Growing Sprouts

Grow Your Own Sprouts

There are many health and environmental reasons to grow your own sprouts. While you can purchase them at your local grocery store or health food store, it is so easy to grow them at home. Sprouts are just your everyday seeds, beans or grains taken to the next level in terms of nutrition and deliciousness just by soaking, rinsing and allowing a few days to germinate (sprout) before eating. While you can find many sprout varieties at most health food stores, growing them yourself is fun, easy and much less expensive.

Sprouts abound with antioxidants; they’re full of protein, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. And talk about good for you: ounce for ounce, they provide more nutrients than any other known whole food. Sprouts also contain beneficial enzymes, requiring less digestive energy, so they actually invigorate you while your body processes them.

Your homegrown sprouts are up-to-the-minute fresh (they grow until ready to eat) and delicious. Grow them right in your kitchen using just seeds, jars and screens. Here’s how! 

What You'll Need:

• Mason jar
• Sprout seeds (you can find them in the bulk section at the health food store, or you can buy them online)
• Cheesecloth, muslin, nylon, and a rubber band, or a specially designed sprouting lid
• Water
• Dark place
• Sunlight
• Air tight bag

Seeds And Varieties

• The important thing to note about buying seeds for sprouting is that you should look for seeds specifically labeled as "sprouting seeds" or "for sprouting." 
• The reason behind this is that they have been cleaned well and are pathogen-free. Sometimes you can find packets of sprouting seeds in garden centers, but if not, check your favorite seed catalog; many now sell sprouting seed.
• As far as varieties go, you may be surprised at how many types of veggies you can eat as sprouts. 
• Most of us are familiar with alfalfa sprouts and bean sprouts, but consider radish sprouts, beet sprouts, pea sprouts, and sunflower. 
• In general, any plant from which you might eat the stems and leaves is a good option for sprouting. 
• Plants from which you only eat the fruits (such as tomatoes and peppers) won't work.

Getting Started

• For hygiene’s sake, wash your hands before handling seeds. 
• Remove any broken or discolored seeds, stones, twigs, or hulls that may have found their way into your sprouting seeds.
• Place one to two tablespoons of seeds in your jar, and cover with approximately two inches of warm water. Let this sit overnight.
• Drain the water, using a fine sieve or cheesecloth. If you’re using cheesecloth, secure over the top of the jar with a rubber band. 
• Rinse thoroughly with fresh water and drain off the water again. 
• Set upside down in a clean, cool spot in your kitchen area, preferably on a slight angle to allow excess water to drain off. 
• Alternatively, use a stainless steel dish drying rack which gives the sprout jars the perfect angle for draining. Be sure to drain them well each time.
• Repeat twice a day, every day until your sprouts obtain the desired size. 
• This will take anywhere from three to seven days, depending on the variety of sprouts you're growing. 
• Sprouts are best when they're still fairly small and just starting to turn green.
• Once the sprouts are ready to be harvested (this amount of time differs for each variety; alfalfa or mung bean sprouts are ready in about a week), place them in a large bowl of cool water and stir them around to loosen hulls and skins from the seeds (this is an optional step). 
• They’ll usually come to the top so you can remove them. Don’t worry about removing every hull. Doing so helps prevent spoilage so the sprouts will last longer. 
• Drain sprouts well and store in the refrigerator covered for a week to 10 days, depending on the sprout type.

TIP: To increase the mineral content of your sprouts, add a piece of kelp or other type of seaweed to the water while the seeds are soaking.

Few Health Benefits Of Sprouts

• Easy to Digest- Eating sprouts can be very helpful for people with digestive or bloating problems. They are also perfect for younger kids and elderly people.Its digestibility is rooted from the high amount of enzymes that they contain.
• Good for Weight Loss- Since sprouts are high in fiber and low in calorie, it can contribute positively to any weight loss diet plan. Eating sprouts will let you enjoy nutrients without the extra calories. It will also make you feel fuller and starve off hunger longer. If you are looking for a way to lose weight, include sprouts in your diet.
• High in Protein- Sprouts are very high in protein. In fact, they can contain up to 35 percent protein. Adding sprouts to your diet will give you the necessary protein intake required by your body minus the fat, cholesterol, and calories that typically come with animal meats. Sprouts are also highly recommended for vegans and vegetarians.
• Excellent Source of Enzymes- Sprouts are abundant in enzymes, which can keep our body healthy and fit. Cooking food under fire results in the loss of some of those enzymes. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables are the best way to get more of these. Eating fresh sprouts is a good way to get access to a powerful source of enzymes.
• Rich in Essential Nutrients- Some of the vitamins that sprouts contain include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin K. Apart from this, it is also rich in minerals such as Iron, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Potassium, Manganese, and Calcium. 

Mixed Sprout Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• Sprouts (whole)- 1 cup
• Carrot- 1
• Onion- 1/2
• Lemon juice- 1tsp
• Youghrt- 3 spoon
• Salt and Pepper- to taste

Recipe:

• Mince Carrot and Onion.
• Mix Green sprouts, Carrot and Onion in a bowl.
• Add Curd, Salt, Pepper to it and mix well.