In the Kitchen - Homegrown Sprouts

Sprouts.. on sandwiches, in salads, stir fried, mixed in soups and stews.  Any way to pack that nutritional punch in my food!  Some even juice them in smoothies.  I have not ventured into the world of juicing yet but it sounds effective and yummy and very nutritious!  Since I drink my protein shake every day, loaded with vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, I like to eat the rest of my food in a day and I like to eat!

Every once in a while I used to splurge for a small container of sprouts at the store.  I always opted for the sweeter ones like alfalfa or clover but my dear sister bought me a set of sprouting trays a few years ago. (She has always been the thin one in the family and I think she was horrified to find my weight climbing and my health declining.  She was probably pretty sure I could not find a way to deep fry sprouts if she could get me to make them at home.)

Sprouts are EASY!  I have a set of three trays and when all three are done producing sprouts I have a TON of them.  Plenty to share.  In fact I should sell fresh sprouts.  I could beat the grocery store prices by a long shot!!  One tray of sprouts takes about 3 days, very little effort, and is all organic (provided the seeds start that way).  It is probably equivalent to more than 3 of those little containers of sprouts in the store!

You don't even need a sprouting tray.  It could be done on a pie plate with some holes poked in for drainage!  All you need is water, a covering for the tray, a sunny window, and of course some sprouting seeds!  Any seeds will sprout but I like to buy the specific seeds intent on sprouting.  I found a BUNCH of them at 1/2 price this summer at a little store in the East Village so I will be set for seeds for a very long time. The packets intended for sprouts have specific instructions on them.  There are slight variations in the timing of the steps for each type of sprout seed but the basic process is this:

Soak the seeds in cool to warm water for a few hours (I soak overnight)

Mung bean sprouts soaking in water overnight in the lid of the sprouting tray.

Notice that there are not really many little mung beans in this tray. It is the lid to the sprouting trays I use.  The sprouts really spread out and seem to multiply as they process!  Start with just a few!

After soaking, rinse the seeds.  This is why you need a container with small holes.  Large enough to rinse and not lose the smallest seeds.  Once rinsed and drained, cover with some sort of opaque lid (seeds sprout in the dark).  Rinse 2 - 3 times a day for the next few days until you are satisfied with the growth of your sprout.  This usually takes about 3 days.  I just leave me trays stacked by the sink so I remember to rinse.  Just make sure to keep the seeds moist at all times.

If you look closely you can see tiny "tadpole" tails on most of these mung beans.

Little tails are present on sprouting alfalfa seeds.

When they have grown about an inch long or so, and preferably before leaves have formed, put the pan in the sun for 1/2 a day so that chlorophyll gets activated and "green up" your sprouts.  That is this next picture.

Once you have developed the chlorophyll in your sprouts, take them from the pan and soak them in clean water again to float the sprouts and sink the leftover seeds.  Remove, dry, and store the sprouts in the refrigerator until you want to eat them and get rid of the seeds in the trash.  You don't want those down your garbage disposal...  believe me.  I will probably have to tell you the story of my early sprouting experiences and how mad Mike was that there were alfalfa seeds in every drain in the kitchen, backing up the sink and dishwasher.  Just trust me and throw them in the trash.

Once your sprouts are finished you can eat them or save them for salads, soups, and sandwiches.  Every type of sprout will taste like the original plant.  You can sprout broccoli, radishes, alfalfa, clover, all types of beans (packed with a protein punch!), sunflower seeds, buckwheat, wheat berries, etc! You name it!

Here is one my favorite sandwiches:   Spread cream cheese on both pieces of bread.  Then add vegetables and sprouts in layers.  Try tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, jicama, radishes, thin carrot slices, anything you want.  Just make sure and put a lot of sprouts on there too!