How to Grow Sprouts at Home for Low Cost Nutritious Meals

How to Grow Sprouts at Home for Low Cost Nutritious Meals

Sprouting at home is a simple way to lower your food costs, increase the amount of raw food in your diet, and be assured that the sprouts you eat are safe.

Sprouting seeds to eat is a skill you can learn quickly, and a sprout garden takes very little time to maintain. All the sprouting supplies you need can be had for free or for a minimal investment. In no time at all, you’ll be enjoying the crunchy goodness of homegrown sprouts with every meal!

Why should you sprout?

When a seed starts to sprout, the qualities of the nutrients begin to change – complex compounds such as carbohydrates begin to break down into simple sugars, proteins break down into amino acids, and the fats into fatty acids. Enzyme inhibitors that enable a seed to remain inert yet viable for years are neutralized by sprouting, and the enzyme and vitamin content is increased, most notably the B vitamins.

A sprouting seed is transformed from a long-term storage unit for starches into a living plant full of digestive enzymes, amino acids, and simple sugars. The nutrient content increases up to 1200% after sprouting, and your body can readily assimilate the organic compounds in the sprouts. As the sprouts turn green with exposure to light, chlorophyll is developed in these baby plant sprouts, making them a superfood packed with nutrition.

Ready to get started sprouting?

What you’ll need to sprout at home:

cheesecloth or stainless steel screen
quart sized mason jars
a tray to stand the sprouting jars in
rubber bands or a canning ring to hold the cheesecloth or screen in place
a selection of seeds, beans, or grains (organically grown if possible)
a cupboard or corner of your counter out of direct sunlight
5 to 10 minutes each day to care for your sprouts

How to Grow Sprouts:

Fill a jar with water (filtered or spring water is preferable). For alfalfa, clover, or other small seeds, put two tablespoons of seeds in the jar and let soak in the water for 8 hours. Beginning the soaking process at night develops an easy rhythm for daily maintenance, checking them in the evening and again in the morning.

After the soaking time is up (in the morning, if started at night), empty the water out and rinse the seeds with fresh water (I like to rinse at least twice each time). Cover the mouth of the jar with a square of cheesecloth or sprouting screen and set the jar upside down in a tray or bowl (to catch any water that will drain out). I always lean the jar against something at an angle to ensure a flow of fresh air to the sprouting seeds.

Rinse the sprouts every 8 to 12 hours by filling the jars part way with water and then draining them thoroughly. The water from soaking and rinsing the sprouts is great for houseplants, gardens, or your compost pile. When the sprouts have reached the size you prefer for eating, rinse them thoroughly and place in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat them. They will keep just fine for a couple of days (up to a week).

Most sprouts are edible as soon as you see a tail (the root) emerging from the seed, but you can let them grow as long as you want. Alfalfa and clover will fill the jar so completely that you’ll have a hard time getting them out, so don’t let them go too far.

Soaking times and amounts of seeds for sprouting in a quart jar:

Alfalfa seeds: Soak 2 Tbs for 4 to 8 hours
Clover seeds: Soak 2 Tbs for 4 to 8 hours
Broccoli seeds: Soak 2 Tbs for 8 to 12 hours
Whole lentils: Soak 1 cup for 8 to 12 hours, then eat
Fenugreek seeds: Soak 1/4 cup for 4 to 8 hours
Radish seeds: Soak 3 Tbs for 4 to 8 hours
Raw hulled sunflower seeds: Soak 1 cup for 6 to 8 hours, then eat
Chia seeds: Soak 1 cup for 6 to 8 hours, then eat
Sesame seeds: Soak 1 cup for 6 to 8 hours, then eat
Wheat berries: Soak 1 cup whole wheat berries for 8 to 12 hours
Rye berries: Soak 1 cup whole rye berries for 8 to 12 hours

Many seeds and nuts may be soaked and then eaten without fully sprouting them. One of my favorites is sunflower seed milk, made by blending soaked and rinsed raw sunflower seeds with water until it has the consistency of milk. Honey or maple syrup may be added for a sweetened version. Using the same method of blending the seeds, but only adding a little water, you end up with a base for dips and spreads which taste great with chopped fresh veggies and herbs.

For the more adventurous, fill seed-starting trays with soil and grow sunflower greens and buckwheat “lettuce” in them. Any shallow container with drainage will work, as will regular garden pots.

Use raw sunflower seeds (in the shell) and unhulled buckwheat, soaking 1 cup of seeds for each tray for 8 to 12 hours. Spread the seeds evenly over the soil and cover with a little extra soil. Water well, cover with newspaper or a plastic bag, and put the tray in a spot that stays at room temperature and is fairly dark. Be sure to give them a daily watering, but don’t keep the soil soggy.

After a couple of days, take off the covering and let the sprouts get some sunlight. Continue to grow them in the tray until they’re 4 to 6 inches in length. When it’s time to harvest some for lunch, simply cut the sprouts near soil level, rinse, and enjoy! If you cut more than you can eat, the sprouts will stay fresh in the refrigerator just like any greens.

Kids really dig having these baby green sprouts around, and by making tiny trays out of whatever small containers you have, they can grow their own sprout gardens. Engaging them in the process of soaking, rinsing, growing and eating sprouts gives them a real sense of cooperation and being in the rhythm with nature.

Sprouting is also a great learning activity for unschooling and homeschooling families. The amazing transformation that takes place to change those tiny seeds into living green food is inspiring. Nature’s wisdom is contained in each and every one of them, and yet our great god science cannot manufacture a single seed.

How to Grow Sprouts

By an eHow Contributor

You can sprout any whole grain, seed, nut or legume that has not been processed or cooked. Sprouts provide a good source of vitamin C, calcium and minerals.

Things You'll Need:

Distilled Water
Cheesecloth

Clean a quart jar.
Wash untreated seed with water.
Place 2 tbsp. small seeds or 1/2 c. large beans or grains in the quart jar.
Cover the seeds with water three to four times their volume.
Soak the seeds for 2 to 8 hours. Soak smaller seeds for a shorter time; larger seeds, longer.
Place a piece of cheesecloth over the jar opening and secure it with a rubber band or the jar ring.
Drain the seeds, and rinse well with lukewarm water.
Place the jar at an angle for 30 minutes to let the water drain out completely. Excess water causes souring.
Roll the jar to let seeds coat the sides.
Store the jar in a warm (about 70 degrees F), dark place.
Rinse the seeds with lukewarm water two to four times a day.
Drain well and return to the warm, dark place.
Wash sprouts in cool water and drain.
Harvest sprouts anytime after the shoots appear, up until the secondary leaves appear.
Store in the refrigerator.

Tips & Warnings

Sprouting times are approximately two to three days for wheat, all beans, rye, oats, rice, sunflower, lentil and buckwheat; four to five days for alfalfa, radish, clover and cabbage.
Sprouts stay fresh up to a week and then can be dehydrated.
Tomato and potato are not edible as sprouts.
Keeping seeds or sprouts too wet will cause spoilage.

How to Grow Sprouts

Grow sprouts for economical nutrition

Sprouts not only taste good, but they are also a great source of vitamins, fiber, protein, anti-oxidants, and enzymes.

A sprout is produced when a seed starts growing into a vegetable. Sprouts can grow from the seeds of vegetables, from grains such as buckwheat, and from beans. While Mung beans are perhaps the most familiar of the bean sprouts, you can also get good results from lentils, soybeans and chickpeas (garbanzos), just to name a few.

Sprouts can be grown almost anywhere and the best part is you only need a few basic supplies to get started. By following a few simple steps, you can receive a continual supply of nutritious sprouts.

While there are several commercial products available to cultivate sprouts, here are a couple of the easiest methods to help you get started.

Growing Sprouts in a Jar

1) Put about 1 tablespoon of alfalfa or clover seeds, or 4 tablespoons of beans or large seeds - removing any that are broken or damaged - in a wide-mouth glass jar (I like to use a mason jar; the screw-on ring part of the lid will hold your screening in place).

2) Place a piece of cheesecloth, muslin, or panty hose (clean please ) over the mouth of the jar. Use a rubber band or the ring lid to hold the material securely in place. Rinse the seeds by filling the jar with water, gently swirl it around and then drain (that's why you use a screen).

Lentils will take a lot more rinsing. They are coated with a starch that I swear turns to concrete when you add water.

3) Soak the seeds, grains, or beans in room temperature water overnight. In the morning, pour off the water in the jar and rinse the seeds/beans again. If you're brave, you can drink this "seed tea." It's loaded with vitamins, but can be a bit strong for a novice. [Here in Texas, it's risky leaving anything out on the counter in the summertime; sprouts can spoil quickly. The frig works fine for me if it's hot out, just takes a little longer.]

4) To keep the sprouts constantly damp, repeat the rinsing 2-3 times a day. Remember to drain any excess water because the sprouts should not stand in water.

5) Keep the jar away from the light for the first few days.

6) When the seeds/beans begin to sprout - usually about the fourth day - move the jar into the light to activate the chlorophyll and turn the sprouts green.

Growing the Sprouts in Trays

Wheat grass and sunflower greens are more easily grown in trays.

1) Select a low, flat dish (like a pie plate) or tray. You can purchase growing trays from a planting supply place, use the "flats" from bedding plants (sometimes free from the nursery), or get "cafeteria trays" from the restaurant supply. In a pinch, you can use the short cardboard box from a case of canned soft drinks.

2) Remove any broken or damaged seeds before you begin the sprouting process. Rinse well as above (especially important with wheat). Soak the seeds or beans overnight.

3) Next, spread out a 1 inch layer of soil and sprinkle the soaked seeds or beans on top of the soil.

4) Cover the seeds/beans with four layers of damp newspaper. Cover the top of the tray with clear plastic wrap, or if you use the cafeteria-style trays, skip the newspaper and plastic. Cover with another tray (turn it upside down to make a lid).

5) When the sprouts start to lift the plastic cover, (usually about three days) remove the newspaper or tray-lid.

6) Place the tray in a window so that the light can turn the sprouts green. You will need a space to place the sprouting tray that receives daylight but is not in direct sunlight.

7) Because the thin layer of soil dries out quickly, water twice each day. Use a weak Kelp tea or diluted Sea Water for one watering to greatly increase the mineral content of your sprouts.

8) After about 8-10 days, you will have sprouts or greens tall enough to harvest.

Harvesting and Storing the Sprouts

Newly germinated grain, seed, and sprouts, increase (massively) in food value in the very first period of growth. Cereal grasses (from sprouting grains) should be harvested and eaten or juiced from when they are six days old until they are 4-5 inches tall.

To harvest, just take your kitchen scissors and cut what you need. Cut low, but be careful not to pick up soil.

Sprouts from beans, peas, etc., are ready earlier and can be eaten when they are 3-6 days old, depending on the type of sprout. For spouts grown in no soil or in seed trays, you can harvest the green "grass" when it starts to grow.

Sprouts, from grain sown in jars, are ready sooner and are edible even before they turn green. Seeds sown in soil take a little longer.

If necessary, wash the sprouts thoroughly to remove the seed coat.

Sprouts need to be stored in the refrigerator once they are ready to eat. Put the sprouts in tightly sealed bags, and they will remain flavorful and crisp for one to two weeks. Rinsing the sprouts daily under cold water can extend their life.

Seeds and Beans You Can Sprout

The following list gives some of the popularly sprouted seeds/beans. It is not all inclusive as you can sprout almost any kind of seed. Taste varies a lot; you'll find your favorites.

Remember that seeds soak up 2-3 times their dry volume in water and sprouts need at least six times the volume occupied by the seeds.

So be sure that your container is large enough, and start with a minimal amount of seed in a container like a jar, until you determine the correct quantity that will grow the sprouts to the size you like, without being difficult to remove.

Your local health food store will probably carry a line of seeds for sprouting.

When purchasing seeds for sprouting, be certain that the seeds are intended for food and not for planting. This precaution is necessary because some seeds meant for planting have been treated with fungicides or insecticides.

Alfalfa, Broccoli, Clover, and Radish - should be soaked for 6-12 hours. The seeds can be planted in the pots or jars and also in the flats with soil. 1-part seed gives 10-parts sprouts in approximately 5-6 days. Sprouts can be eaten after 3 days. When the root is 1-2 inches long, it will begin to develop tiny green leaves. At this stage, it needs to be eaten immediately so the plant will not switch to photosynthesis that exhausts the stored food in the seed.

Peas - when soaked in a glass jar, will grow sprouts in about 3 days. When the roots are 2-inches long, they are ready to eat. 1-part peas gives 2-parts sprouts.

Lentils - can be grown in either a glass jar or a plant pot and need to be soaked for 12-hours (Don't forget to rinse lentils til the water runs clear, or you won't get your sprouts out of the jar without a chisel). The sprouts are ready in 3-4 days. Lentil sprouts are ready to be eaten when the root is 1-inch long. 1-part lentils gives 6-parts sprouts.

Barley, Oats, Rye, and Wheat - should be soaked for 12-hours and then can either be grown as "grass" to harvest, or sprouts ready to eat after 3-4 days. The ideal length for eating is about 1/2-inch. 1-part seed gives 2-parts sprouts.

Soybeans - you can grow these sprouts in a glass jar or a pot. They need to be soaked for 12-hours and sprouts are usually ready after 3-5 days. They are ready to eat when the root is 2-inches long. 1-part beans gives 4-parts sprouts.

Mung Beans - after soaking for 12-hours, these beans can be grown by any method. Mung beans are the sprouts usually found in Chinese food and are usually ready to eat after 3-5 days. When the bright, white root grows from 1-2 inches long, they are ready to eat. 1-part beans gives 4-parts sprouts.

Sunflower - Sprout hulled sunflower seeds in a jar. For sunflower greens (my favorite), soak and plant the small black sunflower seeds (hull intact) and grow them like cereal grasses in a tray.

By growing your own sprouts, you will save yourself money because it is less expensive to buy sprout seeds and grow and harvest the sprouts yourself, than it is to buy the sprouts from a market. Sprouting at home takes only a few minutes a day, and can produce a good part of your daily requirements of the nutrients you need from fresh produce. The hassles are minor, the costs are low, and the freshness is wonderful.