Instead of a recipe, I thought I’d post instructions on how to grow your own sprouts. Sprouts are super healthy, extremely economical and very easy to grow – in only 5-6 days! Anybody can do it – no special skills required!
A sprout possesses all of the energy, vitamins and nutrients and power that enables it to be transformed from a small seed into a strong plant. At this stage its nutritional value is at its highest. For instance, sprouted seeds can contain 400% more protein than lettuce and over 3900% more beta-carotene.
Also, due to their size and taste you are able to eat hundreds of sprouted seeds at a time. In so many sprouts, you are eating the equivalent of hundreds of fully grown plants all at once – when else would you be able to get the goodness of one hundred mature plants in one meal?!
Studies have also shown that broccoli and other types of sprout contain exceptionally high levels of a natural cancer fighting compound called sulforaphane (20 – 50 times more than in mature broccoli) which helps support antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E.
I regularly sprout alfalfa for salads, wraps and sandwiches, and broccoli sprouts for my breakfast shake (honestly, I don’t care for them since I don’t like raw broccoli, but I know how good they are for me so I do my best to mask the flavor – if you like raw broccoli you may like broccoli sprouts).
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Sprouting is easy and quick - especially if you're impatient like me and want your veggies to grow and be ready to eat now! Great activity to do with the kiddos. They sell kits on Amazon or at health food stores. If you already have a mason jar, all you need is the lid and seeds, which can also be found on Amazon. I've included links under the Products section on my Recommendations page.
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- 1 quart-sized mason jar
- 1-2 TBS sprout seeds alfalfa, broccoli, mung bean, etc.
- 1 sprouting lid
- water
- Soak seeds in water for 8-12 hours.
- Empty soaking water and rinse/dump until water is clear. Shake and swirl to empty water until no more drips out.
- Set jar at an angle, in order for it to drain excess water while getting necessary air.
- Rinse, swirl and drain twice a day! If you forget, no big deal - they'll still grow. And if you find you need to stop the process for a few days, simply cover the lid, put a rubber band around the top, and store in fridge. Resume when you can.
- After 5-6 days, your sprouts are done!!
- Rinse in a salad spinner and pour off hulls if desired (they don't alter taste but may effect freshness once refrigerated after a few days). Get sprouts as dry as possible before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for 7 days, possibly a few more. The drier they are going in, the longer they last.