All year long I grow sprouts on my kitchen counter. I grow all kinds of sprouts, too: leafy sprouts like alfalfa, clover, fenugreek, mustard, dill, and arugula, along with grains, lentils, peas, and numerous beans. No matter what the weather is outside, we enjoy these fresh bursts of nutrition in salads, on sandwiches, in soups, even as a snack all by themselves.
I’m one of those people who loves sprouts of any kind. For years, I bought them in the local produce section, but was often put off by news stories of salmonella in store bought sprouts, and I found that they spoiled rather quickly in my fridge. I decided one day to invest in a couple of easy sprouters, some seeds, and my salads haven’t been the same since!
There are a variety of sprouters available, and like most things in life, I’ve found that the simpler, the better. I particularly like a product called the Easy Sprouter, available here: www.sproutamo.com . This unit is inexpensive, foolproof even in the hot Florida summer climate (where sprouts tend to rot on the counter), and also doubles as a storage unit for the grown sprouts in the refrigerator.
Sprouting seeds, beans, nuts and lentils is a great way to maximize the nutrition in your food. Sprout your beans before you cook them and say goodbye to gas. Everyone knows to soak their beans overnight before cooking, but if you rinse them after soaking, and allow them to sprout for 24 hours, rinsing every 8 hours or so until the little germ appears at one end, you’ve successfully caused the digestive enzymes to flourish in the bean. Now you have no need for digestive enzyme supplements! Your sprouted beans are tender enough to toss into salads, and cook very quickly. Sprouted lentils, garbanzo beans, dried peas, peanuts and almonds are all an easily digested source of protein and can be sprinkled on soups, salads, pasta, sandwiches, eggs, or rice and add a nice crunch and the fresh live enzymes that enhance digestion.
You can have these fresh vegetables in 3 to 4 days, and a tablespoon of small seeds like alfalfa, broccoli, radish, cress, fenugreek, dill, arugula and clover produces over two cups of sprouts. Larger beans like mung, garbanzo, peas, adzuki, and lentils also produce sprouts in abundance. I use ½ cup of these in a sprouter, as opposed to 2 Tbsp. of the small seeds.
There are many web sites devoted to sprouting and buying seeds, nuts, beans and legumes. I love the www.sproutpeople.com site for its vast wealth of information, and their seed mixes are wonderful. I follow their sprouting instructions rather than the instructions that come with my sprouters, and I have great success with every batch.
Micro greens are a current gourmet addition to many restaurants. They are sprouts that are allowed to grow to about two to three inches in height, at which time you trim them rather than eat the roots. They are simple to grow on your counter. The easiest way to grow them is on a hemp bag or baby blanket soaked in water, resting on a sheet pan.
These fingertip gardens are fun to grow, fun for children to learn about how things grow, and are a great source of live food for your family in any crisis situation. A few pounds of seeds can keep your family in fresh live food for over a year, so they are well worth the initial expense. They are a delicious addition to our diet. My favorite sandwich is still avocado, cream cheese, tomato and sprouts on whole grain nutty bread. Experiment to discover what types of sprouts or micro greens are your favorites then enjoy growing your own.
Stay tuned; tomorrow I’ll share my foolproof method for growing sprouts. Life feeds on life!
Happy gardening.
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