Sprouts - Grow Your Own Information (With Alfalfa Example)

Alfalfa Sprouts

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High Nutritional Content

When most people hear the word sprout they think of Alfalfa. Many people have eaten Alfalfa in salads, but most aren't aware of how healthy it is to incorporate sprouts into your diet and how you can easily grow them in your own home!

What we are going to grow!

I have chosen Alfalfa as an example because it's a more common choice people would think of when it comes to sprouts! Alfalfa is considered a Leafy Sprout. There are several types. You can enjoy growing these in your own home and have them ready for salads or any other way you choose to eat them.

Growing Time: Alfalfa 5-6 days!

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Some Basics for Sprouting

Seed Storage: you want to make sure your seeds are stored properly! Your basic storage is cool, dry and dark. About 55 to 70 degrees F. You may also freeze your seeds which will increase the shelf life up to 5 times!

Soaking: This will help your seed turn into a bounty of nutrients! Once you begin to soak the seed it is no longer dormant and the sprouting process can begin. See more info in the sprouting process section.

Rinsing: Water is your seeds nourishment so make sure you rinse well!

Draining: Always make sure you drain properly to insure that your sprouts are clean and well taken care of!

Storage of Sprouts: Sprouts can keep up to 6 weeks if refrigerated but it's always better to eat them fresh. Remember not to store the sprouts while they are damp!

Another important tip! Make sure air can get to your sprouts and don't put them in a closed cabinet to grow!

The Growing Process

Of course we've already selected Alfalfa, so from here begins the growing process. To begin, measure out about 2 teaspoons of seed.

Yield for Alfalfa 7:1 (this means you will get about seven times the amount that you begin with in the finished stage)

Begin with your seeds. Now you need to rinse them to get off any debris. The seeds are small so you will need to be careful when rinsing them. You can always put a small bowl inside a larger bowl just to be sure you don't let the water overflow your seeds and spill down the drain! Just rinse and swish them around to make sure you've gotten them clean. There is no specific time for this.

Next transfer them into a bowl so you can begin to soak. I don't recommend aluminum. You can choose glass, or even stainless steel. You should use 2-3 times the amount of water for your seeds.

Soak for 12 hrs

After soaking you need to drain off the water and you can use the water for plants if you'd like. It will have nutrients. Now you want to rinse the seeds and drain again.

Rinse and Drain - is very important. You will want to do this for 3 days every 12 hours. Also, if you use the Easy Sprout which I recommend because it will make the process much easier, make sure you tap the Easy Sprout on the side of your sink to get the water out when you drain. Rinse and drain is really your biggest part of this and you must let it drain throughly each time. You will rinse for the last time by the beginning of your 6th day. They will be finished by the end of the day.

Make sure that your sprouts get some light by the 4th day. No direct sunlight just a little indirect sunlight will be just fine.

De Hull

You will want to de-hull your sprouts before the final rinse. To do this you can simply pour them in a large bowl with some water and swish them around under the water which will loosen the hulls and make them surface to the top of the water. You can then skim them off and you are ready for a final rinse.

And you are ready to enjoy!

At this point you are ready to enjoy. After looking at several pages on the web I would recommend going to the website below to see how to videos and many great products that will make sprouting a much easier process! This group of people have been sprouting for several years and it seems they really have it down to an art. I have watched several videos and they have a great wealth of information! You can also look at different types of sprouts and the process for each! My small how to post although it has quite a bit of information will obviously not answer any question you could have so I wanted to include this wonderful resource. Have fun!

Sprout People website (A great resource!)

The Grooviest Sprouting Seeds on Our Planet!
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