A while back I mentioned how we’ve been eating a lot of sprouts at home. I love how easy the process is to make them, and we both love having fresh, raw, crunchy veggies made at home in the middle of winter. It’s freezing cold and windy outside, but a fresh jar of sprouting seeds are preparing to sprout.
From what I’ve read, it’s also much safer to grow sprouts at home than to buy them at the store. While sprouts can be known to have salmonella and E-Coli bacteria, when grown at home they’re not sitting in containers holding onto bacteria. They’re as fresh as can be, and are super healthy.
I also thought it’d be fun to start a new series called The Frugal Vermonter. If you know me well, you know I’m not big on spending lots of money, and I also love to cook and make things from scratch a lot. There have been a lot of projects going on here, so each month expect a post on ways to save money, eat healthy food, and be more self-sufficient.
Let’s make some sprouts!
I bought the Sprout House Sprouting Seeds Mix of broccoli, clover, radish, and alfalfa. Sprout House’s seeds are all from certified organic growers, which was important to me in buying a mix. This mix has a nice blend of spicy and simple flavors, and I love that the little radish sprouts turn slightly pink.
I also purchased the Sprout House Yellow Sprouting Lid, which is great for straining the water. While it is plastic, which I like to avoid, we originally bought a stainless steel lid that started to rust from using it with the mason jar lid. I’d rather use plastic than a rusty strainer.
The holes are tiny so the seeds don’t fall through, but because they’re so small, it’s easier to drain out the water by opening up the lid. It’s a tiny bit inconvenient, but I don’t mind.
(Note: This lid only works with wide-mouth mason jars.)
To sprout your seeds, begin by placing 1 to 4 tablespoons of seeds into a mason jar, fill the jar with water, and let sit for 8 to 10 hours.
After the 8 to 10 hours, drain out the water, rinse the seeds, and drain the water. Then leave the jar upside down in a container, allowing the seeds to continue to drain. Rinse the seeds 2 times a day, and after a few days, little sprouts will form.
Once the sprouts are about an inch long, they’re ready to eat. At this point, you can put a regular mason jar lid on the sprouts, and stick the sprouts in the fridge. They should be eaten within a week.
Sprouts are delicious, and while they’re a great sandwich and salad topper, you can also try topping them on soups and chili, adding them to smoothies, and just having them as a side dish.
Happy sprouting!
