A variety of seeds, beans, grains and nuts

A 1-quart glass jar

A piece of cheesecloth or clean nylon stocking

A thick, strong rubber band

for larger beans or grains:

A large bowl (a cover is useful but not necessary)

A stainless steel strainer

Optional:

A 9"x12" glass baking dish, or similar-sized plastic tub

A store-bought sprouting kit

Chlorophyll: the compound in plants that makes them green, and that is also an integral part of a plant's food production process. Also a vital nutrient for humans; has a powerful cleansing action.

Complex carbohydrates: an essential nutrient along with proteins and fats. Carbohydrates provide energy for the body's functioning.

Enzyme: a natural compound that speeds up chemical processes; in the case of sprouts and human digestion, it speeds up and improves the absorption of nutrients.

Protein: along with fats and carbohydrates, protein is an essential nutrient that provides the materials the body rebuilds itself with. Proteins consist of combinations of amino acids, and surprisingly, the human body can manufacture all of the necessary proteins from these amino acids. This makes a complete protein (from meat, for example) unnecessary for a healthful diet (for some people).

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 Sprout, sprout, let it all out With sprouting you witness the emergence of new life in nature, and at the same time, make yourself a tasty, inexpensive, and highly nutritious food. Sprouting takes a dried seed (or bean, or grain, or nut) and restarts the germination process. The seed starts to grow again, and in most cases you'll see new plant growth emerging from the seed. The result is a low-fat protein that's highly accessible--easy to digest and utilize by your digestive system. So what's the story with sprouting? A seed uses its stored protein and carbohydrates for the germination process. As those nutrients are used, they're changed--proteins and complex carbohydrates break down into amino acids and simple sugars. Enzymes, once dormant, become alive and active. For these reasons, the nutrients in sprouts are predigested--ready to be used by your body for energy and rebuilding. And finally, if you've convinced yourself that you can't grow anything, here's an opportunity to prove your critics wrong. Sprouting is a fun and easy way to have a weekly mini-harvest of highly nutritious and delicious food. If you're new to eating sprouts, don't make too much at first. Growing an excess of sprouts presents two problems: eating all of them or getting rid of them somehow. Stick to the prescribed amounts listed in Step 1. Once you get the hang of it, you can start another jar three days after you start the first jar. The next jars will be ready after you finish eating the first batch. The most important point: when you strain seeds, make sure that they're really strained. Sprouting is remarkable; all you need are the seeds and water. But add too much water and the seeds may rot. Nevertheless, it's pretty difficult to make the seeds rot, as long as you follow the steps carefully.   Choose and measure Here are the best choices of each type of sprout source. Best seeds: alfalfa, clover, sunflower, radish, mustard, fenugreek (spicy). Best beans: mung, lentil, garbanzo. Best nuts: almonds, filberts (hazelnuts). Best grains: wheat berries, rye. The next list indicates what amount of sprout source is appropriate. small seeds: 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml). medium seeds: 1/4-1/2 cup (65-125 grams). large beans and grains: 1 cup (250 g). sunflower seeds: 2 cups (500 g). 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. Strain Next morning, cover the mouth of the jar with cheesecloth, and fasten with the rubber band. Turn over the jar in the sink. The cheesecloth acts as a strainer, holding in the seeds and letting out the water. If you're using the bowl method, use the strainer to strain out the soaking water and rinse the seeds. Note: Some people save this soaking water. It contains valuable nutrients that you can mix into a health shake with other ingredients like fruit and yogurt. Or use it for your houseplants--they'll be very grateful. Shake the jar (or strainer) a few times to remove all of the water from last night's soak. Rinse: Fill up with water, and again drain out the water, ending with a few hearty shakes. Hold the jar up to the light; the seeds should be mostly dry. If there's too much water left in the jar, the seeds may rot over the next few days. But if you're even slightly careful to drain the seeds, that probably won't happen. To ensure complete drainage, some folks store the jar upside-down in a glass baking dish or plastic tub. Rest the jar on the side of the dish, or up against the wall--any excess water drains out, without any more attention from you. On the evening of the same day, you'll repeat the rinsing process. You'll continue this morning and evening rinsing for 4 or 5 days (in warm climates, figure a day or two less than that). If you're feeling particularly keen on sprouting, you can rinse it a third time at noon. Watch for the growth: you'll see green leaves sprouting on seeds, and white shoots on beans, nuts, and grains. Harvest: After four or five days, the sprouts will reach their peak of flavor and nutritional value. Give them a final rinse; drain with a hearty shake. Now they're ready to be prepared and devoured by the hungry masses. Eat and store So many uses! Your biggest problem with sprouting is choosing among these alternatives. Add to salads and sandwiches, and as a garnish on soups. Puree seeds and beans to make a fantastic sandwich spread or vegetable dip. For flavors, try adding tahini, lemon, and garlic for a middle Eastern flair; or fresh tomato and basil for a Mediterranean touch. Cook bean sprouts: lightly stir-fry them with other vegetables, or add to other recipes like vegetable burgers. Also very good when steamed with shredded carrot and cabbage (see 2torial #0736 Steam Vegetables for more details.) Sprouted grains are a bit trickier to use. They're often ground up and baked at low temperatures (220 degrees F/90 degrees C) to make bread, or added to recipes like vegetable burgers and casseroles. After you harvest the sprouts, store them in a jar in a refrigerator. They'll keep for about a week--if you don't devour them by that time. -end- Learn More!