Eat More Sprouts! Grow Them Yourself!
I mentioned the other day how grateful I am that summer is coming and therefore berries are beginning to appear at the markets. Blueberries are a favorite of mine and I adore them in salads.
If you haven't tried growing your own greens yet I say give it a go! It is so easy and so cheap. Once you begin you'll get hooked--and that's a good thing. You will be positively affecting your most important asset; your health!
Looking for a great tutorial, that's FREE? Here it is. No excuses--I have pasted Sproutpeople's instructions for spouting/growing just about any seed you can think of. He has videos showing you how to sprout. Just click on the type of sprout you'd like to grow down below, and scroll down that specific page a bit and you'll see his instructional video there. Have fun!!
This page is here to give you another way to get to the core of Sproutpeople - our Detailed Pages.
Every seed and mix we offer (and some we don't) has such a page. They contain thorough growing instructions, videos, recipes, and much more. If you haven't seen those pages you haven't seen our site. We don't want that (I (Gil) have spent actual years writing this site. I NEED you to see those pages =;-), so here are links to get you to them.
Click the name of the seed or mix you want to grow to go to its detail page.
Click the name of a Sprouter to go to its detail page.
You can get to these same pages by using our menu bar and navigating through our links, but for those of you who like a list - here you go. Unlike much of our site, this page is alphabetically organized.
Adzuki Beans
Broccoli Sprouts
4 Legs of Love
Clem's Choice - Mix #9
Amber Waves of Grain
Barley Grass
Buckwheat Lettuce
Alfalfa
Arugula
Almonds
Bio-Set
Here is the link to their website http://sproutpeople.org/sprouts/grow/instructions.html
Welcome to Sproutpeople University!
Click the links below for a thorough education, in each area of study.
Dormant seeds can last for centuries - or weeks. Learn what you can do to keep them viable for as long as possible.
Though it is not always necessary, it is always a good idea to Prep your seeds before you Soak them.
Dry seeds are dormant.
Soaking a seed ends it's dormancy and begins a new life.
In nature this seed will make a plant which can, in turn make seeds, which can in turn make more plants, which can make More Seeds which make More Plants and more and More and MORE!
We eat all this potential. Its no wonder sprouts are SO nutritious!
REMEMBER: Once a seed has soaked up it's fill of water, it is Alive! It is now a nutritional phenomenon, with its own enzymes - it will take nothing but will only add to your body. We are used to sprouts having tails, but they don't have to. You can eat any soaked seed and know that you are giving your body an amazing nutritional gift.
Given proper moisture a seed will germinate.
Rinsing is the process by which we add moisture to our sprouts. Draining is the process by which we regulate the amount of moisture our sprouts have available - until their next Rinse.
The Sproutpeople's Principals of Rinsing:
Use cool water (60-70°F)
Use a lot of water
Use high pressure water whenever possible.
Rinse 2-3 times daily.
The Sproutpeople's Principals of Draining:
Drain as much of the Rinse water
out of your sprouts
as is humanly possible.
Be Thorough!
In between Rinse and Drain cycles your sprouts do their growing. During that time it is essential that they can breathe. The best sprouting devices help them breathe, but you need to pay some attention too. There isn't much to it - sprouts can grow just about anywhere - as long as they can breathe, but don't have so much air movement that they dry out between Rinses.
We set our sprouter on our kitchen counter. We don't mind the diffuse sunlight or the 150 watts of incandescent light. Light just does not matter much. A plant can only perform photosynthesis when it has leaves. Until then light has little if any effect, and they need to breathe - so don't hide your sprouts!
On the day your Sprouts are ready to take in light - when their cotyledons (leaves) have shed their hulls or are about to - allow your sprouts light - if you've been keeping it from them. If you grow them - like we do - where light is already available, just watch the magic (it'll take a couple days so you might want to grab a sandwich if you plan on watching every moment @:-)
If you are Growing Grass or Greens you will have kept the light away most likely, so now is the time to uncover them. When you see them growing tall (an inch or so for Grass and 1-2 inches for Greens) but yellow (sans chlorophyll), uncover the container and move it to a well lit location.
Some of the crops we offer can or must be planted on soil or another moisture retaining medium. Click to learn all about planting.
You will find the answer to this question on each and every seed "detail" page. Follow that link, click the seed category (ie - if you're looking for Alfalfa, click Leafy), then click the name of the seed you want to know about (ie - once on the Leafy page, click Alfalfa). You may also use our new (is 2010 still new?) "Back Door" to those same detail pages.
De-hulling is the process of removing hulls (seed coats) from your finished sprouts.
We don't de-hull much. We never bother with Beans, we brush what we can off of our Greens - and since we grow our Leafy sprouts vertically, the hulls fall off naturally as we rinse. The only sprouts we always de-hull are Brassicas.
Before moving your sprouts to that big cool box in your kitchen, they should be dry to the touch. In most cases we let our sprouts sit for 8-12 hours after their final Rinse, and extremely thorough Drain before we refrigerate them, but if our salad spinner can contain them, we use it.
You should thoroughly clean your Sprouter as often as you can. We wash thoroughly with soap and water between crops, or use the dishwasher (if the sprouter can take it). It is always best to have a clean Sprouter - that way your crop will have a head start. You can sterilize your Sprouter too - and you should - especially if you start having crop failures.
It isn't actually a basic element of sprouting, but if you are lucky enough to be on the road, we'll tell you how to keep on sproutin'
+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for great insructors.
This is not your traditional salad though. You know me, loads of fruit is usually involved and of course sprouts! The star green of this salad is sunflower. I added organic celery for some crunch and natural saltiness. The dressing couldn't be easier--2 bananas well blended. Top it off with some sprouted raw buckwheat and you have one amazing salad.
Blueberry and Greens Salad
by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com
2 1/2 C sunflower greens
3 stalks of organic celery, diced
6 oz organic blueberries
2 bananas, blended well
1/3 C sprouted raw buckwheat
Plate the greens and add the diced celery. Sprinkle on the blueberries. In a small blender or food processor, blend the 2 bananas until creamy. Pour banana dressing over the blueberries and garnish with the sprouted buckwheat. Enjoy! Your cells will be smiling!!
Looking for a great tutorial, that's FREE? Here it is. No excuses--I have pasted Sproutpeople's instructions for spouting/growing just about any seed you can think of. He has videos showing you how to sprout. Just click on the type of sprout you'd like to grow down below, and scroll down that specific page a bit and you'll see his instructional video there. Have fun!!
Keep in mind that I learned from them but chose to use recyclable materials for my sprouting vessels. For example my sprouting jars are applesauce jars that I saved and squares cut from leftover screen material act as my "lids" and I attach those with the rubber bands that I keep from Whole Foods--the ones they put on your berry and tomato containers. You do not need to purchase fancy sprouting supplies; use your imagination and safe even more money. In the beginning I used metal food trays for my sprouting trays. Once I felt comfortable sprouting/growing my own greens I upgraded to the standard black trays shown here.
Instructions for Growing Everything: Sproutpeople
This page is here to give you another way to get to the core of Sproutpeople - our Detailed Pages.
Every seed and mix we offer (and some we don't) has such a page. They contain thorough growing instructions, videos, recipes, and much more. If you haven't seen those pages you haven't seen our site. We don't want that (I (Gil) have spent actual years writing this site. I NEED you to see those pages =;-), so here are links to get you to them.
Click the name of the seed or mix you want to grow to go to its detail page.
Click the name of a Sprouter to go to its detail page.
You can get to these same pages by using our menu bar and navigating through our links, but for those of you who like a list - here you go. Unlike much of our site, this page is alphabetically organized.
Bean Sprouts
Adzuki Beans
Beanie's Awesome Mix
Black Turtle Beans
Christmas Present
Garbanzo Beans - Beige -
Large
Garbanzo Beans -
Beige - Small
Garbanzo Beans -
Black
Garbanzo Beans -
Brown
Garbanzoid
Great Beans & Rice
Halloween Treat
Lentil - Black
Lentil - Crimson
Lentil - Eston
Lentil - French Blue
Lentil - Green
Lentil - Orange
Lentil - Pardina
Lentil - Red Chief
Lentil - White
Mung Beans
Mix
#47 - Neville's Midnight Moon
Pea - Bill
Jump
Pea - Green
Pea - Marrowfat
Pea - Speckled
Pea - Yellow
PeaBanzo
Pea Carnival
Peanuts
Peasant Mix
Pinto Beans
San Francisco Mix
Soy Beans
Spring Garden
Brassica Sprouts
Broccoli Sprouts
Cabbage - Green
Cabbage - Red
Hot2
Kale - Red Russian
Long Life Mix
Mustard
Radish
Tatsoi
Critter Crops
4 Legs of Love
Bird Mix - Lil' Bird
Bird Mix - Mid Bird
Bird Mix - Big Bird
Dr. Bird
Kat Grass
Exotic Sprouts
Clem's Choice - Mix #9
Dill
Fenugreek
Garlic
Hot + Sweet
Leek
Mother's Mix
Onion
Sweet Pea
Grain Sprouts
Amber Waves of Grain
Barley Sprouts
Corn - Blue
Corn - Yellow
Kamut
Millet
Oats
Oats and Groats
Rice - Brown
Rice - Red Thai
Rice - Wehani
Rice - Wild
Rye
Spelt
Triticale
Wheat
Grass
Barley Grass
Kat Grass
Oat Grass
Rye Grass
Spelt Grass
Triticale Grass
Wheat Grass
Greens
Buckwheat Lettuce
Mesclun
Mix (a thing of the past)
Nalo
Greens
Pea Shoots
Popcorn Shoots
Spicy Salad Greens
Sunflower Greens
Leafy Sprouts
Alfalfa
Clover
French Garden
Italian Blend
Mother's Mix
Moo Mix
Nick's Hot Sprout Salad
Oriental Greens
Russian Mix
Spicy Mix
Micro-Greens
Arugula
Broccoli Greens
Bruno's Indoor Garden
Cabbage Patch
Celery Greens
Chia
Cress
- Curly
Flax Greens
Garlic Chives
Kale Micros
Leafy Micros
Mizuna
Mustards Greens
Spring Onion
Tatsoi
Turnip Greens
Nuts, Seeds & Pseudograins
Almonds
Amaranth
Buckwheat Groats
Hemp
Madison Market Mix
Peanuts
Pumpkin
Quinoa
Sesame - Black
Sesame - Natural
Sunflower Seeds
Sprouters
Bio-Set
Bio-Salad
Easy Sprout
Hemp Bag
Jar Sprouter
Miniature Garden
SproutMaster 5x6
SproutMaster 8x10
Trays
Tube Sprouter
The Basics of Sprouting:
- Seed Storage: Keeping your dormant seeds happy.
- Soaking: Turning a dormant seed into a nutritional powerhouse.
- Rinsing: Water is the key ingredient in sprouts. Use it liberally.
- Draining: It is essential that sprouts be drained thoroughly after rinsing. Sitting in a puddle is the most common cause of crop failure.
- Air Circulation: If your sprouts can’t breathe while growing - they can die. Don’t put them in a closed cabinet.
- Greening: Photosynthesis is cool, and so is Chlorophyll, but not all sprouts are into it, nor is it necessary. Sprouts of all colors are packed with flavor and nutrition!
- Cleanliness: Your seed should be clean and your sprouting device should be sterile. Wash your sprouter well between crops. Sterilize when necessary.
- Storage: Properly stored, fresh sprouts will keep for up to 6 weeks in your refrigerator but fresher is better. Never refrigerate wet sprouts.
- Eat More Sprouts! Grow More Often!
Here is the link to their website http://sproutpeople.org/sprouts/grow/instructions.html
Welcome to Sproutpeople University!
We call this class Sprouting 101
If you pay attention you will learn the most basic truths of sprouting - according to us Sproutpeople.
The Basics of Sprouting:
- Seed Storage: Keeping your dormant seeds happy.
- Soaking: Turning a dormant seed into a nutritional powerhouse.
- Rinsing: Water is the key ingredient in sprouts. Use it liberally.
- Draining: It is essential that sprouts be drained thoroughly after rinsing. Sitting in a puddle is the most common cause of crop failure.
- Air Circulation: If your sprouts can’t breathe while growing - they can die. Don’t put them in a closed cabinet.
- Greening: Photosynthesis is cool, and so is Chlorophyll, but not all sprouts are into it, nor is it necessary. Sprouts of all colors are packed with flavor and nutrition!
- Cleanliness: Your seed should be clean and your sprouting device should be sterile. Wash your sprouter well between crops. Sterilize when necessary.
- Storage: Properly stored, fresh sprouts will keep for up to 6 weeks in your refrigerator but fresher is better. Never refrigerate wet sprouts.
- Eat More Sprouts! Grow More Often!
Click the links below for a thorough education, in each area of study.
Seed Storage
Dormant seeds can last for centuries - or weeks. Learn what you can do to keep them viable for as long as possible.
Seed Prep
Though it is not always necessary, it is always a good idea to Prep your seeds before you Soak them.
Soaking
Dry seeds are dormant.
Soaking a seed ends it's dormancy and begins a new life.
In nature this seed will make a plant which can, in turn make seeds, which can in turn make more plants, which can make More Seeds which make More Plants and more and More and MORE!
We eat all this potential. Its no wonder sprouts are SO nutritious!
REMEMBER: Once a seed has soaked up it's fill of water, it is Alive! It is now a nutritional phenomenon, with its own enzymes - it will take nothing but will only add to your body. We are used to sprouts having tails, but they don't have to. You can eat any soaked seed and know that you are giving your body an amazing nutritional gift.
Rinsing
Given proper moisture a seed will germinate.
Rinsing is the process by which we add moisture to our sprouts. Draining is the process by which we regulate the amount of moisture our sprouts have available - until their next Rinse.
The Sproutpeople's Principals of Rinsing:
Use cool water (60-70°F)
Use a lot of water
Use high pressure water whenever possible.
Rinse 2-3 times daily.
Draining
The Sproutpeople's Principals of Draining:
Drain as much of the Rinse water
out of your sprouts
as is humanly possible.
Be Thorough!
Air Circulation
In between Rinse and Drain cycles your sprouts do their growing. During that time it is essential that they can breathe. The best sprouting devices help them breathe, but you need to pay some attention too. There isn't much to it - sprouts can grow just about anywhere - as long as they can breathe, but don't have so much air movement that they dry out between Rinses.
We set our sprouter on our kitchen counter. We don't mind the diffuse sunlight or the 150 watts of incandescent light. Light just does not matter much. A plant can only perform photosynthesis when it has leaves. Until then light has little if any effect, and they need to breathe - so don't hide your sprouts!
Greening
On the day your Sprouts are ready to take in light - when their cotyledons (leaves) have shed their hulls or are about to - allow your sprouts light - if you've been keeping it from them. If you grow them - like we do - where light is already available, just watch the magic (it'll take a couple days so you might want to grab a sandwich if you plan on watching every moment @:-)
If you are Growing Grass or Greens you will have kept the light away most likely, so now is the time to uncover them. When you see them growing tall (an inch or so for Grass and 1-2 inches for Greens) but yellow (sans chlorophyll), uncover the container and move it to a well lit location.
Planting
Some of the crops we offer can or must be planted on soil or another moisture retaining medium. Click to learn all about planting.
When Are They Done?
You will find the answer to this question on each and every seed "detail" page. Follow that link, click the seed category (ie - if you're looking for Alfalfa, click Leafy), then click the name of the seed you want to know about (ie - once on the Leafy page, click Alfalfa). You may also use our new (is 2010 still new?) "Back Door" to those same detail pages.
De-Hulling
De-hulling is the process of removing hulls (seed coats) from your finished sprouts.
We don't de-hull much. We never bother with Beans, we brush what we can off of our Greens - and since we grow our Leafy sprouts vertically, the hulls fall off naturally as we rinse. The only sprouts we always de-hull are Brassicas.
Storing your Harvest
Before moving your sprouts to that big cool box in your kitchen, they should be dry to the touch. In most cases we let our sprouts sit for 8-12 hours after their final Rinse, and extremely thorough Drain before we refrigerate them, but if our salad spinner can contain them, we use it.
Sprouter Cleanliness
You should thoroughly clean your Sprouter as often as you can. We wash thoroughly with soap and water between crops, or use the dishwasher (if the sprouter can take it). It is always best to have a clean Sprouter - that way your crop will have a head start. You can sterilize your Sprouter too - and you should - especially if you start having crop failures.
Travel Sprouting
It isn't actually a basic element of sprouting, but if you are lucky enough to be on the road, we'll tell you how to keep on sproutin'
+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for great insructors.
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