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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)

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

cynthia_h
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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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applestar
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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.
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[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)
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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:
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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)
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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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applestar
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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

Flowers
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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).
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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:
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pepperhead212
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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 ?

HoneyBerry
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university of california publication 8151

has some good stuff in it about sanitary methods

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Gary350
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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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applestar
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Now that’s something new I haven’t tried before. Bread-making is also one of my cooler weather projects :D

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Gary, here is an electric sprouter, though maybe larger than a toaster. https://jet.com/product/Freshlife-Autom ... 65fa504201

I like sprouting barley, but usually just to put in soups - never made my own malt, but it sounds tempting. One of my favorite beans to sprout is a red chori bean - a.k.a. adzuki. Another is the black eyed pea. If I can plan enough in advance, I often sprout these before putting them in soups or curries.

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applestar
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I discovered I had some fenugreek seeds. They are getting old, I think... but I started a test batch yesterday. 8)
...I think I’ll start some other seeds soon...

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applestar
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Fenugreek seeds already started germinating yesterday :()

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applestar
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Ready to snack fenugreek sprouts. They are tasty but pretty mild to me, not at all an unusual flavor. The seed hulls are not objectionable.

They can be greener, but I’m detecting occasional bitterness as it is. Do they turn bitter when green? Or do the hulls impart the bitterness? My family won’t eat anything least bit bitter, so I guess these are all mine. :()

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...found the new bag of organic adzuki beans and started a small batch. :wink:

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applestar
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Saved radish/daikon seeds on left, and H-mart organic adzuki on right

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Gary350
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Yesterday I found my notes for making sprouts on a paper inside an old cook book I have not use in years. 40 yrs ago house we lived in kitchen window was sunny. Mason jar with air tight lid sprouts 2 times faster than mason jar with screen wire over the top. It looks like 99% of the seeds sprout in the jars with an air tight lid while the jar with screen wire top often has about 20% seeds that are not sprouted. Jar with air tight lid seems to work like a mini green house setting in sunny kitchen window. Air tight lid seems to work better but it is more trouble because lid has to be replaced with screen wire several times every day to rinse seeds. Filling jars completely full warm water a few minutes seems to work better than quick rinse. During the week when we go to work seeds do not get rinses from 9 hrs very often seeds sour. Sat & Sun we have better luck with sprouts, we try to remember to rinse seeds every hour all day. We been feeling jars full of water at bed time then dump & rinse sprouts every next morning hoping this will help prevent sour sprouts that don't get rinsed for 8 hrs. Sprouts are growing little green leaves in the sunny window these are great substitute for lettuce.

During summer I did sprouts in the garden. Sprinkle 100 to 200 seeds on the soil cover them with 1" of soil. In about 1 week seeds sprouted then another 3 days they are large enough to eat. Water melon seeds get fuzzy hairs on the sprouts if they grow to long but cantaloupes don't. Beans do good. Pull plants up roots wash off fairly easy sometimes depends on what seeds I have planted. I started cutting plants off with scissors I don't want to spent time cleaning roots. I was going to grow sprouts inside the house this winter in 12" flower pots but so far I have not done it.
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applestar
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It’s a toss-up Gary350 — I agree the closed jar in sunny window would probably increase germination and growth during the cold months, but I think it would also increase chance of spoilage, so you will need to monitor closely.

My adzuki beans have been too slow (15°F coldest outside overnight — I’m guessing economy mode overnight thermostat temp is a little low for beans) — they grew seed roots of about 1/2 inch but I decided to not wait any longer and cooked the lot in last nights white short-grain rice + pressed barley.

There was a difference in the aroma of the cooked compared to when the beans are added dry, and I overestimated the amount of water and the rice turned out softer and stickier than expected. Also, I used white rice because I’m out of brown rice, which meant the fuzzy-logic rice cooker finished cooking in significantly shorter time than if this had been brown rice. The fully soaked and sprouted beans were mildly crunchy - like steamed vegetable-crunchy - and very good.

I missed the sort of nutty flavor that normally results from dry cooked adzuki in rice, so I added walnuts as well as salt to my serving, and it tasted very good. I also ate another serving of the hot rice mixed with some tuna salad and that was good, too. I will make this again.

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applestar
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I’m not sure if this is the best thread to put this post, but I’ve basically been growing sprouted seeds and micro greens during winter as part of Winter Indoor Gardening ever since the OP of this thread.

I was thinking it’s about that time of the year again … the Great Fall Migration and subsequent adjustment and adaptation to the new routines have settle down, and cool indoor temps have created the conditions more suited for worry-free sprouting.

…and I came across THIS video. Definitely want to try this!

I can cook and incubate in my new Instant Pot with Custom temperature setting for Yogurt. I don’t have non-stick anything, but hopefully can manage with attentive stirring while boiling down the syrup or maybe by using double-boiler method.

I Grew GRASS & Turned It Into A Sweet SYRUP | Homemade Malt Syrup - YouTube



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