Growing Sprouts

 GROWING SPROUTS

Sprouts are an easy to grow source of fresh, living food in the winter time or any time of year.  They are a great source of protein, folate, Vitamin C and fiber.  All you need are some seeds, a sprouting tray or jar, water and your time.  Growing sprouts only takes about 5 to 7 days.  It’s fun to grow some of your food during the winter while your garden is dormant.

Whenever you work with food, always wash your hands thoroughly before you begin working.

Alfalfa sprouts grow best when the air is dry.  That’s why I grow them during the winter, when the humidity in my house gets low.  You start with 1-2 tablespoons of alfalfa seeds.  Place them in a bowl and cover them with water to soak overnight.  You don’t want the water to be too deep because the seeds need oxygen.  As the seeds use oxygen from the water, oxygen gas will diffuse into the water surface.  You only want ¼ to ½ inch of water over the seeds.  It’s better to use a shallow, broad bowl rather than a deep cup or glass.  

In the morning, you pour the alfalfa seeds into your sprouting tray.  Years ago, when I first began growing sprouts, I would make a sprouting tray by taking an aluminum pie pan or coffee cake pan and punch lots of holes in the bottom of the pan with a needle.  You want to make plenty of holes so the water will drain through the bottom of the pan.  Punching holes took me about 10-15 minutes.  Once I was done, I could reuse the pan over and over again.  When you pour the soaked seeds into the tray, the water (which will be a brownish tea color) will drain out of the holes.  With an aluminum tray, you can place the tray on a dish drainer while the water drains out.  Today, I use a four tiered plastic tray system so I can grow three trays of alfalfa sprouts at a time.  It has a water catching tray at the bottom which I empty after draining the three upper seed trays. 

Once you have your alfalfa seeds in the sprouting tray, it is time to start rinsing the sprouts.  Typically, I will rinse the sprouts three times a day.  If the air is extremely dry, you might need to rinse the sprouts a fourth time.  I rinse my sprouts with chlorinated city water.  I could use filtered water, but I like to have the chlorine kill any bacteria that may land on the developing sprouts.  If you don’t have chlorinated water, you can still use a potable water source. Just make sure the sprouts look healthy when you eat them.

You will rinse your sprouts 3-4 times a day for 5 to 7 days.  Basically, you can eat them whenever you are happy with their size.  When they have grown to a good size, you can place your sprouts in the refrigerator and eat them at your leisure.  I usually eat mine within 3 to 4 days.  You don’t want your alfalfa sprouts to grow past seven days because when they get too big and sit around too long at room temperature, they will start to go bad.

In biodynamic gardening and farming, they plant seeds by the phase of the moon.  They say you should sow seeds after the new moon and transplant seedlings after the full moon.  I’ve never seen any research that has scientifically proven that planting by the phase of the moon has any effect on germination, nor have I ever conducted any controlled experiment to test this idea.  Yet, anecdotally, I can attest that after years of sprouting, I have observed: my sprouts do seem to germinate better when I begin my sprouting process after the new moon.  You might want to test this idea with a controlled experiment someday.

In the warmer weather, when the humidity is higher, I like to grow sprouts like mung beans and lentils.  You can grow these seeds in a sprouting tray just like the alfalfa sprouts, but you can also grow them in a canning jar with a lid containing holes.  The holes are there to allow the water to drain out.  The process is the same.  You soak the seeds overnight, but with these larger seeds, you add more water initially because these seeds will soak up more water than the tiny alfalfa seeds.  As before, you rinse the seeds three times a day.  Each time you rinse the seeds, you let the water drain out and then rest the jar on its side.  The seeds will sprout slowly or fast depending on the air temperature.  

These sprouts should be ready to eat in around 5 days.  You can eat the sprouts any time you want.  Just make sure they have not been sitting too long and started to grow mold.  Once again, when the sprouts are done, you can place them in the refrigerator to stop them from going bad.  

You may notice that the seed coats are hanging on the mung or lentil sprouts.  This may not be very attractive to you, but be assured that these seed coats are a good source of fiber so eating them is actually good for you.  

There are lots of other seeds you can sprout like radish or cabbage family seeds.  Some of these seeds are not as readily available and can be a bit more expensive, but if you can find and afford them, it is nice to experiment with other seed types.

If you are really motivated, you can grow some sunflower sprouts.  Get a flat tray with a small quantity of soil covering the bottom.  Then spread sunflower seeds out over the soil and cover with a small quantity of soil.  Keep the soil moist.  The sunflowers will germinate and grow rather rapidly.  When they are big enough, take a sharp knife and cut off the sprouts, being careful not to bring any soil along with the sprouts.  You can use this same process for growing wheat grass or kitty greens.  

I like to add my alfalfa sprouts to a salad or a cheese & avocado sandwich.  Mung and lentil sprouts I use fresh, not cooked, in stir fry dishes.  They absolutely add a nice, fresh, living flavor to these foods.

Sprouts are fun to grow, very nutritious and delicious.  Once you get started with sprouting, you can get adventurous and experiment with sprouting other seeds like garbonzos, peas, buckwheat or chia.  You can feel like a gardener in the middle of winter by growing your own sprouts.  The fun doesn’t have to stop when the snow falls.

 

Check out the new book “Organic Gardening for Beginners and Students” by Edwin McLeod on Amazon.com.  Here is the link:

https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Gardening-Beginners-Students-McLeod-ebook/dp/B08SKN32H4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1610289715&sr=1-4

    About the Author

Edwin McLeod has been gardening for 45 years.  He studied Botany at the University of Michigan, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree.  After graduating, he worked for Dr. Lloyd Andres at the USDA Biological Control of Weeds Laboratory in Albany California.  During this time, he conducted a survey of 20 organic farms in California to find out how they control weeds without using herbicides.  Shortly thereafter, he managed a small farm owned by Benjamin Berg, specializing in Angora goats.  In the early 80s, he worked for Amigo Bob Cantisano at  Peaceful Valley Farm Supply.  Edwin McLeod is the author of “Feed the Soil” - a book about how to improve soil fertility through natural methods and green manuring.  He has taught high school students Biology and Physics for the past 30 years.   “Organic Gardening for Beginners and Students” is an outgrowth from his Biology of Food class at the Center for Advanced Studies and the Arts in Oak Park, Michigan.