[Reality Czech]

With just a quart mason jar with a screen lid, and 1 week of time, one can grow fresh sprouts.
I've been doing it for years and my favorite is alfalfa sprouts.
Broccoli is a close second.
To start:
1. Measure one tablespoon of alfalfa seed in a qt canning,soak seeds in water overnight.
2. Drain, rinse and drain again,.....place jar in dark place.
3. Wash and rinse a couple of time a day till they are about 1" long.(pic #1)
Discard the unsprouted seeds and hulls that usually settle to the bottom.
4. I transfer the sprouts to one of those plastic clamshells that strawberries come in, which makes them easier to rinse and drain.
5. After 2 to 3 days the sprouts are big enough to start giving them light,...move them to a window with indirect light.(pic #2)
6. One day of light and the tops will turn green and are ready to eat or store in the refridge.(pic #3)
To me they are very good in any sandwich.
Here's a link where I buy the seed:
https://www.vermontbean.com/vbsite/vbsiteviewproduct.aspx?ProductID=7332

 

[Per Ardua]

Just the seeds and water? Nothing else? That is really cool. I am going to have to give this a try.

Thanks,
-Per.

 

[Reality Czech]

Just plain water.
I have well water here, but I have grown them with city water(clorine).
They seem to do best at temps above 60,....which is not a problem down here.
That 1/4 lb of seed will make alot of sprouts for under $4.

 

[kev]

Man, that is really cool.

 

[Kenno]

yeah sprouts are great, full of nutrients. In South Kali everyone eats sprouts even in tacos!

 

[Greta]

I am going to try some sprouts. I have some sprouting seeds that I ordered from Emergency Essentials so I thought I would give it a try. I plan on trying the jar method and also use a sprouting kit to see which one works the best.

 

[Greta]

edible sprouts

From the book Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook written by James Talmage Stevens, here are a couple of things NOT to do.

1) Don't sprout seeds intended for agricultural use. They are generally treated with poisonous insecticides and may not be safe for human consumption.

2) Don't sprout tomato or potato seeds-they are generally poisonous to humans.

 

[shawn]

I've been wondering how to do that. THanks for the idea.

 

[riverrat]

I love sprouts in salads or sandwiches. Good source of vitamins when vegetables are not available. I really should add seeds for sprouting to my preps.

 

[Greta]

Apparently, there are many different methods for growing sprouts. This seems pretty simple so it's not rocket science. I am starting to think there is a "how to" video for just about everything on YouTube.

 

[230gr]

If you ever need to sprout seed in quantity, you can adapt the old method farmers us for their livestock. Simply place a half full bag of seed in a cloth bag and immerse and soak it in water as you would any other sprout. The drain it and hang it up to aerate. Repeat the dip and hang cycle until that are long enough for use. Occasionally, you should remix the sprouting in the bag to prevent fermenting and spoiling. Farmers usually use old feed bags but I use nylon fermentation bags sold for wine or beer making. They come in big and small sizes, won’t rot and are easy to clean. Your sprouts do not get green and bitter as quickly either. They are good for making small quantities of malted grains too, for beer or extracting your own malt sweeteners when you run out of sugar.

 

[Greta]

I have sprouts! I tried wheat and alfalfa so far. Now what to do with the sprouts? I am making some lentil soup in the crock-pot so I guess I can try the wheat sprouts in the soup. The alfalfa, I haven't decided what to do with it yet, maybe on salad or something...

 

[shawn]

I have sprouts! I tried wheat and alfalfa so far. Now what to do with the sprouts? I am making some lentil soup in the crock-pot so I guess I can try the wheat sprouts in the soup. The alfalfa, I haven't decided what to do with it yet, maybe on salad or something...

Tacos, sandwiches, taco salads. I think Koreans use them in just about everything.

 

[230gr]

wheat sprouts- long green sprouts get bitter but many blend them up for a health drink or baked into bread. Barely sprouted, they are malted and the starches are turned malt sugars. Good for wheat beers.

alfalfa sprouts- very good as a salad green or use in place of lettuce in tacos, sandwiches, etc.

lentil & bean sprouts- soup, stir fry, wanton filling

 

[Sandman]

Sprouts are an important part of my gear. I have several sprouting bags in my BOB and several types of seeds. It will take 4 days or so to get them going but it can keep healthy long after the mres and ramen are gone and are way healthier. Some seeds have a 7.1 ratio ( for every ounce of seeds you soak you get 7 ounces of sprouts.) So they are ideal food for light travel. I can now cary weeks of food instead of days in a small backpack with plenty of room to spare for other gear. I stocked up on as many different seeds as possible and canned the ones I didnt put right in my kit. Sealed in mason jars they can last many years. Look for dill,fenegreek, mung beans (the sprouts you see in most chinese food), cress, mustard, and lots of beans. Make sure you get the organic hippie kind. No chemicals. Long term exposure to even comon seemingly harmless stuff can affect the seeds ability to sprout as well as contaminating your food.


Sprout Basics

Seed to Sprout in 1-14 Days
Yield = 1.5:1 minimum, 8.5:1 maximum
Seed Shelf Life at 70° = 1-10 years
Sprout Shelf Life = 1-6 weeks

Nutritional info:
Vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K
Calcium, Carbohydrates, Chlorophyll, Iron, Magnesium, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc
All Amino Acids
Trace Elements
Protein: up to 35%

This is where I bought allot of my seeds. I have made my own sprouting bags out of hemp fabric that is somewhat similar to burlap. They sell them as well but for something like $9 for a small burlap bag. I just couldn't bring my self to pay it.
http://www.sproutpeople.com/seeds.html