Why You Should Grow Sprouts
For me, seeing little sprouts of green is a promise of hope, of new things to come. Eating living foods such as sprouts is another indicator of my level of health. I love sprouts and had been unable to eat them for years. Adding them to my diet brings me to another level of health. Sprouts are an amazing superfood; they have a very nutrient dense content, are easy to grow and are actually more economical than you may think. Initially you may find the price per pound of seeds a little steep so it’s important to keep in mind that in general sprouting seeds can generate a 1:5 ratio of food. You will also enjoy the satisfaction of growing something yourself, that is free of herbicides and pesticides and full of flavor.
Some Advantages to Sprouts:
- You can grow sprouts just about anywhere.
- Sprouts can be grown year round.
- Due to the high amount of enzymes in sprouts, they are easy to digest.
- Sprouts are alkalizing to your body.
According to an article “How to Grow Food in Your Own Small Spaces” on Dr. Mercola’s site:
- Sprouts contain up to 30 times the nutrition of organic vegetables.
- Sprouts allow your body to extract more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential nutrients from the foods you eat.
- During sprouting, minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, bind to protein, making them more bioavailable.
- The quality of the protein and the fiber content of beans, nuts, seeds, and grains improve when sprouted.
Sprouts in general have the following attributes:
- Support for cell regeneration
- Powerful sources of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and enzymes that protect against free radical damage
- Abundantly rich in oxygen, which can also help protect against abnormal cell growth, viruses and bacteria that cannot survive in an oxygen-rich environment
How does Your Garden Grow? Quite simply actually…. given moisture a seed will germinate and sprout.
- Decide what your growing medium is a jar, a sprouting box, soil, etc. 2. Place desired amount of seed/ grain in a bowl with 3 times as much cool water. 3. Allow to soak overnight. 4. Rinse and drain, place seeds/grain in your sprouting tray. Rinse and drain 2-3x daily or as recommended on packaging. 5. Set your sprouter anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal) between rinses. Always be sure to drain very thoroughly. The most common cause of inferior sprouts is inadequate drainage. 6. Don’t forget to green your sprouts if needed. If you’ve been keeping them away from light, move them 7. Your sprouts are done 8-12 hours after your final Rinse. Let sprouts dry a bit, before refrigerating them. If you minimize the surface moisture of the sprouts they store much better in refrigerator.
For sprouting instructions for various seeds and grains check out: http://sproutpeople.org/growing-sprouts/sprouting-instructions/
Happy Sprouting!
The reason I love these trays is that each tray has a divider, so I have the option of growing two varieties of sprouts in each tray. Which means a set of trays can grow 6 different types of sprouts!
References:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/23/edible-garden.aspx
