Longing for the fresh taste of spring? Getting tired of the same old, same old? Well, sprouts have the taste of spring and can always be in season -- plus you can grow your own! I always keep a batch of alfalfa sprouts on hand to perk up salads and to add fresh spark to sandwiches, pockets, or sandwich roll-ups. Who needs lettuce? Sprouts always fill the bill! You can sprout just about anything, although I have to admit, that I have fallen into the habit of always keeping alfalfa sprouts on hand. Radish or broccoli sprouts add a subtle spicy zing, bean sprouts are a good standby for stir fries and wheat berry or lentil sprouts add extra texture and flavor to yeast breads, but are also great in salads too. Sprouts are flavorful, extremely nutritious and an excellent way to boost your fiber intake while adding no calories! It's a no-lose proposition! In the picture you can see my pottery sprouter -- it was made for me by my sister-in-law when she used to be a potter -- it's about 30+ years old now! There are holes on the bottom to let the water drain through. I like the character the pottery sprouter adds to my kitchen, but you can sprout in any canning jar -- just get some netting or screening or anything that you can put over the mouth of the jar and then secure with a canning lid ring. Or you could punch a bunch of holes in a canning lid and then secure with the ring.
In order to make the sprouts, you need to get good quality sprouting seeds -- I buy them in bulk from our co-op (Frontier Natural Products Co-op brand). Just don't use regular garden seeds, unless you are sure they aren't coated with anything. Use mung beans for making bean sprouts -- again, these can be purchased from Frontier Natural Products Co-op. You can order them on-line at http://www.frontiercoop.com/prodlist.php?ct=dfmss. All you do is soak about 2 tablespoons of sprouting seeds in a cup of water for about 10-12 hours or overnight. Then you rinse them and put them in your sprouter. Rinse the seeds about 3-4 times a day with water until they are sprouted. This can take about 4-5 days or more. When fully sprouted, rinse them off thoroughly and put in a container and store in the fridge. 2 tablespoons of alfalfa seeds makes about a quart of sprouts. They are best when they are used right away, but they will keep in the fridge for a while. I generally put them in a zip-loc bag or some kind of produce bag and then in my fridge. You don't want them to dry out, so make sure they get rinsed periodically -- unless you have them in a zip-loc bag and then you will want to rinse them and drain them thoroughly, or they will rot. Sprouts are easy and a great way to keep that spring freshness in your diet, even in the middle of winter!
In order to make the sprouts, you need to get good quality sprouting seeds -- I buy them in bulk from our co-op (Frontier Natural Products Co-op brand). Just don't use regular garden seeds, unless you are sure they aren't coated with anything. Use mung beans for making bean sprouts -- again, these can be purchased from Frontier Natural Products Co-op. You can order them on-line at http://www.frontiercoop.com/prodlist.php?ct=dfmss. All you do is soak about 2 tablespoons of sprouting seeds in a cup of water for about 10-12 hours or overnight. Then you rinse them and put them in your sprouter. Rinse the seeds about 3-4 times a day with water until they are sprouted. This can take about 4-5 days or more. When fully sprouted, rinse them off thoroughly and put in a container and store in the fridge. 2 tablespoons of alfalfa seeds makes about a quart of sprouts. They are best when they are used right away, but they will keep in the fridge for a while. I generally put them in a zip-loc bag or some kind of produce bag and then in my fridge. You don't want them to dry out, so make sure they get rinsed periodically -- unless you have them in a zip-loc bag and then you will want to rinse them and drain them thoroughly, or they will rot. Sprouts are easy and a great way to keep that spring freshness in your diet, even in the middle of winter!
No comments:
Post a Comment