adventures in sprouting

sprouting edible seeds seems to be all the rage right now, and rightfully so, as sprouts are plants at their greatest point of vitality and are said to be the most nutrient-rich food on earth!

what's great is sprouting can be done most anywhere, any time of year - with just a jar, some seeds and water.

the bag of fenugreek seed above cost between one and two dollars and will yield a few jars of sprouts. some farmer's markets and health food stores sell seeds for edible sprouts. seeds may also be purchased online. 

the sproutpeople say, "fenugreek has gained popularity in recent years due to research that indicates that it increases the breast size." what?! fenugreek in general is great for breast health - it's been used to increase milk production in nursing mothers for hundreds of years! there are many other therapeutic uses, including those for men, found here.

convenient sprouting kits and lids exist, but this little set-up works fine. a piece of clean nylon pantyhose or cheesecloth would also work - anything that will allow for proper drainage.

after a good rinse in a mesh strainer,

two tablespoons of seed were soaked in filtered water overnight.

another good rinsing and they're placed upside down to drain and sprout out of direct sunlight.

they were rinsed and drained every 8-12 hours.  

day 1 - soaked seeds ready for sprouting

day 2 - little tails or roots have already formed!

day 3 - tails are longer. this is when the sproutpeople would eat them - before the leaves open. i like to let my sprouts "green-up" for more nutrients, so on we sprout...

day 4 - they're ready to go! wow, that was fast!

they received a very thorough rinse and were set out to dry before storage in the fridge.

alone, fenugreek spouts are a bit on the bitter side, but i find them to be really tasty atop salad, soup, raw pizza and wraps.

after venturing into some buckwheat sprouting, apple buckwheat granola and basil pizza crusts were made.

the buckwheat groats were soaked about an hour and sprouted for a day and a half on mesh excalibur dehydrator screens.

some were saved for smoothie toppings...

others were mixed with dried coconut, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, apples, dates and maple syrup for a scrumptious cereal.

before

 after

the cereal/granola was dehydrated at 115° with cheesy kale chips (gone before i could ask "where's my camera?") and sprouted buckwheat pizza crusts.

this recipe plus basil, kale and a few tablespoons of hemp seed.

the green crusts look pretty and taste phenomenal with cashew cheeze and fenugreek sprouts.

sprout-tacular!

=)