Sprouting About

Ever see those tasty little skinny things that sometimes end up in your sandwich, salad or stir-fry and not know what they are? They're sprouts, annnd they're awesome. They're crunchy, slightly nutty, but are said to pack an even better nutrient profile than its dried version. I carry a ziploc of sprouts with me everywhere and they make an awesome vegan snack.

Most seeds and beans (which are biologically also seeds) can be sprouted very easily. And although <i>most</i> sprouted seeds are edible, commonly seen sprouts include:

-Alfalfa sprouts (mostly in sandwiches, Subway and Jimmy John's carry this kind of sprout)
-Mung bean sprouts (commonly found in Asian cooking)
-Sunflower seed sprouts
-Brocolli sprouts
-Quinoa sprouts

Grocery stores usually have alfalfa sprouts in plastic boxes in the produce aisles, but packaged sprouts, aside from looking really depressing about 80% of the time, are highly notorious for beng contaminated with nasty, flesh-eating bacteria.

So, what the fuuuuck, right? Really, but not really. Making sprouts at home is easy, and they taste much better than the sad-looking sprouts in a grocery or sub store (aww =[).

HOW TO SPROUT
time: 3-7 days

1 - take whatever dried seed you're working with and rinse it thoroughly.

2 - place in a jar or container and cover the seeds with about 2-4 inches of water. these things are going double in size pretty soon, so if you're using more than two cups or so, I suggest using multiple containers

3 - take jar and put in a dry, dark area overnight (you can also use a dark container and not worry about lighting)

4 - next morning, rinse and drain seeds, then return to (dry) container and let sit for a few more hours.

Note: I use a special plastic drainer to make sure the container keeps dripping away the water, but you can always use rubber bands and cheesecloth and get the same results (and still manage to retain your punk cred)

5 - at this point they should sprout and grow pretty quickly, so just continue to rinse and drain the sprouts 2-3 times a days until they grow to your desired length.