Monday, December 20, 2010
Seriously. Why have I not tried this sooner? For some unknown reason I have put off sprouting seeds for almost a year. I guess I thought it would be complicated or something? Well, I can now report that sprouting seeds might just be the simplest thing I've done since I started cooking real food!
In my opinion, this is just an absolute must for any person interested in more healthful eating. Why?
1. These little seedlings are packed with nutrition! Through the sprouting process, you are technically turning your "grain" (bean, wheat, alfalfa) into a veggie. The vitamin content is greatly increased and the seed is made much more digestible.
2. It's incredibly frugal! It only takes a handful of seeds to make enough sprouts to fill an entire mason jar. Things like beans or lentils are super inexpensive to begin with, and when you figure in the amount of nutritional benefit you get from them after the sprouting process, it is a pretty impressive pay out for just pennies!
3. They are in season all the time! You can grow these little guys in your kitchen 365 days a year, no matter what type of climate you live in. Plus, they don't require a garden spot, or even a balcony, so even the tiniest apartment dweller can partake!
4. It's just plain fun! This would be an awesome science project if you have children- I definitely plan to do sprouting experiments when our kids are old enough. It's fascinating to think that those little seeds carry all the information they need to turn themselves into a plant and therefore completely change their nutritional impact. And all they needed from me was a clean jar and a little bit of water! That alone is enough to convince me that evolution is impossible. What an brilliant Creator we have!
My method:
I must admit, I was decidedly unscientific about my approach to sprouting. So if you are looking for a more precise, step-by-step formula, I apologize. Fortunately, I think sprouts are rather forgiving and they certainly didn't seem to mind my laid-back approach.
I chose to sprout alfalfa seeds and lentils for my first time. It's a good idea to choose organic sprouting seeds, since you will be eating them directly and don't need to be ingesting any chemicals that regular seeds may have been treated with.
Next, I filled the jars with enough water to sufficiently cover the sprouts, covered them, and went to bed.
(I used a piece of muslin-style cloth to cover them. I figured they needed to "breathe".)
The next morning, I drained and rinsed them thoroughly. I was hoping my muslin fabric would work as a screen for draining... Not so much. So, I ended up dumping them into a small strainer and/or colander for the washing.
I repeated the rinsing process twice daily, morning and night. This helps to keep the seeds moist, which is essential for germination, as well as preventing the growth of any mold.
The lentils, day three. Life!!
Now, you could eat these guys right now. Or, you can let the tails get a bit longer. It's totally up to you. I decided to wait.
Here we are, day five, I believe. Seriously, it's like a sprout riot! They are out of control!
I ate them at this point. I put the alfalfa sprouts into a ham, cheese, and hummus wrap. Yum!
I probably let the lentils go a bit longer than I should have, but they were still excellent.
I chopped them up (just so the tails wouldn't be alarming to the hubby...) and threw them into a winter soup. Excellent. This was my husband's first time eating any type of sprouts, and he didn't seem to mind.
In my opinion, this is just an absolute must for any person interested in more healthful eating. Why?
1. These little seedlings are packed with nutrition! Through the sprouting process, you are technically turning your "grain" (bean, wheat, alfalfa) into a veggie. The vitamin content is greatly increased and the seed is made much more digestible.
2. It's incredibly frugal! It only takes a handful of seeds to make enough sprouts to fill an entire mason jar. Things like beans or lentils are super inexpensive to begin with, and when you figure in the amount of nutritional benefit you get from them after the sprouting process, it is a pretty impressive pay out for just pennies!
3. They are in season all the time! You can grow these little guys in your kitchen 365 days a year, no matter what type of climate you live in. Plus, they don't require a garden spot, or even a balcony, so even the tiniest apartment dweller can partake!
4. It's just plain fun! This would be an awesome science project if you have children- I definitely plan to do sprouting experiments when our kids are old enough. It's fascinating to think that those little seeds carry all the information they need to turn themselves into a plant and therefore completely change their nutritional impact. And all they needed from me was a clean jar and a little bit of water! That alone is enough to convince me that evolution is impossible. What an brilliant Creator we have!
My method:
I must admit, I was decidedly unscientific about my approach to sprouting. So if you are looking for a more precise, step-by-step formula, I apologize. Fortunately, I think sprouts are rather forgiving and they certainly didn't seem to mind my laid-back approach.
I chose to sprout alfalfa seeds and lentils for my first time. It's a good idea to choose organic sprouting seeds, since you will be eating them directly and don't need to be ingesting any chemicals that regular seeds may have been treated with.
I started with 2 clean mason jars, 1/8 cup of alfalfa seeds, and 1/4 cup of lentils.
I wanted to use small quantities for my first time, just in case I "messed up".
My alfalfa seeds are organic, however, I must confess that these are ordinary, every day, grocery store lentils. And, they worked just fine.
(I used a piece of muslin-style cloth to cover them. I figured they needed to "breathe".)
I repeated the rinsing process twice daily, morning and night. This helps to keep the seeds moist, which is essential for germination, as well as preventing the growth of any mold.
Now, you could eat these guys right now. Or, you can let the tails get a bit longer. It's totally up to you. I decided to wait.
I ate them at this point. I put the alfalfa sprouts into a ham, cheese, and hummus wrap. Yum!
I probably let the lentils go a bit longer than I should have, but they were still excellent.
I chopped them up (just so the tails wouldn't be alarming to the hubby...) and threw them into a winter soup. Excellent. This was my husband's first time eating any type of sprouts, and he didn't seem to mind.
At this point, I must add a bit of a disclaimer- depending on who you talk to, some folks will say that it is hard for your body to digest certain types of raw sprouts, so they are best cooked or steamed. I don't have a problem consuming them raw, after all, I'm not eating bucketfuls a day... But, it's probably a good idea to do some research and decide what is best for you and
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