How to Grow Your Own Sprouts

Spring is here in the Florida Panhandle, and Spring always reminds me of sprouting.  Sure you can sprout anytime, but it seems ideal during the new life and hope that Spring offers.  I love sprouts!  I use them on top of my (veggie) burgers, and even make salads out of them.  They're also great on top of a stir-fry, or instead of lettuce in a taco.  The possibilities are endless!  Sprouts are really good for you too - read about just some of the benefits here!  

These sprouts are ready to eat!

If you haven't sprouted before, it's really easy!  I only sprout 1 tablespoon at a time, since it's just me eating them.  I also have a Easy Sprout Sprouter , which I highly recommend, but you can make your own with a glass jar and some cheesecloth if you'd like.  Sprouting seeds can usually be bought at your local health food store, or ordered online.

1. Put your seeds in the bottom of the jar, cover with plenty of filtered water, and soak overnight.  I think it's important to use organic seeds when you're sprouting, as well as the cleanest water you can get.
2. The next morning, drain the water (that's where the cheesecloth comes in - you can attach it over the mouth of the jar with a rubber band).  Rinse the seeds with fresh water and drain again, getting as much water out as possible.  
3. Continue the rinse/drain cycle every evening and morning for 3-5 days (depending on the temps in your house).  During this time I try to keep them out of the sunlight.  I sometimes give them an additional rinse/drain around noon.  
4. You'll know when they are ready when the leaves start to emerge (about 3 days) - I like to put them where they can get a little sunlight at this point!  This greens the leaves up, but don't let them get hot or sit in the sunlight for too long (usually a few hours on a sunny kitchen counter will do).  
5. After they are ready, I put the sprouts in a big bowl of water to get a lot of the hulls out.  Most of the hulls sink to the bottom.  The ones that float are pretty easy to scoop out.  
6. Drain the sprouts well and store in your fridge in a breathable container!  Enjoy!

Hulls of the sprouts left in the bowl - most fall to the bottom!

I hope you'll try sprouting if you never have before - they are tiny little powerhouses of nutrition!

A yummy sprout and apple salad

The container I use for sprouting.