Moldy sprouts? It's pretty rare, but if you left too much water in the quart jar, it can happen. If the mold isn't too widespread, you can salvage the rest. Pour the seeds onto a large plate or baking tray, and remove the affected portion and a little extra of the surrounding area. Give the remaining unaffected seeds a very good rinse, and continue the sprouting process.

Sweet sprouts: To increase the sprouts' sweet flavor, wrap up the jar with a towel for the first one to three days of sprouting. After that, put the jar in the sun--this will activate the chlorophyll in the sprouts, thus developing yet another nutrient.

2torial #0849: Learn2 Grow Sprouts (continued) Soak the seeds As noted, a large variety of seeds, beans, nuts, and grains can be sprouted. For the sake of simplicity, this 2torial will explain alfalfa sprouting, and will provide additional information for other sprouting as necessary. (Incidentally, alfalfa translates from Arabic as "father of all foods.") Measure: Before you go to bed one night, measure the correct amount of seeds--in this case, 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) of alfalfa sprouts. Any time you cook with seeds or beans, it's a good practice to inspect them before you go any further.Take the portion of seeds or beans, and pour them out onto a large plate, serving dish, or baking sheet. Push the seeds on one side of the dish, and inspect them for broken or withered seeds, and small stones or lumps of dirt. (If you have any kids, this a good time to bring them into the act.) After they're sorted, pour them into a strainer and give them a good rinse. Pour the rinsed seeds into the jar. (If you're sprouting large beans, grains, or nuts, use a large bowl.) Cover them with adequate water--a few inches (6-8 cm) above the level of the seeds. Let the seeds soak overnight. Medium-sized seeds should be soaked 8-12 hours, and large beans and nuts can soak for 12-24 hours. Note: Water, water everywhere...but it's not always fit to drink. Or for that matter, grow sprouts with. Many municipal water supplies around the world have been contaminted by industrial and agricultural pollutants. If you soak the seeds in that water, your sprouts may absorb those pollutants and pass them on to you. Eating sprouts made in contaminated water may have an adverse health affect over time, so consider using filtered or spring water for sprouting. If that's not an option, then don't save the soaking water for you or your plants--just pour it down the sink. Step 3