Grow your own nutritious beansprouts

15 years ago

This is a method I learned in the early 70's when I was living at the end of a logging road in a plywood house on Vancouver Island with no electricity or indoor plumbing. No, I would never want to live like that again, thank you (with feathers, flowers, and beads in my hair).

However, if you want to grow your own edible sprouts, you'll need something to sprout (Bulk Barn or Health Food Store) should provide mung beans, for the classic chinese food sprout, or whole wheat berries for wheat grass sprouts, and or alfalfa (classic sandwich topper).

Pour about 1/4 cup seeds/beans in the bottom of a clean mason jar. Add water and soak for about an hour. Put a piece of cheesecloth or clean J-cloth or nylon netting (craft type) over the top of the jar and screw on the mason ring. Dump off the water, rinse again and dump.

Leave the jar on your counter covered with a tea towel, and try to rinse and dump at least two times a day. (Some people keep the jars in a cupboard, they must be out of the light, but I find I forget to rinse if I do). Leaving them on the counter is a constant reminder to rinse and dump.

In 3-4 days, you'll have edible, nutritious sprouts to add to salads, soups, sandwiches.

This may be something good to know in the times ahead, when crispy greens may be scarce, or very over priced.

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Comments (9)

bakemom_gw
15 years ago
I sprout as well. Here's my favorite website:

http://www.sproutpeople.com/index.html
organicallygrown
15 years ago
wendy2shoes thank you so much for starting this thread. I follow a mostly raw diet and try to eat locally-grown produce as much as possible and have been agonizing over how to do both in the winter. I'm eating more cooked foods these days....but! by sprouting I can eat raw and grow my own! Perfect!

bakemom, great website. Thanks so much for posting. SproutPeople offer so much it's hard to decide on just what to buy. I'm excited to get started though. Maybe a nice bean mix, French mix, micro-greens,.......LOL
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bakemom_gw
15 years ago
The French mix is good, but the spicy mix rocks. They are the nicest people - not the cheapest site, but competitive and the quality is high. Nothing like sprouts, hummus, carrots on crackers - yummo!
vera_eastern_wa
15 years ago
Nice! I was just reading about this in the current Mother Earth News LOL! It took me back to my grandmother who did this very same thing...I LOVED it. Am anxious to start trying it out myself :)

Thanks!

Vera
wendy2shoes
Original Author
15 years ago
Wow Vera! The Mother Earth News is probably where I read about this in the first place (in 74). Also how to build a chicken coop and nest boxes. (If I could get around the local by-laws, I'd have a few laying hens again!)
not_a_contessa
15 years ago
I recently started sprouting again, there's just no substitute for fresh mung bean sprouts in a stir-fry, IMHO. I live in a small town which has no decent Chinese restaurant, so I make my own fried rice too. It takes about 5 days to get a good crunchy crop. Yum!

I usually keep dried lentils and garbanzo beans in my cupboard, they make great sprouts too. I ordered some others from Parks, and also found that Thompson & Morgan have a really nice assortment of sprouting seeds.

I use the mason jar method, I have 3 plastic lids that come as a kit, they have different sized openings to drain different size seeds. I have also used any jar I had on hand, with a piece of fabric and a rubber band; you really don't need anything fancy or expensive.

Happy Sprouting,
Mary
gardencrazy
15 years ago
I am interested to try. what are your suggestions for a newbee to try first? and whatelse to do with them besides sandwich and stirfry?
not_a_contessa
15 years ago
Gardencrazy, you can toss some sprouts into a salad of greens or vegetables. They would probably be good added to soup, too. It's really all about what you like to eat. Alfalfa sprouts are the ones you would most likely see at the grocery store, it might be a good idea to try some and then decide if you want to be more adventurous. Just check them carefully and make sure there is no sign of milky liquid or mold on the bottom.

I have read and heard that sprouts are extremely nutritious, much more so that the fully grown plants.

Mary
gardencrazy
15 years ago
you all have convinced me.I am anxious to try. I am going to order tomorrow but I couldn't wait for it to arrive and since we do not have a health food store in this town I stopped at a local feed store (is this the same as your bulk barn?). They didn't know what I was talking about but he did have alfalfa seeds that are untreated and said they would be fine to eat. so what do you think? Are these OK and should I try them?