A sprout is the stage a seed goes through as it comes to life, and before it has put down roots and become a plant. It contains within itself all it needs to sustain life for its first few days of growth. As a seed sprouts enzymes are activated which convert stored inactive nutrients into an incredibly rich food for the new baby plant. Many healthy eaters see sprouts as the best source of food on the planet. They are rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins and can be sprouted all year round.
What are sunflower greens?
Sunflower greens are baby sunflowers. They are rich in chlorophyll and extremely tasty and nutririous. They are usually grown from whole sunflower seeds in soil or compost, and can also be grown in an automatic sprouter.
What can I sprout?
Most beans, seeds, and grains will sprout, but some are much easier and tastier than others. Easy beans to sprout include mung beans, lentils, and alfalfa. Easy seeds and nuts include sunflower, sesame, hemp, and almonds. I also like to grow sunflower greens from whole sunflower seed, and sprout wheat berries to grow wheatgrass for juicing. For more info please click on the links below.
- How to grow bean sprouts from mung beans and lentils.
- How to sprout seeds and nuts including sunflower seeds and almonds. Spouted seeds and nuts are very versatile. They can be eaten whole as snacks, made into pâtés or nut milks, added to smoothies and salads, or dehydrated for trail mix.
- How to sprout wheat berries for snacks and raw breads, and to grow wheatgrass for juicing.
- How to grow sunflower sprouts for sunflower greens.
- How to sprout almonds
Mung Bean Sprouts
Lentil Sprouts
All types of whole lentils sprout easily, and are tasty when young and fresh with a more earthy taste than crisp sweet mung bean sprouts. Eat them when the sprout is roughly the same length as the bean. You can eat them when they're longer, they just don't taste so good!
How to Sprout Mung Beans and Lentils
How to Sprout Mung Beans and Lentils
Equipment Needed
A medium size bowl - pyrex bowls work great, or a sprouting jar.
A dark airy kitchen cupboard.
How to Sprout
- Measure out half a cup of mung beans or lentils, rinse and check for small stones.
- Pour them into your bowl or jar, and cover with twice the amount of water. In the winter when my house is cool and I find soaking the beans in warm water helps them to germinate.
- Place in a warm dark airy cupboard overnight or for 8-12 hours.
- After 12 hours - usually the following morning, drain and rinse the beans. They will have soaked up a lot of the water and be looking plump. Give them a good rinse, until the water runs clean. Either use a sieve or a clean hand to stop them escaping down the drain.
- Place the well drained beans back in the dark cupboard to sprout.
- Rinse twice a day, morning and night, until the bean sprout is the same size as the bean. Be sure to drain them well after rinsing. They are usually ready after two to five days, and can take even less in hot weather.
Bean sprouts are great for snacks and salads, and make a tasty addition to nearly every meal.
Sprouts store well in a sealed container in the fridge. They should stay fresh for up to 5 days, and will continue growing slowly .
Sprouted Wheat
Sprouted wheat is easy to grow, and sweet and chewy to eat. I don't tend to eat it myself, but often sprout it to grow wheatgrass for juicing. It can also be used to make essene bread.
There are many different methods that can be used to successfully sprout wheat. This is what I do:
Place one cup of wheatgrass seeds (wheat berries) in a pyrex bowl or jug. You can also use a glass jar or pint glass.
Cover with twice the amount of water, and leave overnight in a kitchen cupboard.
The next morning drain all the water from the berries and leave to sprout. I use my hand to strain the water from the seeds, but you can also use a sieve. If you are going to eat the berries then give them a good rinse and drain again.
Rinse in the evening, and then morning and night until they have sprouted a tail the same length as the seed.
In hot weather they will probably be ready to eat or sow after one day, but will take longer in cold weather.
Sunflower sprouts are baby sunflowers. They make an inexpensive and tasty nutritional addition to any salad or green smoothie.
As with all sprouted seeds it is important not to leave them sitting in water after their initial soak.
As with all sprouted seeds it is important not to leave them sitting in water after their initial soak.
How to grow Sunflower Sprouts from whole Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower sprouts are baby sunflowers. They make an inexpensive and tasty nutritional addition to any salad or green smoothie.
Fresh, crunchy, and slightly nutty in flavor they are grown indoors all year round, providing lovely fresh greens in the depths of winter.
They can also be grown outdoors when the weather is warm. I find they need protecting from hungry wildlife with netting or some squirrel proof wire mesh if I do this.
They can also be grown outdoors when the weather is warm. I find they need protecting from hungry wildlife with netting or some squirrel proof wire mesh if I do this.
Growing Sunflower Sprouts
This is how I grow sunflower sprouts. We usually have a tray growing somewhere in the house. They're so tasty I snack on them straight from the tray, and a small boy I know likes to pretend he's Peter Rabbit stealing from Mr McGregor's garden!
- Soak a cup of unhulled sunflower seeds for 8 hours or overnight, and then rinse and drain them.
- Leave in a warm dark cupboard and rinse twice a day until they start to sprout. You will see a small white 'root' appear out of the sunflower seed shell.
- Prepare a seed tray, or other container, with a good quality compost. Make sure that you gently push the compost right into the corners of the tray. Tip the sprouted seeds into the middle of the tray, and gently spread them out evenly. It's fine if they touch, but try not to overlap them.
- Cover the seeds with another thin layer of compost, and leave in a warm place out of direct sunlight.
- Check daily to see if they need watering. Water gently, and keep out of direct sunlight. They will need more water if the temperature's hot, and less if it's cool. Over watering makes them prone to mold and rot, while under watering may mean they die of thirst, and will certainly stunt them.
- As the sunflowers grow I give them a gently shoggle (technical term) with my fingers to encourage the top layer of compost to fall down into the tray.
- They are ready to harvest when their smooth seed leaves are large and green, and the second hairier leaves have not yet grown. Most of the husks will have fallen off the sprouts by this point, but you will need to pull a few off by hand.
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The above tray of sunflower sprouts is only just ready for harvesting. You could happily leave them for another day or two, which would give most of the smaller sprouts time to shed their husks and open their seed leaves.
- To harvest the sprouts cut off near the base with sharp clean scissors, rinse in cold water to remove any traces of soil, and spin dry in a salad spinner.
- Enjoy fresh in your salad or green smoothie, or store in an airtight container in the fridge. Refridgerated they keep fresh for 5-7 days, providing they're almost dry, and all the husks have been removed.
- Hoover or sweep up all those pesky husks!
How to sprout almonds
Lovely juicy plump almonds. These are one of my favorite sprouts.
Method:
- Place one cup of almonds in bowl or sprouting jar and cover with two cups of water.
- Leave to soak somewhere warm for 8-12 hours or overnight.
- Rinse well.
- The almonds should now be large and plump. They will not grow a sprout and can be eaten just as they are.
- Soaked almonds make great snacks, nut milks, and pâtés. They are a tasty addition to salads too.
- Soaked almonds keep well, and can be stored covered with fresh water in a container in your fridge. If you change the water every day they will keep for 3-5 days.
If I'm snacking on the almonds or adding them to salads then I like to remove their skins, and if I'm making almond milk I leave them on.
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