Make Your Own Sprouts!

Here’s a photo of the sprouting screens I have and how I tilt the jar. You can use any food-safe material for the screen.

Sprouts are a staple in our household in winter. I have a really hard time getting myself to buy veggies at the grocery store! I want the veggies but they always disappoint me. Having my own sprouts around helps me get that full flavor I'm after and takes the edge off not having as much local green stuff around. It's really easy to grow your own sprouts!

• Safety first! Sprouts, like any raw veggie, have the potential to harbor dangerous pathogens. Make sure you practice good hygiene (read: WASH YOUR HANDS) when interacting with your sprouts.

• Use good quality seed. This is important for the reason above and also so that you get good germination. Use a blend made for sprouting (you can get this at 5th Season or any online seed company).

You'll need a quart mason or other type of jar and some way to strain the jar. I have this set of two different size plastic lid screens designed for this purpose but you can rig your own situation as long as it's made of food safe materials.

The first step is to soak the seeds (use just 2-4 Tbs or they will grow bigger than your jar can contain) in water in the jar for 8-12 hours. I do it overnight or during my work day. After that, drain the water and rinse the seeds thoroughly. Then drain off all the excess water and set the jar in a dish so that the extra water can drip out and also that air can circulate inside the jar.

Every day, rinse the seeds at least 2-3 times (every 8 hours at least) and drain like you did before. Ideally, keep the jar in a darker spot the first day then bring it to a bright spot but that's not super important. The important thing is air flow and remembering to rinse (this rinses off bacteria and fungi spores that might otherwise build up and begin to spoil the sprouts). The sprouts will germinate and gradually grow. Make sure that on your later rinses, you're gently agitating to get the rinse water all over and break up the mass of sprouts so the ones in the middle get some light and air. Once you see the yellowish leaves begin to split apart and tinge green, transfer your sprouts (thoroughly drained) to an air-tight container in the fridge. I always start another jar right away if we're eating through them!

There are lots of kinds of seeds you can sprout and I like them all! You can do large garbanzo or mung bean sprouts for stir fries or the little clover/alfalfa/brassica sprouts for fresh eating and salads.

Use your sprouts on White Bean and Barley or any other soup! Also great on salads, sandwiches, and just as a little side-dish snack.