Several times through the years I’ve mentioned sprouting. I’m not as faithful about sprouting during the months that I have fresh lettuce in the garden or even during the summer when there are fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and other tasty vegetables growing in my back yard. Now that we don’t have anything ready for harvest, I’m yearning for fresh and tasty ingredients. Sometimes even the lettuce in the grocery store is just too sad for me to buy.
Sprouting is so very easy that anyone can do it. As a prepper, I see great value in sprouting. In the event there’s a time when it’s hard to find fresh veggies, sprout seeds take up little room to store and even though sprouts aren’t going to keep a family’s belly full, they can provide a nutritious snack, with a lot of vitamins and nutrients in a small package.
To sprout seeds, you simply need a way to keep them moist. I’ve used several methods. The bag method didn’t work well for me. My favorite method is this Victorio 4 Tray Seed Sprouter.
Seed Sprouter
Another method is to place a few seeds in a glass jar and cover it with a sprouting lid. The lid is great because you can strain the water out without all the seeds falling out, especially once they’ve sprouted.
Sprouting Lid
A simple way to get started is to use a jar with a paper towel across the top, held in place by a rubber band. This isn’t a way I would recommend for every day use but if you want to try it before buying anything, this will work.
Sprouting in Jar
We keep a large variety of sprout seeds on hand. These are the ones that I keep in my kitchen drawer and use often.
Sprout Seeds
Some I like better than others. My favorites are Radish, Broccoli and Clover. The radish sprouts are a bit spicy, just like some radishes. They really taste like a radish! My least favorite is the Fenugreek, though it’s growing on me.
A great mix for salads is the Salad Mix, which is a one pound mix of broccoli, radish, clover and alfalfa. One pound of seeds this size is a LOT of seeds! These are all very small seeds which produce very small sprouts. If you have someone who isn’t likely to try sprouts, these are pretty easy to toss into a salad and not even get noticed. They’re also great on a sandwich.
Holly’s Mix has some of the larger seeds, which make larger sprouts. Included are mung, adzuki, green lentil, red lentil, French lentil and green pea. These are also good for adding to Thai dishes. I also keep a bag of mung bean seeds on hand, specifically for cooked dishes that call for sprouts. These are the bigger ones that hold up well to a little heat.
It takes just a couple of days to go from seeds to sprouts!
Radish Sprouts
We love them! Some will like them, some won’t but if you’ve never had them fresh from your own seeds, I recommend that you try them.
Sherrill says
Where do you get all those seeds? I emailed your post to my prepper niece. Something else I don’t think either of us thought of but a great idea!! Might keep us from getting scurvy (HAHA, I know).
JudyL says
Links are in the blog post.
Pat says
Love sprouted veggies in a salad. I like your equipment for the sprouting. I have been on a few flower,and veggie, fruit websites. This is a whole generations of sprouting veggies. I do remember in the 60,s and 70,s when Mother Earth was the thing. It is so healthy to eat your own stuff. I love bean sprouts, alfafa sprouts, but am afraid to buy them for fear of e coli, and all kinds of bad stuff. With growing your own, you don,t have to worry. Your are certainly a Mother Earth in my eyes, who is a great example to everyone about growing your own food and be self sustaining and resourceful.
Linda says
I used to eat sprouts quite often back in my thirties. I may have to give them a try again.
Diana in RR, TX says
I used to do that and then got away from it. Will get back to it once i have a kitchen again. We did enjoy using them and not sure why I stopped. I think that happened when we were traveling a lot and then started it up again.
Terri says
I’d like to know where you get your seeds for sprouting too. I think I’d like to try this. I don’t have a garden, but I do grow some herbs inside and could manage sprouts too.
JudyL says
Links are in the blog post. All you have to do is click on them.
Pat says
You can purchase sprout seedlings at veg and fruit and also flower catalogs. Google or just Bing your info and it will come up with several sites.
Rebecca in SoCal says
I have done sprouts in the past, but am so poor at planning now that I don’t. I will think about it, though. I read that broccoli sprouts are a “superfood” and looked in a store…the price was ridiculous!!
We sometimes buy a “spicy sprouts” mix. I think it has alfalfa and onion, and KNOW it has radish. Love those little pink sprouts!
I think you can sprout sunflower seeds, too.
p.s. A friend (with a very limited palate) doesn’t like sprouts, because the little ones are “too hairy” and the big ones “too wormy.” pffft!
Vicky says
Okay. This may be a dumb question, but what’s the difference between, for example, radish sprout seed and regular radish seeds for growing radishes? Oh, BTW, I love sprouts.
JudyL says
Some seeds that are for planting have been treated with various “things” and they have probably been stored in not very sanitary conditions since they weren’t meant for human consumption. If you were growing your own radishes and harvesting seeds, they would be fine for sprouting but regular storebought planting seeds intended for gardening . . don’t use them!
Joan says
I absolutely LOVE mung sprouts. They remind me of peas fresh out of the shell. Once you try sprouts it becomes something you will keep doing. When DS#2 first saw sprouts, he turned up his nose. (HA!) but I convinced him they tasted like fresh peas out of the shell. He tried it and now almost always has something in the sprouting jar. Our health food store stocks a variety of sprouting seeds.
danielle says
Just saw these “microgarden” plants for sale at the farmer’s market last week. Tried the broccoli…..sorry, but it tasted like grass. Made me think of the times as a kid I would pick the sour grass and miner’s cabbage and chew on it. Probably healthy but to me, tasteless. I refuse to buy sprouts in the store, or use them in salad bars, cause most are imported from other countries that have a huge issue with e. coli but am sure that is not the problem at all when grown at home!
JudyL says
No need to apologize but I assure you that sprouts grown here are delicious. I haven’t eaten a lot of grass but I’m sure there are some folks who think lettuce and spinach taste like grass. It’s all a matter of taste and weighing health benefits. Home grown sprouts are completely different from most storebought sprouts. Most of the stores in our area have stopped selling sprouts due to health concerns.
Valerie says
I too grew sprouts years ago and don’t so much anymore – perhaps because one of my 3 children would always say to anyone who came to our home – want to see what my mother is growing in the cupboard!!!! Will have to again now that they are grown. thanks