Sprouting Seeds  

So many people today are suffering from fatigue, lack of energy, low self-esteem, and many degenerating diseases.  In short, they feel bad most of the time.  Does this sound familiar?  There is another way to live.  Adding whole, natural foods, including sprouts to your diet and lifestyle is an easy way to gain energy and vitality. 

Why Use Sprouts?

They are packed with nutrition-
The reasons for using sprouts are so plentiful and so important it's probably merely a matter of listing them to convince anyone to try this very special kind of gardening.  Increasing numbers of families find seed sprouts nutritious and delicious.  Sprouts are a LIVING FOOD.  When seeds sprout, a tremendous amount of life force is released and a powerhouse of nutrients becomes available to you.  In the process the seeds attain a higher level of vitamins and complex carbs and proteins are converted into easily digestible forms.  For example wheat when sprouted and used, has 6 times the Vitamin C that the wheat berry possess as an un-sprouted grain.  Basically sprouted seeds provide the largest relative amount of nutrients per unit of intake compared to other food sources. 
 

They are healthy, economical and convenient-
.  Today sprouts are found everywhere and recognized as an important nutrient-rich food to boost your immune system and protect against conditions such as aging, cancer, heart disease and obesity.  We even find sprouts in the gourmet recipes we see online or in higher end restaurants.  What use to be called "rabbit food" is now becoming a commonplace staple in our kitchen.  
 

They are fresh, vital, and alive all year round-
Sprouts cure the winter "Blahs".  During winter, really fresh, nutritionally sound vegetables are often difficult to find in the supermarket.  I've have grown and eaten sprouts for many years now and I can attest to the way that sprouts lift my energy level and spirits especially during the colder seasons.

They are inexpensive, fresh vegetables
Yes, sprouts are vegetables.  They may be boiled, baked or sautéed as any other vegetable served alone, or in combination with other vegetables.  If you choose to grow them yourselves which is easy and inexpensive, you will really saved lots of money as the seeds which weigh almost nothing and take up a very small space to store, will produce volumes of vegetables in just a few days. 
 

They are easy to grow at home by anybody-
If you have an empty jar and a clean piece of gauze (or even a clean piece of a nylon stocking) you can grow sprouts right in your own kitchen.  I have included the easy steps below and encourage you to give it a try, even if it is just with your wheat that you use to make your bread.  Wheat sprouts are one of my favorite sprouts to add right into my whole grain bread to give it extra nutrition and texture.  I have been using the new Sprout Garden which lets us sprouts several different kinds of seeds at the same time and give real good drainage to the seeds to prevent them from going bad while they are sprouting.
 

They are versatile to use- 
Besides using sprouts in your salads, there are a myriad of other ways to use them in your daily diet.  One of my favorite ways of using the sprouts is to juice them along with other vegetables like carrots and cucumbers with our VRT Juicer.  The juice is so good and I know that I am adding extra nutrients and energy by including the sprouts with the juice.  Try adding some wheat sprouts into your pancakes for your morning breakfast, or adding kidney or pinto beans sprouts to your Chili for dinner.  Sprouted mung beans or lentil sprouts can be added along with green onions and chopped green pepper to make a great Green Rice with Sprouts (see picture above).  Anything that would call for lettuce like enchiladas or burritos or tacos, can use alfalfa or lentil sprouts in place of the lettuce.  This really good when topped with a little chees and some hot salsa.  Any casserole that uses lentils or beans can use the sprouted versions of the lentils and beans to increase the nutrition in the recipe.  Our new Sprouts Cookbook has a few smoothie recipes using mixed sprouts as well as muffin recipes and even a great Zucchini Sprout and Roasted Garlic Soup.  

Click on the above links for the printable recipes
 

A Few Basic Directions and Tips for Sprouting
 

• Measure the appropriate amount of beans, grain, or seeds for a batch, picking out broken seeds and foreign objects.
• Place measured amounts of seeds in a jar half-full of warm water.  Cull out "floaters" or "sinkers" (floaters with the majority of seeds rest on the bottom and sinkers when the majority of seeds float)
• Secure the gauze or nylon fabric over the mouth of the jar with a rubber band or jar lid ( I like to use our new Sprouter jar lids that you see in the pictures.  You can use them on any wide mouth jar)
• Soak 6-8 hours in a warm location in the kitchen
• Drain the seeds well by turning the bottle upside-down.  Leave in angled to one side in a sink or dish drainer for a few minutes.  Rinse them again gently with warm water to remove any contaminants.  Allow to drain again, then place them in a kitchen cabinet or in the window covered with a dark towel so germination my begin (Be sure to place the jar where it is warm.  I like to use the cabinet under the sink so that when I go to wash up the dishes and reach for the dish soup I also remember to water the sprouts)
• Drain and rinse the seed 2-3 times daily, always draining well to prevent souring of the sprouts
• when the sprouts attain the desired length, eat the whole thing, seed, sprout and roots- for a healthier meal or snack
• Store unused sprouts in the fridge to retard further growth.  Sprouts generally achieve peak palatability, highest vitamin content and potency in 2 to 3 days of sprouting. 

What Not to Do!

• Don't sprout seeds intended for agricultural use like growing plants,  They are generally treated with poisonous insecticides and may not be safe for human consumption.
• Don't sprout tomato or potato seeds- they are generally poison to humans. 

Our next post will talk about using sprouts in breads.