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How to Grow Scrumptious Sprouts
Super speedy and super nutritious, broccoli sprouts contain nearly 50 times more antioxidants than mature broccoli plants!
Contrary to what many people believe, sprouts don’t taste anything like the dirt they were grown in, says "Sultan of Sprouts" Gil Frishman. In fact, they are tender, tantalizing treats. From broccoli to buckwheat, mung beans to microgreens, if you can eat the plant, you can probably eat the sprout. These are some of the most popular seeds for sprouting:
- Alfalfa
- Chickpea
- Mung Bean
- Lentil
- Azuki Bean
- Beet
- Radish
- Mustard
- Green Pea
- Snow Pea
"The general rule of thumb for spouts is that if it’s a seed that will germinate in a couple of days and will be at a good edible stage in two weeks, it’s a viable candidate," according to Gil.
All you need to launch the process is water and a little space on your kitchen counter. You can eat sprouts any time from the soaked stage through seven days of sprouting or 10 days to a shoot, anywhere you like them.
Steps
- Choose a container that drains well, for example a canning jar with a stainless steel screen and canning lid. You can also buy commercial sprouters and trays.
- Measure two heaping tablespoons of seeds into your container.
- Add at least twice as much water as seed; seeds generally double in size after soaking.
- Now set the seeds on the kitchen counter out of direct sunlight.
- After eight hours rinse the sprouts twice a day with cool water for at least 10 seconds. Drain well by beating, shaking, swirling, whatever it takes to remove all the water from the sprouts.
- Repeat the rinse-and-drain procedure twice a day for the next six days. This keeps the sprouts at the peak of freshness. As the sprouts grow, they'll mass together, so at a couple of points it's important to break them apart gently.
At approximately day four the cotyledons, or first leaves, will appear. Stirring brings the sprouts in the center up and exposes them to light. The brown things that come to the top are the seed hulls, which can be removed or eaten. After a week, you've got 12 ounces of sprouts from two tablespoons of seeds. Just store them in the fridge. They'll last from a week to a month, depending on the variety.
