Growing sprouts

Whether for daily consumption or for a survival food, may I suggest sprouts. I’ve found sprouting to be easy and rewarding. I’ve sprouted beans and seeds successfully. Sprouts are baby plants. Here’s something you should know about sprouts.

All of the nutritional and medicinal benefits of sprouts are derived from their impressive vitamin, mineral, and organic compounds content. They contain a significant amount of protein and dietary fiber, as well as vitamin K, folate, pantothenic acid, niacin, thiamin, vitamin C, vitamin A, and riboflavin. In terms of minerals, they contain manganese, copper, zinc, magnesium, iron, and calcium. Many of these component nutrients increase dramatically as the sprout continues to develop. Along with all of these components, sprouts are also a rich source of enzymes that are essential for health. Source: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/seed-and-nut/sprouts.html

I grow sprouts from various beans. I also grow sprouts from seeds. The seed sprouts are also known as micro-greens. For me it’s been easy to grown bean sprouts from wide mouth quart canning jars. I use plastic hardware cloth cut to size for my jar lids. Then I use a sturdy rubber band to seal around the hardware cloth. It’s important the rubber band is sturdy enough to hold the hardware cloth top in place. There are several rinses that need to be made daily and it is important that the lid cover stays in place.

My micro greens I grow on a large plate and cover with a paper towel. I’ll explain about that later.

I’ve found that some beans are great sprouters and some beans are to be avoided. Here are a few that you can be successful with: Mung, Adzuki, Lentil, Pea and more. Mung seems to be the easiest to sprout. I add about 1/3 cup beans to the jar. Place the lid on the jar with the hardware cloth and rubber band. I fill the jar about 4/5ths with clean water. I let the beans sit for about 12 hours. Then, empty out the water. I rinse about 2-3 times. After the last rinse I place the jar on it’s side, on a shelf out of direct light for 12–24 hours. I usually leave the jar over night. Then rinse the beans. I do this for about 3-5 days, until the tails are long enough for me. Then in the morning I rinse the beans again but this time after the final rinse, I set the jar in the refrigerator. They are good to go. Takes about a week to eat them up. I rinse them every other day and replace to the refrigerator. I eat them raw, add to salads (my favorite) chop up and add to soup, make a sandwich using the sprouts, and more. Here is a short video that may help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTxhWBk53Fg

Growing micro-greens or gelatinous seeds is not very difficult. Here is a video on that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw0CB7KhMjY

Sprouts are so healthy for our bodies and are simple to grow. In an emergency, the can be an alternative to leaving the house for groceries. This will help you get started.