Sprouting Seeds For Food

Seeds themselves are a very nutritious form of food because they contain proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Many of these are increased greatly when the seeds are sprouted. It's very easy to grow your own sprouts at home with a minimum of supplies.

Buying Seeds
Experiment with different types of seeds, but purchase only those that are designed for sprouting. Seeds sold for vegetable gardening are often treated with pesticides and should not be used. There are many places to purchase your seeds expressly labeled for this purpose including health food stores or from seed catalogs.

Methods
Seeds may be sprouted by many methods. The one requiring the least material is sprouting between two paper towels. Seeds are spread thinly between the paper towels and the towels are moistened. Add water when the towels start to dry out. Once the seeds have sprouted, they may stick to the towels or may mold if left too long.

Sprout seeds may be sown in a shallow dish or pot filled with light potting soil and watered as needed. As the sprouts grow, they are clipped with scissors for use.

One of the easiest and most reliable methods for sprouting is with a sprouting container. You can purchase one for under $20 or you can make your own. A wide-mouth quart-canning jar is preferred because of the ease of getting the sprouts out and because it is the standard size of sprouting screens sold in health food stores.

Cheesecloth may be use and secured onto the jar with a rubber band. It works well, but is a little messy. If you want to do a lot of sprouting may want to make or purchase a more permanent sprouter top. Stainless steel screening can be secured to the top with a canning jar ring. Metal screens are sold in a variety of mesh sizes for different types of seeds. The only problem with them is that the rings tend to rust (even though the screens don't). Plastic sprouter tops are a successful alternative. These are also available in a variety of mesh sizes.

Regardless of the jar or screen you choose, the procedure is the same. Start with a small amount of seeds (1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup depending on seed size), and soak in water 12 to 24 hours. Attach screen and pour off the water. Rinse twice in cool water and pour off each time. Repeat rinsing and draining two to three times a day to prevent the seeds from turning sour. Recycle the sprout rinse water by watering houseplants.

There is some controversy over whether sprouts are better grown in light or in the dark. It is really a matter of personal preference; however, there may be a slight nutritional advantage to the light-grown sprouts. Sprouts grown in light are greener and have a stronger taste. To keep sprouts white (blanched), place them in a dark place while they are growing.

Let sprouts grow until they are the size you want them. Taste at various sizes so you can decide how long to let them grow. Large seeds tend to get soft and become moldy if left too long at room temperature and will lose quality rapidly. As seeds grow, you may want to change to a larger screen so that hulls will wash out before "harvest." Hulls are edible, but do affect the taste and storage qualities of most seeds.

When sprouts are ready for eating (usually after three to six days), rinse off excess hulls and drain thoroughly. Store in plastic bags in refrigerator. Small-seeded sprouts keep fairly well for a week or more; larger-seeded ones are best if eaten within three to four days.