Sprouting, do you do it?

[MamaLea]

I'd really like to! But I want some real world advice before jumping in. What kind of jar cover would I need to get? I'd like to sprout beans and whole grains.

I'd like to hear any antecdote and experience you've had sprouting.

Thank you!

[serenbat]

We don't do much - one week mung the next alfalfa

we use this and it fits over a LARGE mouth mason jar- super easy

www.handypantry.com/product/SL-5

[AllyRae]

We bought a sprouting jar from the health food store--it was $5. It has a little screen on top and the bottom looks like a large mason jar.

[MamaLea]

I don't have mason jars yet and I'm not sure I want to get a whole dozen or whatever since we might be moving in less than 3 months. But getting one jar specifically for sprouting even for 5 bucks might make more sense... I'm going to check our local health food store tomorrrow! I need more coconut oil anyway.

[IsaFrench]

I use an old jam jar (wide mouth), I discarted the lid.

I secure some sort of netting fabric on top with an elastic band.

the netting fabric was baught in a fabric shop about 10 years ago, I baught about 20 inches of it and still have some of it left over even after giving pieces of it to friends .... I just cut a round shape one inch or two bigger than the mouth of my glass jar

I think that type of netting fabric was something very similar to what can be use for a veil if you make your bridal veil yourself

since it's secured with the elastic band I can just run water through it and let it drip up side down for a while in my dish drainer before putting it back in its place for the next 12 hours before I rinse it all again ...

my favorite sprouts to eat by hand (a bit like candy) are lentils of various colors (especiall green ones or brown ones) & as well as mung beans that are good combined in mixed salads, I used to sprout wheat but have gone off the taste now.

[MamaLea]

Do you wash the fabric after each use? I'd be afraid of fabric getting moldy after sitting out wet for a few days. Does the rinsing prevent that then?

Originally Posted by IsaFrench

I use an old jam jar (wide mouth), I discarted the lid.

I secure some sort of netting fabric on top with an elastic band.

the netting fabric was baught in a fabric shop about 10 years ago, I baught about 20 inches of it and still have some of it left over even after giving pieces of it to friends .... I just cut a round shape one inch or two bigger than the mouth of my glass jar

I think that type of netting fabric was something very similar to what can be use for a veil if you make your bridal veil yourself

since it's secured with the elastic band I can just run water through it and let it drip up side down for a while in my dish drainer before putting it back in its place for the next 12 hours before I rinse it all again ...

my favorite sprouts to eat by hand (a bit like candy) are lentils of various colors (especiall green ones or brown ones) & as well as mung beans that are good combined in mixed salads, I used to sprout wheat but have gone off the taste now.

[Magelet]

I've mostly done mung beans. I put about an inch in the jar (mason jar with standard lid, cover with 4-5 inches water and let sit 8-12 hours in a dark place, with the lid on but not tight. Then I drain the water, and rinse them, recover and put in a dark place. I repeat that twice a day until they are as sprouted as I want, usually about two days.

[FairyRae]

http://sproutpeople.com rocks for info on how to sprout various grains and legumes and other stuff.

I used to do it a lot--have done a wide array of gf grains--rice, millet, buckwheat, oat groats (I think that's what they are called b/4 rolled???), quinoa, along w/ legumes--both chickpeas and kidney beans. W/ grains, you can dehydrate them after sprouting on a cookie sheet in the oven then store them in a jar in the fridge for later use (they'll last a long time) and then either grind for flour to bake w/ or just cook up (like w/ rice). The legumes I would cook right after sprouting (until soft/done) then freeze for later use. I loved making bean cakes and cookies out of the beans, or sprouted chili.

I don't do it much now (I'm grain free and our family doesn't eat many grains anymore) but found it pretty simple and not time consuming. I used a mason jar w/ a peice of mesh from a screen from *something* (can't remember what) that I just cut into a circular shape. Made a couple of these and used the jar lid w/ the hole in it--worked fine.

HTH!

[IsaFrench]

MamaLea, the fabric I use is synthetic I think because it dries between each rinse .... so it never got mouldy.

after a few months of use it becomes tinted a bit (mainly by the soaking water of the first 12 hours, when I discart it-without removing the elastic band) so I might wash it with soap or washing up liquid (takes about a minute) before I start a new batch if it bothers me too much ...

[Ammaarah]

Originally Posted by AllyRae

We bought a sprouting jar from the health food store--it was $5. It has a little screen on top and the bottom looks like a large mason jar.

I use one like this too.

By the way, if you're going to sprout, do NOT follow Sally Fallon's advice in NT. She says to fill the jar 1/3 full of seeds. You will waste a lot of seeds that way and they won't grow as long and nice as they could. Start with a tablespoon or two until you are an expert, then grow as much as you like. A tablespoon of mixed sprouting seeds will fill the mason jar I use in about 4-5 days.

[MamaLea]

Wow great suggestions! I did not get out to get the jar today and now I'm not sure if I'll do that or the screen or fabric. I just don't want to have a dozen mason jars hanging around right now, no space for storage here! But i am anxious to get started trying this. I really think the kids will dig it and eat it.

[Ammaarah]

My 4-year-old daughter's not big on lettuce or other green raw veggies, but she'll gobble up sprouts alone or on a sandwich. I think they're easier for little ones to eat than big leaves.

If you want to try a few different types of sprouts, there are cool layered containers you can buy online or I suppose in some co-ops, so you can grow 3-5 different types of sprouts at once but not take up your entire kitchen.

When I didn't have my sprouting jar, I just used a piece of cheesecloth and a rubber band to strain the water from the seeds.

[serenbat]

When I didn't have my sprouting jar, I just used a piece of cheesecloth and a rubber band to strain the water from the seeds.

this works well with larger size items but you can loose a lot of small seeds this way- I use to do this but I bought the top and save a lot of cheesecloth and lost seeds

[Ammaarah]

Originally Posted by serenbat

this works well with larger size items but you can loose a lot of small seeds this way- I use to do this but I bought the top and save a lot of cheesecloth and lost seeds

I double the cheesecloth and keep the band tight and it works well for small seeds.

[FairyRae]

Oh, this reminds me--I used to do chickpeas in my colander (they are big so didn't go through the holes.) I'd soak them overnight in a bowl of water, then dump them into the colander, rinse, and set next to the sink rinsing them in the am and pm--was way easy. But it would only work for REALLY big things like beans--hmm--maybe almonds or other nuts too...