to make new compounds it needs to fuel its growth.  Coincidentally (or perhaps by Heavenly design) these compounds contain the very nutrients that humans need for good health.

While you can use simple household materials you can also buy sprouters for under $20 that make it even easier to sprout your seeds.  For instance I use the Victorio VKP1014 Kitchen Sprouter because I like its simplicity--the trays have small drains so you just pour the rinse water into the top tray and it cascades down from tray to tray until all the seeds are moistened but not left soaking.  The bottom of the unit is a reservoir which catches the water so when you hydrate your seeds you just wait a few minutes until the water has all flowed to the reservoir and then you lift off the grow trays off and pour the water out.

You can get seeds for sprouting online, from the bulk section of a garden store (make sure the seeds are not treated), from your food pantry, or from your spice rack.  Any seed can be sprouted but there are certain kinds of seeds that, over time, have become (for reasons of taste, ease, and nutrition) more popular for sprouting and eating.  A list of HGTV's favorites include:

• Alfalfa - sprouts taste crispy and crunchy (harvest in 2-6 days)
• Chick Peas - sprouts taste nutty and mild (harvest in 2-4 days)
• Mung Beans - sprouts are robust and used in stir-fry (harvest in 4-6 days)
• Lentils - sprouts taste nutty and peppery (harvest in 2-4 days)
• Beets - sprouts are bright red and have mild taste (harvest in 3-6 days)
• Mustard and Cress - sprouts taste spicy and peppery (harvest in 7 days)
• Garden Peas - sprouts taste sweet (harvest in 2-3 days)

Additional choices include:

• Pulses (legumes; pea family):
• alfalfa, clover, fenugreek, lentil, pea, chickpea, mung bean and soybean (bean sprouts).
• Cereals:
• oat, wheat, maize (corn), rice, barley, rye, kamut and then quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat (these last three are used as cereal even if botanically they are not)
• Oilseeds:
• sesame, sunflower, almond, hazelnut, linseed, peanut.
• Brassica (cabbage family)
• broccoli, cabbage, watercress, mustard, mizuna, radish, and daikon (kaiware sprouts), rocket (arugula), tatsoi, turnip.
• Umbelliferous vegetables (parsley family) - these may be used more as microgreens than sprouts.
• carrot, celery, fennel, parsley.
• Allium (onions) - cannot really distinguish between microgreens.
• onion, leek, green onion (me-negi in Japanese cuisine)
• Other vegetables and herbs:
• spinach, lettuce, milk thistle, lemon grass

Don't eat sprouts from solanaceae (tomato, potato, peppers, eggplant) or from rhubarb as their sprouts can be poisonous.

Here is how to sprout your own seeds:

Equipment For Homemade Sprouter:

• Jar
• Mesh / Nylon Stocking / Screen
• Thick Rubber Band / String / Screw-On-Ring

Put the seeds in the jar, cover with mesh or screen, fasten in place with rubber band or screw-on-ring.

Sprouting Seeds:

If you have large seeds (e.g. lentils, soybeans etc.) soak them in plenty of water overnight to fully hydrate them (they will swell up).  Small seeds (e.g. alfalfa, cress, mustard etc.) don't need to be pre-soaked.  

Place the seeds in your sprouter and fill your jar with water, leave it for a minute or so and then dump out the water (the mesh should keep the seeds from being dumped out with the water).  Leave the jar tipped down on a towel to drain off any additional water--you want your seeds moist-not wet.  Rinse the seeds morning and evening until the sprouts are the size you desire.

Eat sprouts in smoothies, in salads, on sandwiches, in stir-fries etc.  They are delicious and they are good for you too.  This is a great way to get inexpensive greens all winter long.  

Make some sprouts just for the health of it!  Enjoy.