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Growing sprouts in your kitchen are one of the easiest things you can do to grow your own food. It may seem small, but it’s totally worth it. Imagine growing your own superfood and saving money at the grocery store…
Sprouts are expensive at the store and are often soybean, they spoil quickly and don’t taste as good. Growing sprouts only takes about 5 days – let’s just say it’s one of the fastest growing ‘crops’, hehe.
What Exactly Are Sprouts
Sprouts are simply seeds that have been pre-germinated in water and heat. They are what you would plant in the soil, but instead of planting, you eat them! Sprouting makes it easier to digest the nutrients in the vegetable. Think about it like this… all the nutrients in a full-grown normally decrease by the time it’s picked and on your plate, whereas sprouts have all that same goodness, but you’re and you’re getting it right away. Talk about hyperlocal!
What to Sprout?
The most common sprouts you see in the store are bean sprouts, probably soybean sprouts. We all know that soybeans have too much estrogen in them, and that’s why there have been so many alternatives to soy milk, like almond, rice, cashew, etc. But that’s a whole other topic!!
You can also sprout alfalfa, mung bean, broccoli, radish, mustard daikon, greens, kale, lentil, wheat.. and this list goes on! The mix I have is from Johnny’s Seeds and it contains broccoli, radish, alfalfa, and kale. It is a little spicy, super flavourful, and adds nice colour to dishes.
What You Need for Growing Sports in your Kitchen
- Wide mouth Mason Jar
- Sprouting Seeds
- Sprouting lid OR cheesecloth square about 5″ x 5″
- Box, bowl or something to tip the jar (this is fancy, but would be super convenient)
Growing Sprouts – Step by Step
Step 1
Place 1 tablespoon of dry seeds into the sterilized jar. Add 1 cup of lukewarm water. Let sit overnight.
Step 2
In the morning drain water out. The metal mesh or cheesecloth will keep the seeds in and let the water drain out.
Step 3
Place in a dark cabinet or above the fridge where its warm. Make sure you place the jar upside down so the water does not sit in the jar. You can use a bowl, box or this to place the jar on an angle.
Step 4
Twice a day, rinse seeds and drain water out again. Be sure to put the jar back on an angle.
Step 5
When sprouts are 2″ long or start to show green tops, move into the sun to develop leafy green tops.
You can now enjoy your super-local greens! Store in the fridge for about a week.
Are you growing sprouts? Questions, comments, concerns? Let me know in the comments!
-Abbagail
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