Sprouting

I went to a great Provident Living class last night on Herbs and Sprouting. I have never done sprouting before, but I am ready to try now. The lady who taught the class does it regularly & showed us how easy & cheap it is to do. I always buy alfalfa sprout for salads & sandwiches. I also love Mung bean sprouts in stir fry. I think it'd be fun to try making a sprouted wheat bread. Now I can grow them myself in just a few days. I can't wait to try it out. She buys her sprouting mixes at health food stores. She had a sprouting mix that I'd like to try, called Pro Vita Mix. There are huge health benefits for sprouting. They are so high in vitamins- Alfalfa sprouts have vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E, & K, protein, & minerals-wow! They are a great thing to have in emergency food storage, because it is a quick source of fresh greens. You can sprout: black-eyed peas, cabbage, garbanzos, lentils, mung, alfalfa, radish, almonds, soybeans, sunflower, & wheat. Probably others as well, but those are the ones she gave us info on. You just have to make sure the seeds haven't been treated & are the right kinds for sprouting.

So if you want to try it out with me, here are the instructions:

All you need it a glass jar. They have special mesh lids you can get, but if you don't want to spend the money, or can't find them, use a pair of panty hose & screw them on with the metal ring from the jar. I'll give the instructions for the Alfalfa sprouts & Mung beans, since those are a common favorite.

Day 1: 1 1/2 -2 Tbsp of seeds for Alfalfa, or 1/2 c. seeds for Mung beans- will yield about 1 qt of sprouts. Put the seeds into the jar & fill it with water. Soak them for 4-6 hours (for Alfalfa), or 8-12 hrs (for Mung Beans) in a dark place.

Day 2-5: Rinse seeds thoroughly and drain them 2-3x/ day. Make sure they are well drained. excess water will make them ferment. Continue rinsing daily until you want them to stop growing. Keep them in a dark place- like inside a cupboard. When they are as big as you would like them to be, put them into the fridge to stop the growth.

Alfalfa sprouts only: Day 4-5: place in indirect sunlight to green up ( all other sprouts will turn bitter in the sun light, keep all other in full darkness)