My friend Robert is a long time sprouter, and when I raised my hand last year he offered to help. I adore long, hand-written documents and was thrilled to open his snail-mail outlining the basics of sprouting. He was also nice enough to send me a kit of sprouting lids that conveniently fit onto my wide-mouthed mason jars. Oh, and sproutables in little baggies. I WAS IN BUSINESS JUST LIKE THAT! I hope to pay it forward here, making sprouts your friends too. Easy peasy and oh, so good for you.

Here’s my elevator pitch: Sprouts are low in calories and low on the glycemic index, making the high return for your investment worth the initial time and money spent. Only a few dollars and a few easy days will provide you with a number of fresh, nutrient-rich meals and snacks.

Sprouts grow:

In any climate, at any time of year (yes, winter greens)

Without soil and in low sunlight

Without weeding

Indoors with little needed space

To maturity in 3-5 days!

Curious about Health Benefits? Sprouts are:

A potent source of antioxidants and alkalizing to the body

A good source of protein. One cup of mung bean sprouts has 3.16 grams of protein!

A surprising source of essential fatty acids, which many diets are lacking

An excellent source of fiber

Filled with an array of bioavailable essential minerals

A super source of vitamins. In fact, the vitamin density of some seeds can increase from 100% to 2000% after several days of sprouting.

WOW, I say, WOW!

Okie, dokie. Let’s get right to it!

SUPPLIES

1. Wide mouth mason jars, quart sized
2. Cheesecloth or screens to cover the opening of the jar (get the screens from Amazon, it’s the easiest way to go)
3. Rubber bands to secure cheese cloth if you opt to use cheese cloth
4. Organic seeds, legumes, and grains (sold at most health food stores or Amazon)

UNHULLED SEEDS

Alfalfa – 1 1/2 Tbsp.
Clover – 1 1/2 Tbsp.
Radish – 1 1/2 Tbsp.
Fenugreek – 1 1/2 Tbsp.

LEGUMES

Lentils – 3/4 cup
Adzuki Beans – 3/4 cup
Mung Beans – 3/4 cup
Green Peas – 1 cup
Garbanzo Beans – 1 cup

GRAINS

Wheat Berries, soft – 1 cup
Millet – 1 1/2 cups
Rye – 1 cup
Barley – 1 cup
Quinoa – 1 cup

SOAKING

Inspect seeds, legumes, grains and remove any that are broken.

Place them in a jar rinse and drain.
Fill with spring or filtered water, about 2–3 inches above seeds, grains or legumes.
Soak overnight, approximately eight hours. After eight hours, drain water.

RINSING & DRAINING

Rinse soaked seeds. Place jars, with the screen/cheese cloth securely fashioned on top, on a rack or in a bowl (mouth down) at a 45 degree angle so it can continue to drain and allow air to circulate. Make sure the seeds are not totally covering the mouth of the jar as this will block the air flow and cause the seeds to spoil. THEY NEED TO BREATHE!

Keep out of sunlight for the first couple of days. Rinse and drain 2–3 times a day. I keep them near my sink to remind me to rinse them. Legumes and grains do not need sunlight at all, and will be ready in 1–2 days when the sprout tail is 1/8 inch long. For unhulled seeds, such as alfalfa, clover and radish, continue rinsing and draining for 2–3 more days and place in indirect sunlight until you like their readiness.

HARVEST

To harvest grains and legumes, just rinse and serve. For unhulled seeds and some legumes (such as mung beans), place in a container and submerge the sprouts until the hulls rise to the surface. Skim them off and place sprouts back in the jar to drain. Refrigerate all sprouts after they are fully sprouted to maintain freshness. They will last 5–7 days in the fridge.

EAT

Use in salads, soups, stir frys, kimchee – get creative….that picture on top is the beautiful salad I made yesterday!

Last but not least, a recipe for you!

Sprouted Lentil Burgers

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups sprouted lentils
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coconut flour

Instructions

Make sure you sprout the lentils 3 days prior as it takes lentils about 3 days to sprout.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor. This will chop up the crunchy sprouted lentils and mix all the ingredients together.
Heat about 1-2 tbsp. ghee, butter or oil in a skillet. Form about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the mixture into balls, then flatten into a burger shape. These should be a little thinner than regular burgers.
Cook for several minutes on each side. Each side should be golden brown.

Home Sprouting is Easy, Y’all!