Spunky Sprouts

For years I've wanted to grow my own fresh sprouts - they're good for you, easy to grow, inexpensive, can be grown indoors, come in a rainbow of varieties, and you don't need a lot of room to do it. The only thing stopping me was...well, other things getting in the way, I suppose.

So this past weekend the hubs and I made a trip to Park + Vine to pick up some Upton's seitan (which is worthy of a gusher post, itself) and on our way to the counter something caught my eye - a simple little sprouting kit from Sprout Ease consisting of a wide mouth quart mason jar and three plastic screw-on sieve lids. I figured I couldn't go wrong for $6, so I sprung for it.


The concept is simple:

1) pick the seeds of your choice, whether it be pea, radish, broccoli, alfalfa, chickpea, sunflower, arugula, buckwheat, clover, lentil, and all manners of herbs...

2) place the seeds in the jar and soak in warm water overnight...

3) using the finest mesh screw-on cap, drain the seeds and invert the jar at an angle to ensure proper ventilation...

4) from there on out, all you have to do is rinse gently in warm water every morning and evening until the sprouts are as big as you like, using the different sieve tops as the sprouts grow and shed their hulls...


Easy, right? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

It goes without saying that since you're eating the whole plant, it's preferable to use organic seeds that haven't been treated with chemicals; and I'm sure it can't hurt to stick with heirloom seeds, as well. I have yet to do my research online to find a company that sells good, solid sprouting seeds, so for my first batch this past Sunday I used up some of last years radish seeds - French Breakfast, Saxa II, and White Icicle. It's now Wednesday and these little guys are growing nicely.


I'm thinking sandwiches on a nice wheat or rye with some hummus, plenty of salads, garnish for pasta, and pretty much anything else that could use a little green oomph - can't wait!