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applestar
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Experienced sprout growers -- I have questions!

A recent unrelated thread inspired me to grow some sprouts.
I haven't done this in ages and last time, I didn't have the time to take care of them, and it seemed more trouble than it was worth. But I stopped buying sprouts at the store quite a while back because they were nowhere near my expectation of quality. So in fact I haven't eaten sprouts much at all recently.

I bought some sprouting seeds -- mung beans and alfalfa. For these, I used the very basic method that I know -- wash, soak a few hours in a jar with mesh lid -- I used double layered close-mesh lemon bag for mung beans and triple layered unbleached cheese cloth for alfalfa. Then rinsed twice morning and night, draining through the mesh lid. I'm using filtered water from the fridge for soaking and rinsing. I loosely drape plastic wrap over the top so they don't dry out too much due to the low indoor humidity.

First trial batch came out satisfactorily and in my enthusiasm, I started a second batch. I wanted more this time, so I put more seeds in two more jars I found... And discovered that the growing sprouts are completely filling the jars :shock: (I also discovered that narrow/regular-mouth canning jar is not as good as wide-mouth for mung bean sprouts because they don't want to come out easiy)

I'm also feeling that the jars are not allowing me to really thoroughly rinse them. There is a smell I associate with sprouting seeds -- this is from pre-germinating them for regular sowing. An odor that tells me I'm a bit late and should rinse the seeds right away, and a fermenting smell that tells me I'm too late and these seeds will have trouble growing well. So I put my nose to the top of the jar and smell before rinsing them to see how I'm doing. :P

So, questions :D

(1) Is the jar method a good method or is there a better DIY sprouting set up? (or is there a superior commercial sprouter that you would rave about and recommend for time saving,convenience, and quality of sprouts?)

(2) How much seeds should you put in the container? obviously 1/5-1/4 of the jar was at least twice too much :roll:

(3) I feel like the sprouts rinse better when floated in plenty of water, but then the empty seed shells/hulls started to float up (especially mungbeans). But to my frustration, they cling to other floating sprouts and can't be easiy eliminated. Is there a way to do this besides meticulously fishing them out with a tea strainer? :?

(4) With alfalfa, there were a fair amount of unsprouted seeds that sank to the bottom of the rinse bowl. I think I got the alfalfa in the bulk grain section and not from the specific subsection labeled sprouting seeds (where I got the mung beans). Is there a difference? What do you do with unsprouted seeds?

(5) My first finished sprouts were not as long as I expected. I'm sure that's because I'm keeping them on the counter (alfalfa) and top of the fridge (mung bean for slightly elevated temp) so I don't forget about them. Any thoughts, suggestions, advice? What is the optimum eating stage?

(6) I also bought some chia seeds because there was a man getting some who told me these are great ground up in a coffee grinder and added to smoothies. But I haven't tried them yet and was wondering if they are also good sprouted? (these chia seeds were in a bin next to the alfalfa sprout seeds I got)

(7) I have some saved radish seeds, red Russian kale, and leek seeds (maybe beet seeds, too) -- I think they might be good sprouted -- which one would you recommend I try next?

(8 ) What's the best way to eat them? So far I had the alfalfa sprouts in tuna salad and ham sandwich, and mungbean sprouts in soup and curry.

BTW, I've been putting the rinse water in my actively aerated compost tea bucket. There is an obvious boost in foaming after I add the rinse water, which I take it to mean "something" is being added.
Last edited by applestar on Tue Feb 12, 2013 3:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

imafan26
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soy bean and lentils also can be sprouted, soy are a lot bigger but they are often sold here.

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Happy Days
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So glad to hear of others who love to sprout seeds. I've done this (off and on) since the 70s.

I would go with radish seeds next, if I were you. Quick, easy, and so tasty! And somewhat spicy too.

As for smell, rinsing and draining them thoroughly is a key to that. Wet sprouts have a funky odor (to me).

I use jars (yes, wide.mouth are best, IMHO) but also mostly now I use these sprouters that I like a lot. Easy to store/stack in the fridge and easy to rinse and drain the sprouts well. I've had the one on the left for decades and it's still one of my faves. But I decided to try a new Sprout Master and I like it a lot too.

Image

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Last edited by Happy Days on Tue Feb 12, 2013 4:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

DoubleDogFarm
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BTW, I've been putting the rinse water in my actively aerated compost tea bucket. There is an obvious boost in foaming after I add the rinse water, which I take it to mean "something" is being added.
This maybe a fun read or not.

Eric

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applestar
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Thanks for your replies and the links. :D The sprout site is very informative and that book quote was an interesting read (I'm going to interpret this a "good" for my compost tea).

Based on the info from the above links, I retrieved the smaller salad spinner from the top cabinet and tried using it for removing hulls -- the key seems to be pulling apart/loosening the sprouts to release the hulls and pushing the sprouts down to submerge while the hulls float up -- that seemed to work well.

I also learned that I was not being as thorough as I should be about draining all the water after rinsing, so I'll be more careful about that.

Detailed descriptions for each kind of seed and their sprouts were helpful too. I will try the radish next, but I'm now intrigued by the possibilities, and am definitely trying the leeks when I have the process down to a routine. Lentils I have in the pantry may not be fresh enough for good germination, but I have azuki too.... 8)

...kind of surprised not to see more members joining the discussion... :?

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When I was actively making alfalfa seed sprouts, I used a wide-mouth 1-quart canning jar and **1 Tablespoon** of seeds. It grows out plenty large! If you want to push the system, try 2 Tb. But that's the very most I would try.

Sorry; it's late and I worked a 14-hour day and then some (yep: 0700 to maybe 2200, for all you 24-hour-clock folks). But the quantity seemed to be the most important question. :D

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Happy Days
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Adzuki Beans make delicious sprouts! I love those. I buy a mix of organic seeds and seed mixes from Amazon as well. Delivered right to my door. :-()

The commercial sprouters come with booklets that tell how much seed to use for the amount you want to sprout.

I look forward to hearing about your continued sprouting adventures, applestar. And everyone else. I mainly eat mine raw or use them raw in salads or on sandwiches as that's how I feel they provide the most nutrition, but they can also be blended into health shakes/smoothies, if you make those.

Seed sprouters of the world unite!!
:lol:

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applestar
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Ah ha! You've given me an idea. :idea:
I can sneak these in to fruit smoothies and the kids will never know :wink:

...actually my younger daughter ate the alfalfa sprouts in her ham sandwich and mungbean sprouts in her eggs scrambled with "authentic" Mexican cheese blend. It's my teenager that is giving me a convoluted "teenage logic" reason for not wanting to eat them. :roll:

...thanks Cynthia. Yeah -- way too much. I tried halving the mass and they still fill the jar.... :shock: It's also good to know that this supply of seeds will sat me a while. :wink:

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Happy Days
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Yes, sometimes "logic" can be sooo convoluted. -wall-

You bring up another wonderful thing about sprouting. A small supply of seeds does last quite awhile. People sometimes think the seeds are too expensive, but not when you consider how long they last, IMHO. :D

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I still have some screen lids I got some time back, put that years! These are screw top jar lids to fit the wide mouth canning jar or the qt mayo (wide mouth) jar. One set is molded plastic, the other has stainless screen mesh, and both in 2 or 3 mesh sizes. When I was doing the sprouts these were so easy, don't get moldy (like fabric), wash easy (dishwasher safe). The 2 or 3 sizes let you start with small mesh and work up as seeds start to sprout.
I am sure these sets are available at kitchen places, whole foods etc.

Hope this helps!

sepeters
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I grow my own sprouts all the time! They are so good and good for you! But so expensive :cry: I never buy them at the grocery store! What I'm sprouting at any given time depends on two things: what I want to make and what is on sale in the bulk bins.

I like to eat sprouts fresh for the most part and prefer seed sprouts for that. The seeds I sprout most often are chia, amaranth, and alfalfa for the simple reason that I think they have a good taste to cost ratio. :) And if you get the right kind of amaranth seeds you'll get pink or yellow sprouts. When eaten raw they are best when very young and tender, so you want to get them out of the jar and into the fridge after about 3 days, give or take. Once refrigerated they'll stop growing and should not be stored in water, but they may be slightly damp.

Sometimes I eat bean sprouts raw for the heck of it or because they were very cheap, but most often I cook with them. They're good in egg rolls and spring rolls and stir fry in general, and equally tasty in a pot of greens or warm salad. I usually sprout mung, chickpea, or soy. I like them larger for cooking and hull them and put them in the fridge after 4 or 5 days.

You can also eat the sprouted beans when they have a small tail. Once the tails are sprouting but before they are more than about 1/2 inch you can cook them as you would normally cook beans and serve them with a grain. Sprouted mung beans for instance are quite good with fried rice. They only need a day to day and a half to grow the tail and should be rinsed and cooked immediately .

If you're going for the sprouts and letting them get bigger it's best to discard the hulls.

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PS
Sorry your sprouts were stinky! Don't give up. Once you've got the method down you'll be doing it without even thinking about it. It's just trial and error at first. (like any kind of gardening, hee hee.) You've got to rinse them until the water is totally clear 2-3 times a day to keep them fresh. This is not always feasible (or easy to remember to do...). Don't let them grow past 6 days max. and when you harvest drain and rinse and again and store in the fridge for up to 2 days in an open container with no water. It is best if they're still a bit damp from the rinse. It is kind of a pain at first, but you shouldn't have any issues if you rinse more often.

I've never seen those commercial sprouters before! I totally want one!

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applestar
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It's going well :D

That pasta sauce jar of alfalfa sprouts grew so fast I put 1/3 of it in a pickle jar and gave it to my parents with instructions.

Then I divided 1/3 of the other 2/3 to grow in a small 5x5 Madeleine cookie box that I turned into a sprouter by cutting slits in the bottom with a box cutter:
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Then put the other 2/3 of the 2/3 in a 4qt salad spinner which I relegated to be a sprouter for the duration by raising the basket on an overturned small bowl inthe bottom:
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My daughter prefers this method for easy grazing, though there is some wastage due to lost sprouts washing out.

I started the adzuki sprouts, too. Are these ready to eat, or do you wait until the skin comes off/easily floats off?
Image

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They're edible any time after the "rootlings" have appeared. You might experiment to see on which day you like the taste the best, but they're edible as soon as they sprout.

(The beans/seeds go further, of course, if you let the roots get longer... :wink: )

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Happy Days
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Those are looking very delicious. Bon appetit! :flower:

*Edited to correct spelling*
Last edited by Happy Days on Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

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applestar
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OK! I'll try the adzuki sprouts this morning. 8)
For me, the rubberbanded netting method, while convenient to add water swish and pour out, introduces an element of laziness that keeps me from removing the netting to sample the sprouts when I rinse them. :oops: I can see the convenience in the mesh replacement lid for canning jars and will look for them.

I'm expecting an order of EasySprouter cups to arrive this week. I ordered extra to give to my brother and my parents. Then I can give them some seeds along with it. ...haven't decided if I'll give my extra cup to my MIL yet. :P

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applestar
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I started this special salad blend a week ago, and we are harvesting :D

I used alfalfa as base and added small amount of chia, then raided my spring sowing seeds for a pinch of arugula and my own collected seeds of daikon, dill, and leeks. 8)

Image

I have rice, rye and spelt, some hulless oats. What can I do with those?

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Sandwich sprouts? Omelet sprouts? Laurel's Kitchen, probably the first major vegetarian cookbook, is where I learned about cooking with/eating homemade sprouts. It's still available at (yes!) used book stores and, of course, online. I gave away my duplicate copy via Freecycle a couple of years ago; someone "WANTED" a good non-vegan, vegetarian cookbook. She picked it up probably faster than anyone else has ever picked up anything of mine from Freecycle. :D

But I suspect that many gardeners are tactile-oriented folks, so if there's a used-book store :wink: around, that's where I personally would go for a cookbook. (There could be other interesting cookbooks, or maybe gardening books, or maybe.... :roll: )

Cynthia

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Happy Days
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Ah yes, Laurel's Kitchen. I had her original book as well. I gave it away and got The New Laurel's Kitchen. Well, new as of 1986. lol. Great book, IMHO.

sepeters
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Applestar, you are so creative and ingenious! I'm going to have to try the salad spinner, that does seem easier!
Now you're sprouting everything! :lol: I've never tried sprouting rye before, but have done some grains and usually eat those as hot cereal. It sounds gross, but is actually yummy; usually buckwheat groats and hulless oats with sunflower seeds. I don't make it often, no one else will eat it. But when I do, I eat them when they only have small tails, not yet properly sprouted.

The SproutPeople have a pretty large recipe index on their site, I think you'll enjoy it.

https://sproutpeople.org/recipes.html

PS- one of my friends eats only raw food and he said they eat the sprouted bean hulls; it is the only way they can eat beans without cooking them apparently. Personally, I've never tried it, but it's worth checking out! There are also a bunch of you tube videos featuring some shirtless hippy, the food looks good, the shirtless guy is ok.

https://earthmother-intheraw.blogspot.co ... cipes.html

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Trying to grow some "Sunnys" (sunflower sprouted greens)
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They gush about how good it is. Anyone actually tried it? 8)

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[cricket sound]

Cynthia

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Now its been forever since last I sprouted mung beans.

Some how my recollection is when I had a wide mouth jar up ended and inside a light proof something-or-other it was less stanky.

And your right needs watering X 2 or more per day...

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applestar
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"Greening" the sprouted seedlings under lights. They should "de-hull" on their own.
Image

[crickets chirping] eh? I guess I'll be the guinea pig. :>
Will report on their flavor in a coule of days. :wink:

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applestar
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I'm growing sprouts again for winter "greens" :()

L. adzuki sprouts that I just de-hulled (they need to be eaten because they are getting "less fresh" -- I just had some of these with re-heated leftover rice seasoned with a pat of cultured butter and sea salt. Now that I emptied the rice cooker, I'm going to cook a new batch of rice and then mix these in. 8)
image.jpg
R. Sunnys -- sunflower sprouted greens. These are not B.O.S.S. (black oil seed sunflowers) but striped ones I harvested from my sunflowers. I did these wrong because I didn't get around to planting them as soon as they germinated. But it's working out for me this way -- I just open the light blocking lid and pick out ones that are starting to work their way out of the seed hull, pull them off, nip the roots off and eat. I like them this way they still have a little bit of the sunflower seed flavor to them -- I felt that they tasted bitter when greened up too much. HOWEVER, they are slightly peppery which is turning the kids off. :?

I need to find other ones that they'll eat willingly. I do need to replenish seed stock for growing alfalfa sprouts which is very mild like iceberg lettuce.

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applestar
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I was looking at the ($expensive$) gourmet sprouting seed mixes offered on line and decided to raid my saved seed stash instead :()

Started a few days ago, the fastest ones are sprouting already:
image.jpg
sprouting wheat, clover, radish, daikon, cabbage, dill, onion, garlic chives

...while I was there, I read that popcorn are the sweetest sprouts to grow, so I'm going to break up my bunch of mini popcorn cobs and try sprouting them. 8)
image.jpg

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applestar
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I'm soaking runner beans to sprout -- they are supposed to be more nutritious when cooked just as soon as they germinate. This is a weird process for me since I started experimenting with pre-germinating beans before sowing. Can I cook'em and kill them after they've germinated when my "normal" reaction to seeing germinating bean seeds is to tenderly separate them out, keep them moistened in the hot sun and gently pat them in place where they are to grow? :?

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image.jpg
...with this handful of sprouted sunflower greens, I made a mushroom, sunnies, and Swiss cheese omelet this morning. :D

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Hey, I've never sprouted any seeds before, but I'd like to now after reading this post, so I have a couple questions! Does anyone know if mung bean sprouts are the same sprouts as I'm used to getting at, for example, the local Thai food restaurant? Also, can you just sprout any seed or just certain types of seeds? I can't wait to get a sprouting jar and start eating some yummy sprouts! I love the bean sprouts I get on my Pad Thai :) Thanks for the help!

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applestar
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As far as I know, Thai and other asian sprouts are usually mung bean or soybean.
Some are more suited to sprouting than others and you want fresh seeds with good germination rate since spoiled dead seeds in the sprouts can be really off putting. Also, commercial seeds for growing in soil can be treated with fungicides and pesticides so you want to be careful about that.

I got to sproutpeople website for reference. They have a HUGE library of information there on how to sprout, flavor, etc. you can buy seeds from there, too, and selection is excellent -- I would probably buy things I can't get anywhere else... but they are based in the West coast -- I think San Francisco? -- and I try to buy from local shops and stores when feasible.

I germinated a mix of organic short grain brown rice from a Korean supermarket) and hulled (but NOT pearled) barley purchased from bulk section at Whole Foods).
image.jpg
I can just pick out the barley which germinated faster and eat the sweet chewy grains, but I'm going to dry these and grind them in the food processor to use as quick cooking hot cereal. I'm definitely sprouting the barley separately next time for snacking on since the rice was slower to sprout and as it is, is starchy to eat like this.

...its a good thing it's way too cold out there to think about growing anything, or I would be tempted to sow some of these beautiful little germinated seeds.... :lol:

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applestar
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I haven't tried them but lentil sprouts are supposed to be good, too. 8)

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applestar
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I harvested a batch of adzuki sprouts today :-()
I used the weighted cup method someone described recently. I thought it was in here, but it's not so I'm going to have to go hunt for the link. :wink:
image.jpg

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I often sprout beans just to about the size of the bean, and use them in Indian curries. My favorite for this is the red chori bean. The adzuki is often listed as a synonymn for this, but the adzuki is smaller, darker, and shinier, so they seem totally different to me. Both delicious, however, though I've never tried making full sized sprouts with them - I'll have to try it.

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applestar
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I'm going to have to try this as well. 8)

Maybe the Indian varieties are larger like the Dainagon from Kyoto listed at Kitazawa Seeds (note the number of seeds per packet). That would kind of make sense as Kyoto is in a warmer, protected region of Japan and culturally influenced by Buddihsm -- perhaps including seeds that might have been imported at some point.

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Gary350
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It has been 10 years since I made sprouts. I never had any trouble as long as I rinsed my seeds several times every day. If the wet seeds sour they rot or mold so you need to rinse them often.

I use quart mason jars with window screen wire over the jar end to keep the seeds in. Rubber band or mason jar ring works good to hold the screen in place. Every morning at breakfast all the jars get about 1/2 full of water then poured out. I do that again at lunch time, dinner time and bed time. I keep the jars near the kitchen sink only because that is where the water and sink are. Sun light comes in the window so sprouts are slightly green.

Sprouts will get very large and compact the jars so tight they wont dump out so you have to dig them out. I put in less seeds that makes sprouts easier to get out but then it takes 2 jars of sprouts to equal 1 compacted jar of sprouts.

I buy seeds from farmers coop. These are farm grade seeds used to plant fields or feed to animals. Some seeds like beans are coated with pink color anti fungus stuff for planting I never buy pink seeds.

There is a packaging company in Smyrna TN that buys seeds in railroad car size loads and repacks them in small bags. When the factory starts running a certain seed through the packing line they put the same seeds in a dozen different packages for a dozen different customers. Some are packed in organic packages and some are not but they are the same seeds. I bought beans there a few times they were cheap $10 for a 50 lb bag.

I have very good luck with farmers coop seeds they come in large bags 20 lbs, 30 lbs, 40 lbs and 50 lbs. Last time I bought flax seeds they came in 40 lb bags. Last time I bought alfalfa seeds they came in 20 and 50 lb bags.

I need to make a special place to sprout seeds 15 mason jars get in the way on the kitchen country top.

We were eating sprouts as salad and in stir fry for about 2 years. It takes about 4 days to get good size sprouts, if we each 3 jars a day we need a total of 12 jars depending on the temperature inside the house.

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I grow mostly alfalfa, and one tip for them is to grow them dark/shaded or in sunny/light position the last mentioned will give the green chlorophyll and can taste quite different.

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applestar
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Bumping this... I haven’t started the winter season sprout growing yet, but I will be soon. I find fresh sprouts are not too difficult to grow during the colder months. It’s harder when room temperature gets in the low 70’s and nearly impossible to keep up in high 70’s.

Just peeked Johnny’s website and description for sprouting seeds assures they have been tested to be E.coli-free. So that might be something to keep in mind....

Can E.coli be carried inside the seeds, or would a preventive practice to extra wash or treat the unknown seeds first be sufficient? hmm ?

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university of california publication 8151

has some good stuff in it about sanitary methods

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Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

Since we moved to the smaller house with smaller kitchen it is hard for me to make sprouts. I have very good luck with dried grocery store beans & lentils. Navy beans are much better than Great Northern beans. Kidney beans are good too. All 3 colors of lentils are good. I bought a 50 lb bag of Flax seed from farmers Co-op they made good sprouts. I save water melon seeds and cantaloupe seeds from melons they make good sprouts. Farmers Co-op sells soy beans 50 lb bag is $20. Soy bean hulls are thick and slow to sprout they also make good soy milk and Tofu. Sprouts are a good substitute for lettuce, salads, on sandwiches.

Barley is 1 of my favorites once the seeds have a tiny sprout about 1/8" long sprinkle them on several cookie sheets bake them in the kitchen oven. Bake temperature determines the flavor. Heat caramelizes starch in the grain it turns to sugar. Bake at 325 not much flavor, bake at 350 grain turns a bit golden brown you get a better flavor, bake at 375 you get a darker golden brown color with a very good Carmel flavor, 400 degrees gives you a dark color with a different flavor, 425 darker with better dark type flavor, 450 gives you almost a burnt look with another type flavor. This is how crystal malt is made do a Google search, how to make crystal malt. Grind up the dry barley grain to flour it makes the very best home made bread with a very good flavor. I add 1 cup barley flour to a bread recipe for flavor someones add whole grain crystal malt barley to bread.

I wish there was a factory made sprout machine about the size of a microwave oven to make sprouts automatic and easier.
Last edited by Gary350 on Sat Nov 24, 2018 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.



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