Sprouting Make Easy
The beauty of sprouting is that the sprouts are very easy to grow, don’t require much space, are easy to care for, and can be grown all year round.
There are several methods of home sprout growing – jars, sprout bags, and automatic sprouter. I will show you all three and recommend that you experiment with all of them to find the method that suits you best. However, whatever method you choose, the basic steps are the same: soak, drain, rinse, and harvest.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you need to keep yours sprouts moist while providing adequate drainage and air circulation. Keep your sprouts away from direct sunlight and monitor sprouts carefully to make sure they don’t get too dry.
The Jar Method
To begin, get several wide-mouth glass half-gallon jars (glass is better than plastic). You will also need some pieces of cheesecloth or nylon mesh screening to cover each jar and a rubber band to secure it in place. You can also buy special sprouting jars online.
Next measure the appropriate amount of seeds into the jar, removing any broken seeds first. Smaller seeds should just cover the bottom of the jar and bigger seeds or beans should fill the jar not more than one-eighth to one-quarter full. Keep in mind that sprouts expand so they will need enough room in the jar.
Cover the jar with the cheesecloth of nylon mesh. Fill it halfway with water and leave the seeds to soak. Allow 4 to 6 hours for smaller seeds and up to 12 for larger seeds and beans. After the soak well, drain the water and place a jar at 45 degrees angle, mouth down, in a place where it can drain well (dish rack works the best) and make sure it the area where you place your seeds have good air circulation.
Rinse sprouts twice a day (or more often on hot days) thoroughly. Place the jar under the tap water and allow it to overflow (the screen will keep the sprouts from getting out). At first the water may come out foamy so continue rinsing until the water appears clean. Then place the jar back a 45 degrees angle to drain the water. It’s a good idea to turn the jar to make sure all the excess water is gone – too much moisture can cause the sprouts to rot.
After a couple of days your sprouts will be ready for harvesting.
The Sprout Bags
Sprout bags are white, 8 x 12 drawstring bags made of special nylon mesh screening (many use sprout bags as nut mylk bags so you may be familiar with them in that role). You can easily purchase them online.
To start, place the appropriate amount of seeds in a sprout bag and place the bag in a bowl of water. Allow the seeds to soak, then rinse the bag well and hang it (on the faucet of a hook over the sink) to drain for a few minutes. Some books recommend placing the sprout bag into a plastic bags with a few holes punched in for ventilation, but I discovered that just hanging sprout bags to drain and rinsing them often so the sprouts don’t over dry worked just as well.
Follow the same rinse and drain protocol for a few days and then harvest the sprouts. Wash the sprout bags with mild soap and dry them well before using them again.
Automatic Sprouters
For me personally, an automatic sprouter is the easiest methods to use. This machine is very effective and reliable and truly is an idea solution for someone who wants to grow a good variety of sprouts with a minimal amount of work.
All you need to do is load the sprouts onto the sprouting trays, stack them, fill the bottom section of a sprouter with water and plug it in. The automatic sprouter alternates sprinkling sprouts with water with letting them drain and does all the work for you. All you have to do is change water every 12 hours and then harvest your sprouts when the time comes. Another benefits of using an automatic sprouter is that the sprouts tend to grow much faster in this machine. You can also add seawater solution to the water to nourish your sprouts (and yourself) with more minerals and trace minerals seawater is so rich with.
In my own experience, sprouting with jars and sprout bags can be time consuming and apt to be neglected (I felt quite frustrated with several of my batches went bad), but with an automatic sprouter I tend to grow sprouts regularly and enjoy a good variety of sprouts every day.
Harvesting the Sprouts
When the sprouts are ready to be harvested (please refer to this chart), you need to remove hulls before consuming the sprouts.
Transfer the sprouts in the sink and fill it up halfway with cool water. Agitate the sprouts gently with your fingers to loosen the hulls. Most of the hulls will rise to the surface and some will sink to the bottom. Scoop the floating hulls off the surface and discard them. Using both hands, with fingers spread apart, gently rich under the sprouts and scoop them out of the water. Place them into a colander and let them drain well before eating or storing.
To store sprouts, drain them well and then place them into a sealable plastic bag and store them in the refrigerator. The sprouts can keep from seven to ten days.
That’s all you have to do to enjoy a great selection of the most nutrient-rich foods all year round. With a little practice you will become a sprout master in no time!
Coming next:
Part IV – How to Grow Indoor Greens
Related Posts:
Sprouting for Beginners - Part 1
Sprouting for Beginners - Part 2
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