Are you wanting fresh, local, superfood outside of the growing season? In the middle of a city? Grown in your own kitchen? At a super affordable price? Sprouting is an elegant solution.
Eating sprouts is wonderful for boosting immunity, reducing inflammation, neutralizing free radicals, and improving digestion. This super food is high in chlorophyl, Vitamins A, C, & K, lysine, and omega 3 fatty acids which help our bodies maintain healthy homeostasis. They are high in fiber which helps our digestive systems regulate healthy peristalsis and eliminate toxins and excess cholesterol. And their abundant enzymes help us break down and absorb vital nutrients.
Sprouting seeds improves their digestibility and increases their bioavailable nutrients by removing undigestible saponins and opening the seed coat. It also increases their nutrient content through germination, which transforms a dormant seed into a living, growing plant.
Another wonderful benefit of sprouting is the joy of watching them germinate, seeing their tiny new cotyledons emerge from the seed and spread outward toward light. This simple act of tending to baby plants helps foster a sense of biophilia and connection with the beings who we eat and transmute into our bodies.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
- 1 wide mouth jar
- 1 screen lid that fits said jar, or cheese cloth and a rubber band
- 1-2 Tablespoons of clean seeds (these can be seeds from any edible annual plant i.e. alfalfa, broccoli, kale, lentils, sunflowers, mung beans, sunflowers, peas, radishes, etc.
- Clean water
Start with clean, washed, materials. Put your seeds in the jar, add an inch or so of water, and soak them overnight. Drain out the water, rinse the seeds, and drain again. Then set the jar on its side or upside down to keep draining. Repeat this a couple times a day until the sprouts are at your desired growth stage. About a week after germination is when they peak as nutrition powerhouses and have the most bioavailable vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Take the sprouts out of the jar occasionally and rinse in a larger gauged strainer to wash away all the seed husks. Make sure you keep them rinsed and rinse them before consuming raw to reduce bacterial growth. If you are immunosuppressed and worried about potential vectors for food-born illness, you can also lightly cook the sprouts; drop them into soup at the very end, toss them into a sauté or stir-fry right before removing from the heat, etc.