Sprouts: The Why and How of Growing Nutrient Rich Food in a Jar

Filling-yet light, crisp, and flavorful- sprouts are among the best foods you can add to your diet.  Sprouts are basically newly germinating seeds.  Seeds are rich with nutrients needed to grow a thriving plant.  While those nutrients are very good and helpful to the plant intended to come from those seeds, the nutrients present are also quite good and helpful for us to ingest.   Eating a plant that has just sprouted will yield significantly more nutrients than a eating a fully grown plant as the growing plant has not yet used up the nutrients from the seed.

Among the most widely available sprouts are alfalfa sprouts and bean sprouts.  These can be found in just about any grocery store.  However, these are not the only sprouts we should be consuming.  Broccoli, lentil, peanut, kidney bean, chickpea, wheat, barley, and rye seeds, among others can all be sprouted.  Eating these foods in their sprouted form (also called microgreens) will provide you with higher concentrations of the nutrients these foods normally provide.

Sprouts, especially organic sprouts, can be on the pricey side at grocery stores and markets.  But, have no fear-it is fairly simple and economical to grow your own sprouts at home and the only equipment you need is organic seeds (seeds should be labeled “for sprouting” so they are properly clean), water, cheesecloth, and a clean glass jar with a lid.

How to Grow Sprouts in a Jar

Growing sprouts in a jar is easy. Here's how to do it:

1. Place one to two tablespoons of seeds in your jar, and cover with approximately two inches of warm water. Let this sit overnight.
2. Drain the water, using a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
3. Rinse the seeds by adding water the jar, swishing the seeds around, and draining.
4. Repeat twice a day, every day until your sprouts are the desired size. This will take anywhere from three to seven days, depending on the variety of sprout you're growing. Sprouts are best when they're still fairly small and just starting to turn green.
5. Store your sprouts in a covered bowl or food storage bag with a paper towel inside to absorb excess moisture. Use the sprouts within a week.

These directions were directly taken from: http://organicgardening.about.com/od/vegetablesherbs/a/growingsprouts.htm

I am planning to focus on some food DIY projects for a week or so.  I intend to provide easy advice on how to save money by doing some easy projects at home that take very little active time.  Please comment if you have questions or would like to me research a particular food topic.  I am learning from this blog as well and am interested in everything food, everything “green”, and everything that will help others and myself live the most nutritious life possible.