How to Sprout
There are several different ways you can sprout but the basics apply to every method.
Soak Your Seeds – Soak your seeds in warm water (NOT hot water) for about 24 hours, smaller seeds can be soaked for 6-12 hours. Make sure that you use purified water, as contaminates from water can be absorbed into the seeds and in turn pass it on to you. Also many states use chlorine and fluoride in the public water, water with these chemicals should be avoided if possible.
Drain – The next day once your seeds have had time to absorb the much needed water you will need to drain the jar. Use your cheesecloth or covering here so that you can drain the water and keep all your seeds.
Store Away From Light – Set your jar or cloth away from light in a warm place. A popular option is to place the jar in a kitchen cabinet. For proper airflow and drainage you jar should be place angling down like pictured. Some people say to store your jar upside down but this is a mistake because you will be covering your lid, blocking airflow and reducing the space your seeds have to grow.
Rinse, Rinse, Rinse – Everyday you will need to rinse your seeds, drain them and put them back into the angled position. Rinsing your seeds 2-3 times a day is recommended for most types of seeds. By the 3-5 day your sprouts should be ready for the next step.
Put out in the sun – The final step to your sprouts is exposing them to sun, this will allow them to absorb chlorophyll which will add the green color to your sprouts as well as help your sprouts develop nutrients. Most seeds only require a few hours of sun exposure, but it will vary depending on what seed you are using.
Harvest and Enjoy – A common question is how do I know when my sprouts are done? Some of it is guesswork, but with seeds you will see green leaves and with beans, nuts and grains you will see white chutes. Basically they should look like the photos below. This site has great info on when to harvest different seed types
http://www.universal-tao.com/article/sprouts.html
Uh oh!!!!!
If you see mold on your sprouts, or notice any other odd things DO NOT eat them. If you do have mold on your sprouts here are a few things you might consider doing differently next time to prevent it.
- -Improve air circulation. Although cabinets work most of the time, sometimes you will not have enough fresh air flowing to your seeds. If this is the case try some other dark location, or add a small fan to improve circulation.
- -Make sure your seeds are properly drained. Poor drainage is a leading cause of mold, that’s why we angle our jars.
- -Clean your sprouter and any equipment used in the process (including your hands)
- -Try using colder water during rinses and consider adding an additional rinse per day
- -Consider switching to a different sprouter
Great post! Thanks for the info. Where can I get everything all in one package?
Just thought you might be interested in our experience with 9-year-old sprouting seeds … that SPROUTED.
See it at http://www.internet-grocer.net/sprouter/htm
WOW! That is amazing! No one can grow "terminator" GMO seeds! Hold onto some of those seeds – you may need them in the future. Go to: Organic Consumers Association AND World Natural Health Organization (WNHO) for great info plus history of Monsanto!
My two favorite packages are the Food Storage Sprout Kit
http://www.handypantry.com/product/FSSK
and the Burpee Seed Sprouter
GardenGirl,
Not sure who you're responding to, but the sprouters we sell (which will NOT sour your sprouts) are at http://www.internet-grocer.net/sprouter.htm and can be ordered at
http://www.internet-grocer.net/store/cart.php
Best regards,
Bruce
Great article/PDF. I'm going to try sprouting again; we already like sprouts on salads and sandwiches (avocado, cucumber, and alfalfa sprouts with mayo, tomato optional, on multigrain bread, yum!)
I tried for years with the Mason jar method and often had problems, but I've just bought (very cheaply) one of those multi-tray sprouting systems and it works better than I could hope – and takes up very little space.
The top tray of my worm farm works GREAT for sprouts! And the worms get what we don't use.
I feed the worms, the worms feed the soil, the soil feeds the plants, and the plants feed me!
WHoops, forgot to say, the top tray is covered in Hessian (Burlap) fabric that is kept damp to keep the worms from getting too dry, the seeds spread under the fabric will sprout right through it
http://www.MyMimsies.etsy.com
Ch-ch-ch-chia!
ok, but what if you run out of seeds.How do you take this a step further and creat more seeds? or is that not Practicle?
Evidently, NOT!
That's one reason I chose not to grow them…..
Storage is a problem can't be dehydrated, and can't be re-hydrated, but, they do grow fast!
ALSO: Like Chinese food, you can eat a couple of pounds, but in 15 minutes you'll be hungry again!
No substance, just water!
Not much of a diet, albeit a supplement, I guess.
Evidently, NOT!
That's one reason I chose not to grow them…..
Storage is a problem can't be dehydrated, and can't be re-hydrated, but, they do grow fast!
ALSO: Like Chinese food, you can eat a couple of pounds, but in 15 minutes you'll be hungry again!
No substance, just water!
Not much of a diet, albeit a supplement, I guess.
Great article on sprouts and sprouting. One more great home sprouter should be mentioned here. The Easygreen Sprouter. I own 2 of them myself. Having been a commercial sprout grower for a number of years these are the best and easiest home sprouters available. The sprout quality is superior to other growing methods.
Very interesting design there! Thanks for sharing. I bet it does really well with wheat grass.
It is a cool sprouter. I've grown a lot of wheat grass in the Easygreen with dirt and hydroponically and it does an excellent job.
Sprouts are fantastic! Fresh right now food that can help with any sort of ailement! Here is a thought on keeping the sprouts fresh and free from mold or fungus: go to Freshwater Organics they have a powder that is made of "food grade" fossilized diatoms. Sprinkle on growing sprouts! Also great for you too! Tasteless and helps you stay healthy! Inexpensive. Amazing! Good info: FreshwaterOrganics.com/What is DE?, or look at USES FOR DE and "Detox"…DE: Diatom-aceous earth! Keep Sprouting and Stay Healthy
Wow. thats an interesting way to look at Sprouting. I am a big fan.
Thanks for all the great advice and suggestions!
Thanks for the excellent content! I just wanted to let you and your readers know that you can win free, non-gmo organic seeds by simply sharing a sprouting YouTube video or a sprout recipe on our website at this link:
http://www.easygreen.com/drawing-contact-form
Thank you for sharing your tips with us. So much helpful info.
Like this articles :)
I got a graphical manual on bean sprouting which can be download/read for free at this link:
http://www.advancedfarm.com
The manual is based on your guide here. Thanks
[…] You can sprout your own seeds in a glass jar. This could be fun. Instructions here. […]
[…] to absorb chlorophyll which accounts for the green color and further develop their nutrients. The Survival Spot makes the very good point of that sprouts make a good survival food since they need such minimal […]
I tried to download the sprouting pdf but I got, "Sprouting guide could not be downloaded because it could not be found –error 404." Just got the email so the link must be bad. Any ideas? Please email me at: daleawagner@yahoo.com. Thanks, Dale
Great post !
Sprouts are great healthy food .Always loved them.
Found a few tips in your guide very interesting.
Good stuff will be waiting to hear more from you.
Hi! This article is packed with great information! I first got interested in sprouts when I realized the benefit for preparedness. You can always have a fresh supply of nutritious raw vegetables if you have seeds and water, and it doesn’t take up much space. I use the Easy Sprout sprouter. It really is easy to use. You can read about it and see pictures at http://thesafehealthyhome.com/how-to-grow-sprouts/ I first learned about it from the Sprout People website.