Hi there, let’s Grow Sprouts!!! I am so excited you decided to stop in and check out what Doctor Jo has ordered for you today– a prescription of fresh, healthy sprouts. YUM!
Where can you get healthy little sprouts? Well, you could get them at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or possibly even at your local grocer. Best of all, you can Grow Sprouts yourself.
Oh, I can hear you all now, “I don’t have a green thumb,” “Everything I try to grow dies.” Your thumb may be a very pale green or even a little brown from lack of practice, but Doctor Jo has a remedy for that problem. Today, I will turn your thumb bright green and show you how easy it is to grow sprouts. Are you ready? Cue scary music
Sprouts are fun to grow because you don’t need a lot of expensive equipment, and you will be rewarded with lots of yummy sprouts.
SUPPLIES:
1. Sprout containers with lids:
They can be as simple as a mason jar with a couple of lids. If you prefer, you can find some expensive and elaborate spouting set-ups on the internet.
Here are a couple of setups. On the left is the SIS (simple is smart) set-up, a wide-mouth mason jar with plastic lids that you can purchase here. You don’t have to buy the plastic lids, but if you use a metal lid with a piece of cheesecloth, the lid will rust after several batches of sprouts. The other one is called the sproutamo. I use the sproutamo for larger seeds like beans. I like the mason jar best for tiny seeds like alfalfa and radish.
2. Seeds:
Seeds that sprout well include: alfalfa, peas, sunflower, radish, quinoa, and bean. I recommend starting with alfalfa seeds. I get mine here. They have a starter set of a variety of 6 different sprouting seeds that you might like. Once you’ve got your “green thumb” mojo back, then you can try other seeds to Grow Sprouts.
Rx for Growing Sprouts:
1. 2 tablespoons of seeds. This little bit of seeds will fill a whole “Mayo” jar with sprouts. Remove any debris.
2. Place them in your sprouting jar or container. Cover the seeds with 2 inches of cool water.
3. Cover the jar with the appropriate size lid for your seed, cheesecloth, or a piece from that pair of pantyhose that got ruined at work yesterday. Place the jar on your counter and wait 12 hours.
4. Place the jar on your counter for 12 to 24 hours.
5. Drain all the water and refill the jar with water to rinse.
6. Drain the rinse water.
7. Invert the jar over a bowl at an angle so the seeds will drain and air will circulate. Otherwise, the seeds will rot and turn black, and my “green thumb” remedy will fail.
8. Place the angled jar in a cabinet or your pantry (somewhere warm and mostly dark). Repeat steps 5-7 every 8 to 12 hours for 3-4 days or until the sprouts are 2-3 inches in length.
9. Remove the sprouts from their growing container and spread them in a shallow layer on a plate or shallow container. Place in direct sunlight for 15 minutes. This is when sprout magic happens as the sun activates all the healthy enzymes locked inside that tiny seed.
10. After their 15 minutes of fun-in-the-sun, place them in a prominent place on display for all to see and marvel at. Once they turn green (in about a day), you can proudly “pronounce” to your family and friends, “Doctor Jo gave me my green thumb back!”
For tips on how to store your sprouts, check out my blog on how to store your greens.
Enjoy them in a salad or put them in a sandwich. I like them on top of avocado toast with a sliced hard-boiled egg. Farmer Fred would only eat this toast if I added a few slices of bacon!
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I always wanted to make my own sprouts! You make it look so easy and I love the avocado toast idea!
It is easy and they are tastier when you grow them.