West Brookfield Farmers Market

When the cold winds of January blow and freshly picked greens aren’t as readily available as you would like, growing your own sprouts is an easy, tasty and satisfying way to keep a steady supply of healthy greens in your house.All you need is a wide mouth canning jar, some seeds (types of seeds will be discussed below) and water.

There are so many benefits of growing your own sprouts; the most important being that they are incredibly good for you.Sprouts are a powerhouse of nutrients and contain lots of Vitamin C and protein.Another great benefit (as mentioned above) is that for very little effort, you and your family can eat fresh greens all winter long.Sprouting is also a fun gardening experiment for young and old alike.Kids can get the satisfaction of caring for seeds, watching them grow and eating the rewards while adults can experiment with sprouting different seeds until they find which ones they like best.It’s a win, win!

Normally, when people think of sprouts, they envision the clear plastic boxes of alfalfa sprouts we commonly see in a grocery store.Alfalfa is only one of about 40 kinds of seeds that can be sprouted.Others include barley, cabbage, clover, corn, lettuce, lentils, mung bean, pea, pumpkin, quinoa, radish, sesame, soybean, spinach, sunflower (hulled) and turnip.There are also others that are not so common like almond, corn, garbanzo, kidney and pinto beans, and wheat. All these varieties mentioned can be grown in a jar and will provide tasty sprouts within 2-5 days depending on the seed.Experts contend that virtually 99 percent of all vegetation is edible in the sprout stage, the only seed varieties that shouldn’t be sprouted are tomato and potato as they are poisonous.

For beginning sprouters, start with some of the easier varieties like alfalfa, cabbage, lettuce, lentils, mung bean, pea, or spinach.Turnip, spinach, radish, pea and lettuce can also be grown in soil in a shallow tray for those who miss having their hands in the dirt.If you have any leftover untreated/organic seed from your garden, use that first and then buy new seed when needed.Don’t use treated seeds because they’ve probably been sprayed with fungicides.

The easiest way to sprout is by using a quart-sized wide-mouthed Mason jar with a mesh, nylon or cheesecloth lid held on with the metal jar band.For alfalfa seeds, start with 2 Tbsp. seed in the jar.Cover with cool water and soak for a few hours (this softens the hull for easier sprouting).When done soaking, rinse the seeds and drain well.Lay the jar on its side, out of direct sun and rinse the seeds a couple times a day.Rotating the jar is also helpful because it spreads the seeds/sprouts and improves circulation of air and moisture.Within 4-6 days you should have a nice jar of sprouts between ½ inch and 2 in. long.They are best eaten raw.

Different kinds of seeds require different soaking times and may take longer to reach the desired “harvest” size.Some of the hardier sprouts may also need to be lightly cooked to increase tenderness.There is plenty of sprouting information available on the internet so check it out and start sprouting.It’s another great way to eat local in winter….

Info taken from:The Encyclopedia of Country Living, Carla Emery