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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Growing Sprouts



The gardens are done providing fresh lettuce and vegetables (unless you grow a winter garden), but do you still crave those nutritious greens? You can easily grow them, regardless of how cold it is outside, by growing sprouts!

Sprouts are healthy. They are natural sources of energy, amino acids, minerals, vitamins and nutrition and consuming sprouts provides wholesome nutrition to the body. Sprouts also contain vitamin C which increases the body’s immunity and also prevents the risk of cancer.


There are several different ways to grow sprouts and several different devices to use. 


Sprouts can be grown in mason jars with mesh on top for draining or you can buy an inexpensive commercial sprouter. I started off using the Easy Sprout (shown on the right). It is basically a plastic container with an inside vestibule that you can remove to rinse and drain the sprouts. These types of sprouters work well, but because they have a narrow bottom the seeds don't all sprout and it seemed a bit wasteful. I ended up switching to a Bioset Kitchen sprouter from Johnny's Select Seeds.


There are several different places to get sprouting seeds. You can grow several different varieties of sprouts including broccoli, alfalfa, mung bean, onion, buck wheat, diakon radish, mustard, fenugreek and others. You can order then from online places such as Johnny's or Sprout People, or you can get them from your local Whole Foods or Health Food Store. Wherever you get them from be sure they are specifically for sprouting to ensure they have been tested for E.Coli and Salmonella.

Sprout People have tons of information on their website where you can find everything you need to know about growing sprouts.


Sprouting seeds in the Bioset Sprouter is easy. Just fill each tray evenly with about a tablespoon of seeds then stack the trays and fill the top one with warm water. The water will fill each tray below, soaking the seeds and then will drain into the tray on the bottom. Once it is done draining empty the bottom tray. Fill the top tray with water twice a day - the moisture and humidity are controlled through the bioset. Keep the sprouter out of direct sunlight and at room temperature. Once the sprouts grow and have their leaves you can provide a little sunlight so they can green up a bit!


Once the sprouts are ready, usually in 3 to 5 days depending on the type of seeds you used, rinse them under running water and eat! You can also store them in the refrigerator in plastic bags. If you do, just be sure to thoroughly dry them otherwise they will spoil faster. I use a salad spinner to remove all the moisture.


Growing sprouts is easy and fun way to get those healthy vitamins and nutrients during the winter!

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7 comments:

  1. I like that sprouter...I will have to check it out. We all love alfalfa sprouts here especially and this would beat buying them. I used to sprout but didn't like the method with the mason jar either. Thanks for posting, I will put the sprouter on my Christmas wish list! Blessings!

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    1. It's definitely better than the other sprouters I have used. The seeds are more spread out instead of clumped at the bottom of a jar so they grow better. You get a nice round mat of sprouts when they are done growing! Thanks for stopping by!
      ~Rob

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  2. Very cool! I've always wanted to grow sprouts. Whatever I don't eat I'm sure the chickens would happily take care of :)

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    1. I never thought of that - I could probably give them to my ducks for winter greens! I have a cold frame full of kale for them now but it probably won't last the winter. I don't like giving them commercial feed.
      ~Rob

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  3. Beautiful sprouts! I have never thought of growing sprouts--it's not something we eat much of, but it's neat to see you can grow them so easily indoors!

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  4. Your sprouts grew beautifully! I just adore them on salads and they add such a nice crisp on a tuna fish sandwich too. Thank you for linking up to the blog hop this week! It is a pleasure.

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  5. i love sprouts! though i never get through them quickly enough. i guess you just have to make a point of doing so. i'd really like to grow my own. your grower machine is awesome!

    thank you for sharing your post with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up! i look forward to seeing what other seasonal & whole/real food posts you have for us this week! xo, kristy

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