How to Grow Fresh Vegetable Sprouts

Simple Sprouting Process - A Farm in Your Kitchen

Feb 12, 2009 Elizabeth Herman

How can you grow fresh vegetables during any season without owning your own land? The answer is as easy as a jar of water, soaking, rinsing, draining and some seeds.

Sprouters with experience know that with practice, they have become seasoned farmers with nothing more than an easy habit of soaking and rinsing.

How to Grow Vegetable Sprouts - Simple Sprouting Processes

In so many varieties, from alfalfa to clover to mung bean sprouts, eating healthily includes freshness through a very simple process.

In a quart-sized or other sized jar, simply place about a tablespoon of seeds or beans meant for sprouting; then cover them with water and leave them overnight to soak.

The next day, place a mesh or screen lid, or some cheesecloth, or any type of lid with plenty of holes in it, over the top of the jar in order to pour out the soaking water while keeping the seeds inside. Once the soaking water is gone, leave the seeds in the jar for the rest of the day, but let the jar sit upside down so the water seeds can continue to drain.

Rinse the seeds with water and drain them at the end of the first day, leave them overnight with the jar upside down again, and then repeat with rinsing and draining again in the morning and evening on the second and third day. By the time they have been rinsed and drained twice a day for 3-4 days, you will see that they have transformed from hard, dry, inedible seeds or beans into delicious, crunchy sprouts!

Benefits of Growing and Eating Sprouts

Sprouting like this is so economical, since it’s much cheaper to grow your own sprouts than to buy all your vegetables at the grocery store. After the initial investment in dry seeds and beans, jars and appropriate lids can be improvised with materials many people already have.

Growing your own food brings pride and independence that are difficult to find in other areas of life. Psychologically and biologically, it feels good to know exactly where your food and your energy are coming from, a refreshing change from food that comes from anonymous farms, handled by anonymous people.

Different varieties of sprouts taste different, and they add a special quality to recipes that might need extra zip. In salads, raw lentil sprouts add spice as well as protein, and wheat and alfalfa sprouts are surprisingly sweet. Mung bean sprouts are mild and go really well in stir-fries, Thai noodle dishes, soup, etc.

Happy Sprouting!

If you’ve dreamed of your own farm but haven’t found your perfect homestead yet, go ahead and start to farm in the privacy of your kitchen, even when it’s icy outside! You’ll be glad you did, since sprouting will give you the know-how to grow and eat healthy food no matter where and when.

Reference:

Courter, Gay. The Beansprout Book: Everything about Sprouting Beans, Seeds and Grains. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1973.

The copyright of the article How to Grow Fresh Vegetable Sprouts in Healthy Cooking is owned by Elizabeth Herman. Permission to republish How to Grow Fresh Vegetable Sprouts in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Indoor growers feel like the great outdoors

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Comments

Feb 16, 2009 12:02 PM

Elizabeth Herman :

Great article! Really brightens a midwinter day!

Apr 27, 2009 8:52 PM

Guest :

I understand it is safe to consume the water used in sprouting chick peas, but not legumes.
I would like to know if it is safe to consume any other sprout water such as lentils?

Apr 28, 2009 8:56 AM

Elizabeth Herman :

Though she doesn't specifically answer your question, the author of "The Beansprout Book," Gay Courter (Simon and Schuster, 1973), does encourage the consumption of sprouting water in general, both for humans and plants.
She states on page 25, "The soak water, loaded with water-soluble vitamins and minerals, has a mild sprouty flavor. Many people drink it, or add it to soups, or use it as a cooking liquid with sprouts or other vegetables. If you're hesitant to consume it yourself, your house plants may enjoy the extra burst of nutrition when they're watered!"
I hope that information helps to address your question. Thanks for the comment!

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