How To Grow Your Own Sprouts
Inexpensive and Easy Indoor Sprouting Techniques
Alfalfa, chia, adzuki, mung and soy sprouts are surprisingly easy to grow and contain a rich source of vitamins and fibre. There are a number of advantages to DIY sprouting, as opposed to buying them at your green grocer or supermarket: Price, freshness and a reduction in your carbon footprint.
Sprouts are best eaten fresh, and by growing them yourself, you can save money while ensuring freshness.
No Fancy Equipment Needed for DIY Sprouting
The most common complaint for anyone who has a small living space would be the amount of space that indoor gardening might take. However, sprouts can be grown in an old jar with a lid, out of the way in a closet or basement shelf. This makes mung and soybean sprouting ideal for small apartment dwellers or beginner container gardeners.
In terms of growing equipment, sprouts require nothing more complicated than a jar and some moist paper towels. Many health food shops may sell gadgets that promise a faster growing time, or a higher yield, but the main principle behind sprouting is keeping the seeds moist, but well drained.
Sprout-Growing For Beginners
For best results chose organic seeds: This means they are less likely to be treated with pesticides or irradiated to prevent sprouting to occur while in transit. Seeds can be bought online, or visit your local health food store and buy dried, organic beans and seeds to start sprouting on your own. Soybean sprouts and mung sprouts might be easier for the novice sprouter.
Grow only as many as can be eaten in a week: Sprouts can go soggy and inedible very quickly. Fully matured sprouts take between three to five days, though sprouting time will depend on the temperature of the rinse water and the temperature of the growing environment.
All seeds, rains and beans require an initial soaking period: Stuart Rabinowitz of The Family Creative Workshop recommends about 12 hours to soften the hard outer shell.
How To Grown Your Own Mung and Soy Bean Sprouts
- Measure a ¼ cup of seeds; when seeds are soaked and sprouting, they increase in size. This measure should yield roughly 2 cups of sprouts.
- Sort through the seeds and discard any that are discoloured, or cracked. Dead seeds will not sprout, and they can spread decay when they’re wet.
- Pour the seeds in to any sprouting container, such as a jar or damp sheet of paper towel.
- For mung sprouts and soybeans, cover them with water and top the jar with a dry sheet of paper towel around the top, held in place with a rubber band around the rim.
- Let the container stand in a warm, dark place for about 12 hours. If you bought your seeds online, you can refer to the package directions.
- After the 12-hour soaking time, examine your seeds: During the soaking period the seeds will soften and absorb water. The surface of the water will reveal gas bubbles forming, which means the seeds are releasing heat in germination; remove any floating seeds and broken hulls. (Broken hulls and seeds can ferment and cause an unpleasant odour.)
- When the soaking phase is complete, strain the soaking water off, and spread the resulting bulk of seeds into about four batches of ¼ cup measures, into new, clean jars or paper towels.
- They need space, so don’t pack them in too tightly, or pile sprouts on top of one another. Without air, they may rot.
- Place the new, clean jar on its side with a saucer or lid under the base, and any excess water can drain easily through the paper towel at the mouth of the jar.
- Keep rinsing the beans between three to four times a day to keep them from fermenting.
- A root length of about 2 inches means soy and mung beans are ready to be harvested.
For further information, try looking for The Beansprout Book by Gay Courter. A January/February 1977 excerpt can be found online on Mother Earth News: Raise Your Own Sprouts…even in a backpack.
bean sprouts don't require much space to grow
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