How to Sprout your own Seeds

Why not sprout your own seeds at home for nutritious and fresh sprouts? There are a variety of organic seeds available and sprouted seeds are packed with goodness and only take a few minutes time each day. The instructions on the 4 tray seed sprouting kit I was given for Christmas were simple so here's how our home seed sprouting went:

Important when you Sprout your own Seeds

The seed sprouter should not be in direct sunlight at any time when seeds are sprouting
Temperature of room where sprouting seeds should be around 70 degrees F. or 21 degrees Celsius
Use One (1) tablespoon of dry seeds per tray although you may be tempted to use more
Clean equipment well between sprouting seeds to avoid contamination

Seed Sprouting Instructions:

Soak the seeds for time required e.g small seeds like alfalfa for 3 hours and large seeds like mung beans for 6 - 8 hours but no longer than 12 hours
Skim and discard all floating seeds
After soaking the seeds, rinse well and drain
Spread pre-soaked seeds evenly on each tray
Stack trays with basin tray at bottom
Pour 2 cups (16 oz) water into top tray
Water will drain through all four trays to the basin tray which should then be emptied
Place the lid (but do not close) on the top tray to keep in moisture

Care of Sprouts:

Water the seeds 2 or 3 times per day (i.e. at 8 am and 8 pm) with 2 cups of fresh water
Each time the seeds are watered move the bottom tray to the top and empty the bottom basin tray full of water
When grown to desired height simply move the seeds into the refrigerator and they will stop growing
Clean the sprout kit well and ... start all over again!

The alfalfa & mung beans sprouts were already growing by Day #2 although it may take 3 or more days to reach the edible stage depending on the type of seeds grown and room temperature.

Notes:

Suitable seeds to sprout include broccoli, radish, lentil, chick pea, soy bean, barley, and quinoa
There are a myriad of uses for Sprouts such as : Salads, sandwiches, wraps, soups, juice & stir-fry
Sprout Set is made from plastic but BPA free
The seeds were sprouted on a seed planting table in the laundry which has running water and a sink
Filtered water was used to soak the seeds and in the twice daily rinse
Time of seed sprouting also depends on room temperature i.e. colder temperatures will take longer to sprout
Always follow instructions for your own Sprout Kit
If you buy commercial packaged sprouts this is one time to read the label to make sure the sprouts are not past the use by date and there is no dirt on the raw seeds
Home grown sprouts should be kept in air tight containers in the fridge and eaten or cooked within 2 days
Only buy high quality seed from a known source and recommend certified organic and non-GMO
Next sprout seeds to try are: organic green peas, hard red wheat, and everyone's favourite mung beans

If sprouts are made in the home and eaten raw, young children, elderly persons, or persons with weakened immune systems should NOT eat them.
University of California - Div. Agriculture (2004)

Caution:

Besides meat, there are other kinds of commercially grown vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupe and salad greens (lettuces & spinach) which are subject to salmonella or e-coli type contamination.The two largest food poisoning outbreaks from sprouts were in Germany in 2011 and Japan in 1996 of bacterial poisoning involving commercial sprouted seeds.

Commercial sprouts have greater opportunity to become contaminated from several sources such as: from farm workers, contaminated irrigation water, animal manures, adjoining property effluent. There is also the distance for grown sprouts, after packaging, to travel and become tainted. Sitting on department store shelves may encourage bacterial growth. Buy only organic sprout seeds from the USA or Canada.

Most commercial sprouts for sale in big box stores are produced in Asia.

Nutrient Value of Sprouted Seeds

Alfalfa Sprouts contain fibre and protein as well as Vitamin B-6 and K, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, & folate, niacin & thiamine
Mung Beans contain high protein, Vitamins A & K, calcium, folate, potassium and phosphorus

There are lots of commercial sprout kits available and a great variety of seeds for you to try. There is also a library of technical information on the Net if you are interested in knowing the science behind sprouting. If you love fresh sprouts, follow instructions from buying healthy seed and using purified or filtered water for safe and healthy sprouts. Plan ahead for special occasions or just keep sprouting seeds for your own daily use. You certainly will know where your food comes from and how it was grown. It really is simple to sprout your own seeds and only takes about 5 minutes a day.