Sprouts: Organic food that you can grow in 24-36 hrs

Submitted by OpenSkies on Sun, 09/09/2012 - 14:58
Gardening, Homesteading + Livestock

Hey Everyone,

This is for those who would like to grow their own food but just don't have the time or energy to do it. Sprouting grains is very easy and requires very little effort and they are highly nutritious. Sprouts have significant amounts of proteins and minerals. You can sprout pretty much any grain.

Let me give you a step by step protocol

1) Wash and soak the seeds in a vessel, typically overnight. The seeds will double in volume so use a large container. You can never put too much water but you can put too little. So be liberal with the water. You know they are completely soaked when they are not hard (stone like) to chew on.

2) Drain the water and transfer the seeds to a colander. Rinse the seeds for a few minuted under running water.

3) Cover and place the colander in a dark area. I put it in the oven that is NOT turned on. The moisture, darkness and ability to breathe (that's why you have to use a colander) will help the seeds to germinate and sprout.

4) On completion of sprouting, rinse seeds and consume immediately or store in fridge for a few days.

The soaking and sprouting times vary with the seeds.

I am from India (been in the US for 5 yrs), and sprouts are very common in our staple diet. The steps I have mentioned above are what I have learnt when watching my mom. Here is a website that has more information on sprouting techniques, nutrition etc

(The Grooviest Sprouting Seeds on Our Planet!). I have never bought anything from this site so I can't comment on their products but the information they give is good.
Here are the soaking and sprouting times for the seeds that I use regularly
i) Mung bean (Mung bean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia): 12hr soak time, 12-15hr sprout time.

ii) Moth beans(Moth bean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) : 12hr soak time, 12-15hr sprout time.

The above two are the easiest, you cannot go wrong with these.
iii) White, green chickpeas (Chickpea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia): 12-18hr soak time, 12-18hr sprout time.

I buy these grains from my local Indian store but I am pretty sure you will find them in the regular food stores too.

I usually steam cook the sprouts and make curries (http://www.cookingandme.com/2011/11/moong-usal-recipe-popula...). But you can eat them raw (in salads), steamed or roasted.

Sprouts: Organic food that you can grow in 24-36 hrs | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Revolution