Learn to Grow Sprouts at Home | Simple Quick Guide
Sprouts are an incredibly nutritious food item that can be an excellent addition to your daily diet. When you grow sprouts at home, you have them on hand to toss them into your salads or put them in your sandwiches to prepare a healthy meal and even add to stir-fry dishes!
Plus, there are so many different types of seeds that can be grown as “sprouts in a jar!”
How to Grow Sprouts at Home
Sprouts are basically soaked and geminated seeds, nuts, legumes or grains that are packed with beneficial enzymes, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.
They are not only nutritional powerhouses, but also one of the easiest foods to grow indoors.
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What is Sprouting?
Sprouting is the process of soaking a seed, grain, nut, or bean and inducing the process of germination. As a result, you get tiny little plants offering many health benefits.
These tiny plants grow without soil as most seeds contain enough energy stores to produce 2 or 3 small leaves before they need support from adequate sunlight and soil to become full-grown plants.
Germination enhances the nutrient profile of the seed, such as fiber, vitamins C and B. Plus, sprouting neutralizes the phytic acid and lectin content, making the seeds easier to digest and absorb for the body.
The fat content also drops, making them healthier. The most commonly used seeds to grow sprouts are chickpeas, broccoli seeds, red clover seeds, soybeans, fenugreek, lentils, mung bean, pumpkin seeds, wheat, radish seeds, alfalfa, chia seeds, quinoa seeds, and sunflower seeds.
The tiny leaves, stem and root that grow out from the seed can all be delicious additions to salads, sandwiches, stir fries, dips, and salads.
When you grow sprouts at home, you are optimizing the freshness factor for super clean eating!
The best part about growing sprouts indoor is that you barely need much space and specialized equipment. You can easily grow them on a counter top and then just rinse a couple times a day with a little water.
Here is your easy, step-by-step guide to sprouting from the comfort of your own kitchen. Knowing how to grow sprouts at home is a great way to produce nutrient-rich and delicious foods. Let’s see how you can get started.
Sprouting Equipment
There are three main things you need to start growing sprouts indoor: a container, water, and the seeds.
Container
You can find a variety of sprouting equipment is both at home gardening shops and online. From simple containers with in-built sieves to multi-tiered tray setups for sprouting various seeds at once, there are quite a few options to choose from.
However, you don’t necessarily have to buy a sophisticated setup. A simple and easy sprouting method is to use a wide-mouthed mason glass jar with cheesecloth, muslin cloth, or a straining mesh secured by a rubber band over the opening along with its screw lid.
Even consider just using a small strainer to stick in the wide mouth jar to keep the seeds from falling out when rinsing. Like this:
Water
Plain, non-chlorinated water works best for sprouting. Make sure to rinse your growing sprouts often to keep them slightly damp and clean.
Sprouting Seeds
Organic sprouting seeds can be bought from any store. Make sure they are labeled for use as sprouting seeds.
Seeds specifically marketed for sprouting are untreated and free of any chemicals or fungicides. The best seeds grow the best sprouts!
Amount of Seeds per Quart Size Mason Jar
- 2 Tablespoons of smaller seeds like alfalfa, clovers, radish, and broccoli
- 1/4 cup of larger seeds like mung bean, peas, and garbanzo beans
Try Broccoli and Friends Sprouting Mix
Method
- Add the proper measurement of seeds to a quart size mason jar with your choice of seed, bean, grain or legume.
- Fill the rest of the jar with warm water and stir.
- Now cover the jar with a breathable fabric, such as cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band. Leave the seeds soaked in water for 8 to 12 hours (you can soak them overnight).
- Next morning, strain the water through the cloth. Rinse the seeds and drain the water again. Repeat this step a few times.
- Leave the strained sprouts in the jar and place the jar at a slight angle so that any excess water can drain off and air circulates easily. You can keep it in a large bowl and slightly tilt it or on a dish rack.
- Keep rinsing and draining the seeds every morning and evening. It will keep them moist. You will have to keep doing this for 2 to 6 days until all the seeds have sprouted and they are about 2 inches in length.
- On the final day when the sprouts are approximately 2 inches long, place the jar in the sunlight. The leaves will make chlorophyll and turn green! Read about the benefits of chlorophyll.
- Now you can give them a final rinse and spread them on a clean paper towel to soak excess water. They are now ready to eat. You can also store them in the refrigerator. Most sprouts can stay fresh for about a week, if kept cool.
- Make sure some air can get to the sprouts. Do not tighten the lid just leave it loosely on the jar.
How to Grow Sprouts
Learn how to grow sprouts for nutritious and fresh food!
Materials
- There are three main things you need to start growing sprouts indoor: a container, water, and the seeds.
- Fine Mesh Strainer or Cheese Cloth and a Rubber Band
Tools
- Quart Size Mason Jar
Instructions
Method
- Add the proper measurement of seeds to a quart size mason jar with your choice of seed, bean, grain or legume.
- >2 Tablespoons of smaller seeds like alfalfa, clovers, radish, and broccoli -or-
>1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of larger seeds like mung bean, peas, and garbanzo beans - Fill the rest of the jar with warm water and stir.
- Now cover the jar with a breathable fabric, such as cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band. Leave the seeds soaked in water for 8 to 12 hours (you can soak them overnight).
- Next morning, strain the water through the cloth. Rinse the seeds and drain the water again. Repeat this step a few times.
- Leave the strained sprouts in the jar and place the jar at a slight angle so that any excess water can drain off and air circulates easily. You can keep it in a large bowl and slightly tilt it or on a dish rack.
- Keep rinsing and draining the seeds every morning and evening. It will keep them moist. You will have to keep doing this for 2 to 6 days until all the seeds have sprouted and they are about 2 inches in length.
- On the final day when the sprouts are approximately 2 inches long, place the jar in the sunlight. The leaves will make chlorophyll and turn green! Read about the benefits of chlorophyll.
- Do not rinse on after sunning but spread them on a clean towel to soak excess water. They are now ready to eat. You can also store them in the refrigerator. Most sprouts can stay fresh for about a week, if kept cool in the fridge. Do not keep them in a tightly sealed container. Make sure they can breath a little.
Notes
Make sure some air can get to the sprouts. Do not tighten the lid just leave it loosely on the jar.
That’s the Wrap on Sprouting
Growing sprouts indoor is a simple way to give a healthy boost to your daily diet without adding to your grocery bill. It’s also a great way to enjoy the taste of nutritious, homegrown food.