Sprouting 101

As many of you know, I work at the Salt Lake Honeyville Farms Village Store. We have classes every Tuesday and yesterday I had the opportunity of teaching sprouting. By request, here are my teaching notes. ~Karin.

Sprouting 101

Sprouting is the practice of germinating seeds to be eaten either raw or cooked.

They are a convenient way to have fresh vegetables for salads, or otherwise, in any season and can be germinated at home. They are a prominent ingredient of the raw food diet and common in Eastern Asian cuisine. Sprouts have been grown by many civilizations over the past 5,000 years.

Why sprout?

Benefits - Fresh sprouted seeds increase by an amazing 30-600% in vitamins, minerals, acid and protein, some of the most nutritious foods available. Research shows that sprouts are a veritable fountain of youth. Sprouts abound with antioxidants; they are full of protein, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Broccoli sprouts have been found to contain 50 times as much of the antioxidant sulfurophane as mature broccoli. Wheat Grass juice is the closest substance to hemoglobin, and is therefore a phenomenal blood purifier and liver de-toxifier.

Sprouts contain enzymes, giving your body a much needed rest as they digest themselves - invigorating you while requiring no help from your body to process them.

New research indicates that peanut sprouts reduce harmful cholesterol and that sunflower, buckwheat and grain sprouts dramatically improve the quality of life for diabetics.

The list goes on and on.

How to Sprout.

Soak your seeds, lay them out in your sprouter trays, And then you keep the seeds moist and warm. The rest is up to Mother Nature.

1. Select the seeds, grains or beans to be sprouted. See handout for approx amounts for a tray.

What can or cannot be sprouted?

2. Soak. The seeds are normally first soaked and depending on the type of seed this process can take anything from 0 minutes up to 12 hours.

Rinse your seeds to remove soil and dirt and mucilaginous (slimy) substances produced by some seeds when they come in contact with water, like quinoa. The soaking increases the water content in the seeds and bring them out of inactive to an active state.

3. Sprouter trays. Many different types of vessels can be used. Square, bottle, round, colander. The trays purpose is to make rinsing and draining easier, since they need to be done at regular intervals until the seeds germinate or sprout.

4. Cover and place on kitchen counter out of direct sunlight.

5. Rinse thoroughly 3 - 4 times each or 6 to 8 hours internals. Spray with cold water or dip the sprouter in sink. Drain. You want moist sprouts, not wet ones.

6. Taste your sprouts as they grow to determine when they are best tasting for your use. This is usually 3 to 5 days. Never put in direct sunlight.

Each seed has its own ideal sprouting time. Depending on which seed is used, after three to five days they will have grown to 5 to 8 centimeters (2–3 in) in length and will be suitable for consumption. If left longer they will begin to develop leaves, and are then known as baby greens. A popular baby green is sunflower after 7–10 days. But basically you have a sprout as soon as it pops. The growth process of any sprout can be slowed or halted by refrigerating until needed.

Common causes for sprouts to become inedible:

• Seeds are allowed to dry out
• Seeds are left in standing water - rot quickly
• Temperature is high or too low
• Insufficient rinsing
• Dirty equipment
• Insufficient air flow
• Contaminated source of water
• Poor rate of germination of seed

Mung beans can be sprouted either in light or dark conditions. Those sprouted in the dark will be crisper in texture and whiter, as in the case of commercially available Chinese Bean Sprouts, but these have less nutritional content than those grown in partial sunlight. Subjecting the sprouts to pressure, for example, by placing a weight on top of them in their sprouting container, will result in larger, crunchier sprouts similar to those sold in Polish grocery stores.

A very effective way to sprout beans like lentils or azuki is in colanders. Soak the beans in water for about 8 hours then place in the colander. Wash twice a day. The sprouted beans can be eaten raw or cooked.

Many varieties of nuts, such as almonds and peanuts, can also be started in their growth cycle by soaking and sprouting, although because the sprouts are generally still very small when eaten, they are usually called "soaks".

7. Storage. Rinse the sprouts and let them drain completely. Many sprouts store from days to weeks when placed in plastic bags or your own container and stored in the refrigerator.

8. How to use your Sprouts.

I started out by telling you how sprouts are some of the most nutritious foods available. Sprouts can be added to so many types of foods and recipes. Use them along or mix with other sprouts. Use them in place of lettuce whenever possible because they have more nutritional value. Try a taco stuffed with alfalfa sprouts. Perfect with Chinese or other Oriental foods. Add to breads, casseroles, soups, omelets, cereals, salads, soups, sandwiches.

Bread

Makes 2 - 3 loaves

To soften yeast - combine in a large bowl:

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 scant Tbs. active dry yeast
Allow the yeast to proof (bubble) for 5 minutes

Stir in - in this order:

1/2 cup oil (We generally use Safflower or Sunflower)

1/2 cup honey

1 Tbs. salt

2 Cups Sprouted Grains - whole or ground lightly (We grind our big grains in a food processor. Our kids prefer them ground up quite well.) (Mix and match grain sprouts to your heart's content.)(Doing it again I would definitely put them in whole!)

4 cups flour (Any combo of wheat, rye, white, what-have-you that you like)(When using whole wheat and/or rye flours you might add wheat gluten - at a rate of 1/8 cup per cup of flour - as it often produces a nicer loaf.)

Beat well. Cover and let this 'sponge' sit for 45-60 minutes.

Stir down and gradually add 3-4 cups flour (any combination)

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.

Place dough into a greased bowl - turn it over and around to coat the whole of the dough. Cover and let rise until doubled (60-90 minutes).

Knead dough down in the bowl, divide and shape into 2 - 3 oblong loaves Place in well greased loaf pans and cover. Let rise 60 minutes or until almost doubled.

Bake at 375º for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire racks.

I asked suggestions on a preparedness discussion forum and the following were contributions. Thank you!

~~~  **  ~~~

Use sprouts in your green drinks/smoothies, to boost nutritional value. Some of our favorite sprouts to do this with are Mung bean, alfalfa, broccoli and clover/radish mix.

~~~  **  ~~~

In salads and sandwiches, and eat them as between meal snacks.

~~~  **  ~~~

Yesterday, my wife and I talked about sprouting wheat and other grains for use in soups. We also talked about doing the same with some of our storage beans and lentils.

~~~  **  ~~~

For baking bread, rolls, etc., my wife also mentioned wanting to sprout wheat dries it and then grind it.

~~~  **  ~~~

My favorite is lentil sprouts. For me green lentils seem to sprout better than others. They are sweet and tasty! I add them to almost all my raw foods dishes. For example:

~~~  **  ~~~

Chopped up:

Jicama

cherry or grape tomatoes

mini peppers

raw corn off the cob

sprouted grain of choice

and sprouted lentils

top with your healthy homemade dressing and or Braggs

~~~  **  ~~~

(Mix 5 lbs alfalfa with 1.5 lb bags of radish and broccoli) and the flavor is superb! Good to snack on, put on sandwiches, in salads, but my all time favorite is to put about a cup or more of the sprouts in a bowl, cut up a small avocado into it, spritz with liquid aminos or soy sauce, stir, and enjoy! Also good put inside pita bread or in a sandwich.

I fixed this at the class. I used all my sprouted samples, added an avocado and balsamic vinegar. It was so good!

~~~  **  ~~~

Cover sprouting tray with wet dishcloth (for shade and to help keep beans keep from drying out if time between rinses is longer) and place on counter out of direct sunlight. I put a sprout tray lid under the sprouting tray to catch any water that continues to run off beans.

~~~  **  ~~~

Some of you have suggested it is difficult to get the sprouts drained properly. I have a book, It's In the Bag, which has a section in it describing (w/pictures) how to make a sprout drainer out of plastic ABS pipes and connectors. It is very clever. Give it a look, it might solve some problems for you.

~~~  **  ~~~

Lentils are consistent, fast, & last a long time!

~~~  **  ~~~

Sprouted Grain Bread - Since we have been eating mostly raw, living food for the past year and a half it has really cut down on our cravings for bread. We use to eat some type of bread at every meal. We ate muffins for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and rolls or biscuits with dinner. Bread was a staple. I never thought I would be hearing myself say this, but, “I don’t miss bread.” That’s right. I don’t even miss the crusty, thick, white Cuban bread I use to make on a regular basis.

We don’t miss bread because we eat only nutritionally dense foods, which for many people, eliminates food cravings. Our bodies are getting all the nutrition they need. When I was in the early stages of transitioning into the raw, living food life style, I wanted bread that would be nutritious and filling and not lead me down that slippery slope to eating refined carbohydrates again. 

~~~**~~~

~Karin