Year Round Gardening With Sprouts

Growing sprouts can be done year 'round because it's all indoors. In the middle of winter, you can be enjoying home-grown greens in a matter of days. If you're old enough to remember the "Chia Pets", this was simply growing sprouts. Kids can enjoy this activity because it's relatively quick, kind of cool looking (or gross, depending on your view of things), and if they are involved, they may even eat some it.

I recently started growing my own sprouts after reading all the descriptions of how healthy and easy it is. While I can't vouch for the healthy part, I can say that it is very easy, not to mention quite tasty.

Horticulture 101

To really appreciate sprouts, it's best to understand the underlying mechanism. Seeds and beans (which are essentially large seeds) are amazing little packets of energy. They contain within them all the nutrients they need to develop into a plant. All they need is a catalyst, which in most cases is water and warmth. When these two are provided, the seeds come to life.

The nutrition of a seed is stored in a manner such that it can withstand long periods of dormancy. There have been many occasions where scientists have sprouted seeds from Egyptian tombs or Aztec burial sites that are thousands of years old. However, energy of this type is optimized for storage, not for immediate consumption. It is harder for humans to digest this energy and harder still to extract all the potential nutrients. Sprouting activates enzymes which multiplies the vitamin and nutrition content of the seed. Once the stored energy is converted, it is much more digestible and nutritional.

Sprouting Requirements

Growing sprouts is really a no-brainer, and even if you have a "black" thumb, you'd be hard pressed to stop the sprouts from growing. All you need is moisture and some air circulation. Room temperature is enough warmth to sprout.

It's also cheap to get started. While you can assemble a fairly sophisticated system for growing lots of sprouts, if you just want to try it out, all you really need is a large glass jar. I used a Ball canning jar. I simply replaced the lid with a piece of cheese cloth, which is held in place by the ring. If you don't have one of those fancy canning jars, a large jar with a piece of cloth held in place with a rubber band would do the trick.

It doesn't have to be a jar. The idea is you want to be able to easily rinse the seeds daily and allow them to sprout in darkness with "some" air circulation. They need to grow in a humid environment, but without air circulation they will mildew, mold, and rot.

What Seeds to Sprout

Almost any kind of seed or bean can be sprouted. I have read to avoid members of the nightshade family. This includes peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. Also, red and white (Cannellini) kidney beans should not be sprouted, due to certain toxins present.

Commonly sprouted are alfalfa, mung beans, broccoli, cabbage, radish, onion, clover, fenugreek, sunflower, wheat and rye berries, chickpeas, and lentils. Even nuts like almonds can be sprouted.

There is some FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) concerning consumption of raw sprouts and food borne illnesses like E. Coli. You can read up on this here. However, for every heated debate, there is the other side of the story. You can read it here. Basically, to be safe, you should always use certified organic seeds, as there has never been a case against organic seeds. This only applies for those sprouts you intend to eat raw. Of course, we believe everything you eat should be organic!

Sprouting Basics

Unlike planting seeds, which require lots of fussy attention-- when to plant, how deep to plant, how far to space each seed, water and light requirements, etc-- sprouting seeds generally is the same for all varieties. Here are the basic steps for growing sprouts:

1. soak seeds overnight
2. drain and rinse well
3. place in a container that can maintain a humid yet not sealed environment
   
4. rinse with warm water and drain twice a day
5. as soon as the little tails emerge from the seed, they can be eaten
   

Some sprouts are better to let them grow a little longer. Mung bean sprouts, for example, taste best when they are around 3 inches long. Rye berries, though, seem to lose sweetness the longer they sprout. Some sprouts also are best when they are "greened" up a day or two before eating. This simply involves exposing your young sprouts to indirect sunlight. Alfalfa sprouts are one example that are typically eaten green.

Getting Started

To start with an easy sprout, and one that tastes great, the universal choice is the mung bean. Chances are, if you an adventurous cook you already have some dried mung beans on hand (the green ones, not the yellow, split ones). Once you have your jar or container ready, soak some beans and stick them in. Don't try to sprout too many beans at once. Mung beans sprouts can grow five-fold, so leave yourself plenty of room.

After you soak them overnight, rinse them real well, drain them, and then set the jar on its side on the counter. I cover it up with a towel to keep the light out. If you don't, you'll end up with green sprouts, which may or may not be undesired. Every morning and evening, I rinse and drain them. After 3 - 5 days, your sprouts are ready.

Storing Sprouts

You can store sprouts in the refrigerator just like any other produce. If you keep them wrapped up in plastic, they will mold and rot as expected, so keep them loosely covered and fairly dry (but don't let them dry out). Some sprouts will continue to grow while in the fridge. The best course of action is to eat them as soon as you can.

Eating Sprouts

So, once you have some sprouts, what do you do with them? The funny part is, this information is very lacking. There are tons of websites that tell you how to grow sprouts, but once you have 'em, you're on your own. I'm still learning, but I will try to list any interesting ways to eat sprouts as I find them.

For now, I like to eat them just like a salad, or in a salad. Drizzle on a little salad dressing and munch on them. They are good in sandwiches, soups, etc. There are several bread recipes that use sprouted grains that I will experiment with and report back. Many Indian dishes use sprouted beans as well, so I will be trying those.

There are a few things you need to get past if eating sprouts is a new adventure for you. First, sprouts are not attractive. They are often pale and anemic looking, and they can resemble worms. Secondly, some sprouts need an acquired taste. Alfalfa and mung bean sprouts can be enjoyed almost universally, but more exotic sprouts like fenugreek and adzuki beans require some getting used to.

I will be posting some recipes for ways to prepare and eat sprouts in this blog's sister blog, The Evolving Palate. Until then, good luck with your little sprout farms!