Sprouting Seeds Like a Pro

!±8± Sprouting Seeds Like a Pro

During our recent skill set seminar in Philadelphia they covered the topic of sprouting seeds. The presenter was very knowledgeable on the issue and I thought I would pass on some of the information which I gained for my readers benefit. Sprouting seeds is a fairly straight forward and simple process. It takes very little of your time and the end result can provide a tasty new treat for your evening salad or your favorite bowl of soup.

The primary task before you is to select a suitable seed to sprout. You have a rather vast choice in this selection, ranging from just about all bean varieties including the popular mung Bean, various grains, an assortment of leafy sprouts such as Alfalfa or Clover, the brassicas, such as Broccoli, Cabbage, Mustard and the ever popular Radish seeds. You can even go a little crazy and do some of the more exotic sprouts such as Garlic, Fenugreek or Onion. Although they may be especially sensitive to the rinsing and draining phase they could be well worth the efforts expended. Lastly, you have the various nuts and pseudo-grains. Almonds, Peanuts, Sunflower and Pumpkin do not like the high humidity and will likely not do well while the small seeds of the Quinoa and Amaranth may be drowned in the water which means you must manually drain these seeds if you wish to grow them.

After purchasing the seeds it is important to remember that proper storage is essential in order to maximize the seeds ability to germinate. These dormant beans, grains and seeds should be stored in a cool, dry, dark location with temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees. The humidity should never exceed 70 percent keeping in mind that the lower humidity is frequently the most desired.

You can generally extend the life of your seeds to their maximum potential by freezing them. This will increase their life span by 4 to 5 times it's usually amount of time. By merely placing them in your kitchen refrigerator you can double their useful span of life. In either case, you will want to avoid any sort of condensation as it would be detrimental to your seeds well-being.

Now, after selecting the seeds which you wish to sprout you will need to prep them. This step is not completely necessary but does help "kick start" the seeds. As you rinse them off cull through them carefully and remove any non-seed pebbles and scrapes. Look for damaged seeds and immediately discard them. Although many of the small seeds may be too small to cull you will discover that anything larger than a radish seed should be inspected for any strange plant parts, pebbles, broken conditions or for weed seeds.

The next step in our procession is the seed soaking phase. Since all your dry seeds exist is a dormant state the act of soaking ends the seeds dormancy and triggers its life cycle. Usually if it is left to the seeds own accord it will develop a young plant which continues the life process of seed-plant-seed relationship.

Different seeds will naturally soak up different amounts of water. A general rule of thumb would be to mix 2 to 3 parts of water to 1 part of seed. The seeds will absorb much of the water as they are soaking in it. You can not provide too much water for the soaking process as the seeds will absorb only the amount of water which they require. You will notice that I stated you can not use too much water however, you can soak the seeds for too long of a period of time. This time will vary with the seeds and will usually appear in the seed sprouting instructions. The duration of soaking varies from 8 to 12 hours normally however, in some cases only a period of 20 minutes is necessary. Check the seed information provided with your sprouting seeds to be certain.

You will want to mix up your seeds with either your hands or a small wooden paddle in order to ensure an even water coverage. You will find from experience that some seeds such as alfalfa, broccoli or clover can be adequately covered with water and still fail to properly soak up the liquid. By prepping your seeds you will avoid this problem.

After you have completed the soaking proceed to skim off any of the residue or non-seeds which may be floating on the top of the water. Push slightly upon any floating seeds and note if they sink or not. If they fail to sink they should be discarded.

Rinsing is an important process in your sprouting adventure. Remember you are going to eat this product when it is complete. Draining represents a means of regulating the amount of moisture which our sprouts will have available. Rinsing will occur on a regular basis in order to restore this moisture to the seeds. It is generally best to rinse your sprouts over a sink by hand. Use water which has a cool temperature of 60 to 70 degrees and don't spare it, use plenty of it. If you have the capability to use high pressure on your sprouts you should do so. Rinsing should take place 2 or 3 times per day. Drain your sprouts well after rinsing them as it is easy to lose your crop if left sitting in a puddle of water. They do not like wet feet! Another important factor for successful sprouting is air circulation. Like humans, if sprouts can't breathe as they growing they will simply die. Never place them in a closed cabinet but let them enjoy their life on your kitchen countertop.

Its now time to enjoy the labors of your work but remember as you progress between one crop and another its essential to keep your equipment clean and sterile. Wash your sprouting tray well between various crops using one tablespoon of bleach to a pint of water.

You can store your sprouts in the refrigerator for as much as 6 weeks but don't try to store wet sprouts. I hope you enjoyed this article on sprouts and found it useful.

Copyright @2011 Joseph Parish
http://www.survival-training.info

Sprouting Seeds Like a Pro

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Certified Organic Quinoa Grain Sprouting Seeds - Sprouts, Cereal, More - 35 Lbs

!±8± Certified Organic Quinoa Grain Sprouting Seeds - Sprouts, Cereal, More - 35 Lbs

Rate : | Price : | Post Date : Nov 14, 2011 06:15:40
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Quinoa seeds were a staple food source in South America for 6000 years. Quinoa is a psuedo grain, in that it is not a grass like most grains. Quinoa is excellent an source of vitamins and essential amino acids and contain no gluten. Quinoa sprouts are the only spout to contain all essential amino acids for humans. Quinoa seeds can be eaten raw or sprouted, when ground into gluten free flour for baking. Quinoa makes a great breakfast cereal alone or can be added to oatmeal. Quinoa sprouts are the fastest growing sprout needing only to be soaked for about half an hour, and typically begin to sprout within hours. Quinoa sprouts are beautiful and delicious. Best when less than a day and a half sprouted as they retain their crunchy texture and flavor. Longer growth changes the consistency to a much softer sprout. High germination rate. Resealable bucket.

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Sprouting - The Why, What and How to Do it Successfully!

!±8± Sprouting - The Why, What and How to Do it Successfully!

One of the most popular modules on my Raw Food Classes is undoubtedly the sprouting teach-in.

Whether I am lucky, have unrecognized green fingers or what, I do not know, but it seems that many people have struggled and continue to struggle with sprouting seeds, beans, pulses and grains successfully, and after a couple of failed attempts tend to throw in the towel and write the whole idea off.

Nooooo!

Don't do it!

Sprouting absolutely has to be one of the very most important raw food "tools" you need to have in your toolbox if you want to be as lithe, gorgeous and energy-filled as you can possibly be (my already abundant energy probably doubles when I bring sprouts into my daily diet). There's a LOT to be said for these apparently "insignificant" little creatures, and to ignore or exclude them from your diet is, in my humble opinion, one of the biggest mistakes you can possibly make.

So in my bid to have you sprouting successfully all over your kitchen, here follows my fool-proof guide to sprouting using my own personal favourite method, the jar.

What is sprouting?

Sprouting is an alternative term for germinating, although the sprouting process goes a little beyond basic germination and results in a partially grown or young plant. In a raw food kitchen we're looking specifically at the sprouting of a nut, seed, bean or grain in order to render it edible or more easily digestible. Nuts do not need to be sprouted to make them edible, nor do some seeds but both benefit from soaking and sprouting as they become more easily digestible and juicier as a result. Other seeds, i.e. those that are supposed to be sprouted, plus all beans, pulses and legumes (with the exception of peanuts) need to be sprouted if they are to be eaten raw. Kidney beans should never be eaten raw and should be avoided. Grains should also be soaked and sprouted, although dry oats are an exception and can be milled down and used to make cookies successfully without being sprouted first. The sprouting process begins in water in your very own kitchen.

Why sprout?

When a seed, bean, nut or grain is soaked in water for a period of time, the plant's enzyme inhibitors are removed. These enzyme inhibitors prevent a plant from germinating unless the right conditions for growth are met, and so once the seed comes into contact with water and the enzyme inhibitors are washed away the germination process begins. This process sets into action a whole chain of reactions enabling the plant to grow at a rapid rate. As it does so the vitamin content increases dramatically, to the point where the sprouted seed can contain hundreds or thousands times more vitamins than it did previously, and the protein, carbohydrates and fats begin to break down into a pre-digested form making for easier and better digestion and assimilation overall. The enzyme content of each seed, been, nut or grain also sky rockets making sprouts one of the most enzyme-rich (i.e. live) foods on the planet.

What do I need to sprout?

You don't need any fancy equipment to get sprouting, although there are many pieces of equipment available to help you such as jars, trays, bags and even automatic sprouting kits. To get started you'll need some seeds or beans for sprouting, a container to sprout them in such as a jam jar, and something to drain the water through, like a sieve or some netting or muslin secured around the top of the jar.

Best ways to get sprouting

Sprouting is actually very easy, but some seeds and beans tend to sprout more easily than others. The easiest ones tend to be mung, lentil, fenugreek, chickpea (garbanzo) and quinoa. These are all quick to grow (quinoa takes just 24 hours, the others take 2- 3 days on average) and mastering the sprouting of these will help you get more confident about sprouting other seeds and beans that take longer to grow or are slightly more tricky.

How to sprout

NB: In the text that follows, when I refer to a 'seed' this applies to beans, nuts and grains equally.

Jar method

1) Make sure your chosen jar is clean and oil-free, and pour in a handful or two of your chosen seed (which are dry at this point). Use just one type of seed per jar at this stage while you are still learning.

2) Pour in some clean water (ideally not conventional tap water) until the seeds are covered by at least an extra inch. If you are sprouting beans which are fairly large, such as chickpeas (garbanzos) or aduki beans, make sure the water covers them by an extra 2 inches so that they have more water to soak up. This will be necessary as they have a much larger surface area than the small seeds.

3) Cover your jar with a mesh lid of some kind. As mentioned earlier, this can be as basic as a piece of netting or you can use a jar with a mesh lid already integral to it. All that matters here is that nothing can get into the jar, except air which is a must.

4) Leave the jar overnight or for 4-8 hours during the day so that the seeds have time to soak up the water. This is the beginning of the sprouting process. Different books suggest different time frames for different seeds but I have always found that a minimum of 4 hours works very well for any seed or bean I have tried, 8 hours certainly won't hurt and in fact is generally better for the larger beans.

5) At the end of the soaking period, drain off the water. When all the water has drained off, rinse the contents of your jar thoroughly making sure that the water is running completely clean. Drain once more. Make sure that all the water has been drained, otherwise your sprouts will rot before they grow. This is really important, and where most people go wrong. They just don't drain properly. A good way to make sure that all residual water has gone is to stand your jar upside down for a while, or rest it at an angle on a sprouting stand or in a standard kitchen draining rack. It may also be worth giving it a gentle shake to free up any remaining water.

6) When fully drained, leave your jar to stand, either way up, on a kitchen counter or somewhere where the jar will be undisturbed. It doesn't matter too much whether the jar is in light or dark at this stage, although direct sunlight is best avoided.

7) If it is a warm time of year, rinse your sprouts twice daily as they will become more easily dehydrated; if it is colder, once will usually be enough. Be sure to drain well after each rinse.

8) Continue the rinsing and draining each day until your sprouts are ready to eat.

And that's all there is to it! Fresh sprouts of all shapes and sizes will be yours in 1 - 5 days depending on which ones you choose.

How do I know when to eat them?

A good rule of thumb is that in the case of sprouting seeds, such as cress, broccoli, alfalfa and so on they will be long and green and simply look ready. This may sound overly simplistic, but it's really that simple. Think about how shop-bought cress looks and use that as a guideline. The exceptions here are sesame, sunflower (hulled), and pumpkin which may swell up but should not be left to grow beyond a day or two. Sunflower seeds will develop tips and may split to form a 'Y' shape, but sesame and pumpkin seeds will simply look slightly plumper.

Nuts, like sesame and pumpkin seeds, really only need soaking. Nuts do not benefit from them literally sprouting (unless you are trying to grow a tree!) as nuts are best eaten simply re hydrated which is what soaking achieves. Nuts are best soaked for between 4 and 8 hours.

In the case of beans and grains these should be sprouted. The ideal sprout will be approximately the same length as the original bean/grain, or a bit shorter. If they grow too long or develop leaves they will taste bitter and should not be eaten, if they're too short (a day old) they are often still too young and quite bland and starchy tasting, so more difficult to digest and generally unappetizing. Two to three days is the usual time taken to grow a perfect bean or grain sprout.

Finally, yes, you do eat the whole sprout - seed and tail together!

Sprouting - The Why, What and How to Do it Successfully!

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