| Fresh sprouts bring nutrients, life force, and variety to | | | | degrees Fahrenheit, overnight. Keep the seeds moist, |
| your meals. You can easily and inexpensively sprout a | | | | but avoid excess moisture, which sours the sprouts |
| surprising variety of seeds and grains in your own | | | | and encourages mold growth. |
| kitchen using simple methods. This article explores the | | | | Rinse and drain the seeds two to four times a day, |
| nutritional benefits of sprouts, the types of sprouts you | | | | then return them to their previous location. Repeat until |
| can grow, and their culinary uses, as well as easy | | | | the seed "tails" grow to about one-and-a-half times the |
| methods for growing them. | | | | length of the original seed, which takes about three |
| Sprouts are a living food; they contain maximum life | | | | days. To increase their nutrient content, place the |
| force (or chi), since they continue growing until the | | | | sprouts in indirect sunlight (a process called "greening") |
| moment we ingest them. In addition, the sprouting | | | | for at least six hours before harvesting. Omit this step |
| process releases and breaks down the seeds' | | | | for bean sprouts, since exposure to sunlight makes |
| nutrients, making them easier to digest and absorb. | | | | them bitter. |
| Raw sprouts also provide active enzymes, which are | | | | To harvest the sprouts, soak them in cool water until |
| important for vibrant health. | | | | the hulls rise to the top, then discard the hulls, drain and |
| You can sprout several types of grains and seeds. | | | | rinse. Eat the sprouts immediately, or store them in the |
| Sproutable grains include staples like barley, rye, oats, | | | | refrigerator. If you rinse and drain them every three |
| wheat berries, and brown rice, as well as popular | | | | days, sprouts will keep in the refrigerator for about a |
| alternative grains such as buckwheat, kamut, spelt, | | | | week. |
| amaranth, millet, quinoa, teff, and triticale. | | | | Sprouting in Soil |
| Sproutable seeds include vegetables like beans, green | | | | Grains, grasses and larger seeds can also be sprouted |
| peas, lentils, broccoli, cabbage, corn, kale, mustard, | | | | in soil. After soaking, spread the seeds out on a flat |
| onion, chives, garlic, radish, pumpkin, and watercress, as | | | | tray of high-quality light, airy soil. Keep the soil moist, |
| well as herbs and grasses like anise, alfalfa, chia, | | | | covering the tray with plastic at first, or spraying the |
| clover, and fenugreek, and seeds such as sesame and | | | | seeds with water twice a day. Once the sprouts are |
| sunflower. Do not eat potato or tomato sprouts, as | | | | two inches high, expose them to at least three hours |
| they are poisonous. | | | | of sunlight a day. When the sprouts have grown eight |
| Sprouts have a variety of culinary uses. Vegetable | | | | inches high, harvest them with scissors, cutting as |
| sprouts can lend distinctive flavor to salads. Raw-food | | | | close as possible to the soil surface. |
| enthusiasts can mix sprouted grains with other | | | | Sprouting in Paper Towels |
| ingredients and dehydrate them to make raw breads, | | | | You can also sprout very small seeds on unbleached, |
| crackers and cereals. Sprouted wheat berries can | | | | undyed paper towels. After soaking, place two |
| even be grown into wheatgrass and juiced into a | | | | moistened paper towels in a glass pan, then sprinkle |
| nutrient-packed superfood. Consult a good raw-food | | | | the seeds evenly over the towels, and cover them |
| cookbook for more details and many creative | | | | with two more moistened paper towels. When the |
| possibilities. | | | | seeds are fully sprouted, remove the top-most towels |
| Sprouting in Containers | | | | to green the seeds a few hours before harvesting. |
| Choose organic, non-chemically-treated seeds for | | | | Special Case: Gelatinous Seeds |
| sprouting. Soak the seeds in a wide-mouthed glass or | | | | Some seeds, such as chia or watercress, become |
| ceramic jar or other container (do not use metal, | | | | gelatinous when you add water. Instead of soaking |
| wood, or plastic) full of room-temperature or cold | | | | them as described above, fill the container with water |
| filtered water. The volume of water should equal at | | | | and sprinkle the seeds evenly over the water surface. |
| least two to three times the volume of the seeds. As | | | | After about an hour, the seeds will form a single |
| a general rule, soak small seeds for four to six hours, | | | | jelly-like mass. Carefully drain the water out of the |
| and larger seeds for eight to twelve hours. | | | | container, tilting it gently to the side, so that the seed |
| Small seeds should just cover the bottom of the | | | | mass remains intact. Cover the container of drained |
| container; bigger seeds should fill just one-eighth of the | | | | seeds loosely to allow air circulation. Sprinkle the seeds |
| container. You can purchase mesh sprouting lids or | | | | with water once a day if they look dry, until they are |
| cheesecloth to fit over mason jars, or if you use a | | | | ready for greening and harvesting. |
| lidless bucket or bowl, place a colander upside-down | | | | You can enliven your diet right now with easy-to-grow, |
| over the top. | | | | high-life-force sprouts. As you have seen, you can |
| After soaking the seeds, turn the container | | | | sprout nearly any type of grain or vegetable in a |
| upside-down and drain out the water. Rotate the jar to | | | | matter of days, using containers, soil or even paper |
| distribute the seeds evenly on the sides of the glass. | | | | towels. You can add the newly-grown sprouts to |
| Place the upside-down jar (tilted slightly to allow air | | | | salads or a variety of other dishes. The possibilities are |
| circulation inside), or the colander full of seeds, in a | | | | as vast as your own culinary creativity. |
| location where the temperature will remain about 70 | | | | |