Healthy Eating Without Having to Weed
My husband Ken and I have killed more plants than we have kept alive. Every orchid he has brought me has turned into a stick in a pretty pot. We have managed to keep some houseplants thriving over the years, while others returned to compost. We got the idea during COVID-19 to try growing sprouts in our kitchen, while everyone else was making sourdough bread or canning vegetables.
After a little research online we purchased the “Easy Sprout Seed Sprouter.” With the word “easy” in the name, how could we not have success? It claims you can grow up to one pound batches at a time with seven easy steps: seeds, water, soak, drain, rinse, sprout, and serve. Most seeds sprout in three to six days. Mason jars with a mesh or cheesecloth cover can also be used. Trays are used for growing sprouts vertically.
Sprouting is the natural process in which seeds from vegetables and grains or legumes are soaked and germinated, then the outer layer opens and puts out edible, nutritious shoots.
“Alfalfa (sprouts) is still by far the most popular and has been since the sixties. The next is mung bean sprouts for Asian dishes,”says George Reynolds, via email. Reynolds is the owner of Nature Jim’s Sprouts, and sells a variety of sprouting seeds on Amazon. He also grows sprouts for grocery stores in the Salt Lake valley.
Mung beans were our first sprouts. We impatiently harvested the sprouts after a couple of days, so they hadn’t grown to the size we were used to seeing in restaurant dishes. It takes two to five days on average for mung beans to sprout to a good size. We just started radish seeds which should take three to six days.
Mustard, alfalfa, chives, and adzuki seeds are some of the seeds we would like to try in the future. Sprouts can grow from legumes, nuts, or seeds from vegetables and grains.
“The biggest issue for sprouting at home is consistent care every day to keep them growing and not drying out for five days,” says Reynolds, “It’s like taking care of a pet for five days; it needs lots of attention.”
There are many websites to get you started. Here are a few we found helpful:
I received another orchid for Valentine’s day this year and it is currently still alive.
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