Sprouting

Sprouting is one of the easiest ways to grow
fresh vegetables for e a t i n g s both in and out of
season. While mung bean sprouts have long been
familiar in Chinese cooking, alfalfa and other sprouts
have become equally well-known in recent years.
More and more ingenious and health-conscious
cooks are adding a variety of sprouts to salads,
sandwiches, soups, and other dishes — for both the
crunch and the nutrition. Sprouts are bursting with
nutrients, and certain vitamins even increase when
seeds are sprouted — up to 600 percent.
And sprouts are economical, too — from a single
pound of seeds, you can produce from six to eight
pounds of sprouts. All you have to do is add a little
moisture and a little warmth to the seeds, set them in a
dark place, then sit back and watch your garden
grow in just a few day's time.
It's fun to have several jars of sprouts going at
once, so you'll always have variety as well as a good
supply. For example, put a couple of tablespoons of
alfalfa seeds in one jar, a cup of wheat or rye berries in
another, and a half cup or so of lentils in a third jar.
Alfalfa takes about five days to reach just the right
stage for eating, but your wheat sprouts will be
ready by the end of the second day. It's a fast, easy,
and very rewarding way to enjoy vegetables — both
the ones you grow yourself and the ones you don't.
BASIC SPROUTING EQUIPMENT
All you need to sprout seeds is a jar, some
cheesecloth, plastic mesh, or plastic screen to cover
the jar, and a rubber band to hold it in place. But
you can also sprout seeds on a tray, on damp towels, in
a clay flowerpot saucer, or in a thin layer of soil. You
may also want to try the ready-made sprouters that are
available in large department stores and health
food stores. For example, you can buy mesh trays or
sprouting lids made of plastic mesh that fit on
standard one-quart canning jars. It's a good idea to try
various methods to find ones that are most
convenient and work best for you.
BASIC INGREDIENTS
You can sprout all kinds of seeds, legumes, and
grains. Try wheat, rye, alfalfa, mung beans, chick peas,
soybeans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, or any of
the other sprouting seeds, grains, and vegetables
suggested in "Directions for Sprouting," later in
this chapter. Only one thing is essential — when
buying seeds for sprouting, always check to be sure
you're getting live, untreated seed. Seeds that are
intended to grow crops are specially treated to
make them resistant to insects and plant
diseases — and you shouldn't eat sprouts started
from these chemically treated seeds.
You also can't sprout seeds that have been heattreated,
because even relatively low temperatures kill
the seeds, leaving them edible but no longer
capable of growth. For this reason, if you're growing
beans, peas, or other vegetables for sprouting, be
sure to use the drying method recommended for this
purpose. Seeds dried by blanching, chilling, and
heating will not sprout.
The only other ingredient you'll need for
sprouting is water. Some experts recommend that you
let city water (which may be high in chlorine) sit for
a day or two before you use it, in order to let the
chlorine dissipate into the air. When sprouting
seeds, use lukewarm or room-temperature water,
rather than cold or hot.