Bring in your green thumb for the winter! Let’s sprout!
Well friends’ winter is here, and I know some us are missing our gardening. Have you ever thought about trying sprouting? It really can be easy and incredibly nutritious. Add them to your salad, sandwiches, stir-frys or smoothies for an incredibly nutritious meal!
Sprouting is essentially germinating seeds. Grains, nuts, legumes or seeds can be sprouted right at home! Sprouting makes them easier to digest and also increases vitamins C, B and fiber! Studies have also shown it increases the availability of nutrients including calcium, zinc, iron and protein.
Sprouting is powerful! One of the biggest benefits is it decreases the presence of antinutrients. These antinutrients are found in plant seeds and they interfere with the ability to digest the nutrients when we eat them. This can affect our gut. Phytic acid is one of these known antinutrients.
In a Nutshell, sprouting makes foods easier to digest, increases nutrient absorption, increases fiber content and protein availability.
It is important to sprout your own and not buy sprouts from somewhere else. There is potential for Salmonella and E.Coli. I have bought sprouts from a farmer at the Oakland County Market here in Pontiac and never had a problem but sprouting at home is safest!
I use a sprouting jar and make sure I get my seeds from a reputable source. Burpee and Sprout People are certified “pathogenic-free”. I love Sprout People I get all my seeds from them. Beans legumes, nuts and grains can all be sprouted but to simplify this post let’s talk about the seeds.
What seeds to sprout:
Here are a few: mung beans, radish, peas, alfalfa and sunflower.
What you will need:
The seeds and a sprouting jar. Basically mine is a 1/2 gallon wide mouth mason jar with a mesh lid for air flow. You can get one at Whole Foods or Amazon. Mine is the Now brand. I also ordered a new one at Sprout People. That is an awesome site with all you need and cool videos
How To Sprout:
It is so easy! You basically put the seeds in a clean mason jar, cover with cool water and stir. You set it to soak (different times depending on the seed). Once soaking is over you drain all the water out and then rinse seeds with clean water. Swirl it around and drain again. Set in on the kitchen counter tipped over sideways so any water will drain. Rinse and repeat two times a day. They begin to germinate pretty quickly. You can wait until the sprouts are 1/2 inch to 2 inches or eat them at any time along the sprouting way! Air drying before storage is important as you do not want them to be moist in the fridge!
There is a list of times and a ton of information online. If you go to Sprout People they have it all there! I will be finishing a Blog Post on my website later this month with photos on sprouting.
Note On Fur Babies: Yes they love sprouts! My dog loves these live plants!
As I always tell my clients, Eat Real Food! You can’t get more live and real that Sprouting! I hope you try it!