Anyone ever use the FreshLife Sprouter?

[maraw]

Looks like it would be a lot easier than messing with all the soil, etc. I need something simple and out of the way. I'm mostly interested in sunflower sprouts.

Thoughts, impressions, opinions welcome...

Thanks!
Anna

[FloridaPatty]

of a crop of wheat grass. www.wheatgrasskits.com has kits that use a coconut base mat to grow the wheatgrass.

It seems very overpriced to me. As for the rest of the sprouts out there in sproutlland, you can use a large bowl or get much cheaper sprouting medium.

[maraw]

Thank you. I thought so as well. I use a colander for smaller sprouts like buckwheat, and jars for broccoli and alfalfa, but for sunflower, I need something that can grow these larger greens better. I really can't use a soil method (for various reasons). This is why I've been looking at the FreshLife. I won't be growing any wheat grass, so that's really a concern.

Again, I agree it is pricey, but I've found with some kitchen appliances, for convenience and design, sometimes it's worth it.

[Veganforlife]

Hey Maraw!!!!

I have two of 'em sprouting "stuff" all the time. I love 'em. Buckwheat literally overnight sprouts. Honest to goodness. I started out with soil and when I found these, didn't realize how easy this was. Just remember to change the water daily. It's that simple.

Oh - the wheatgrass crop? I have a double barrel for both of my sprouters and it does yield a pretty good amount.

[NoGMO!]

I have a double barrel freshlife and am also planning on adding a second one. I use the one I have constantly.

[mblessed]

Hi Anna, We have the FreshLife Sprouter. We got it a couple of months ago. My husband does all our sprouting and he/we love it. It grows good sprouts. My husband uses filtered water because in our area here in the Northeast we don't feel comfortable using tap water, and he changes the water every day. At the end of each batch of sprouts before starting a new batch, he cleans it really really well to prevent any kind of bacteria or mold build up. The sprouts grown in the FreshLife turn out better for us than the previous method we were using (a small double deck plastic tray with ventilation holes).

Hope this info is helpful and good luck sprouting your sunflower sprouts. We haven't tried those yet, but we want to! We have done, wheatgrass, mung, a mix they call crunchy (my favorite), and alfalfa and they all turned out great!

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings and peace,

Marcia

[Arky]

I've never used one, but many people use them successfully. Critics of the Freshlife point out that it recycles water that it has already used, so any 'toxins' released during the first phase are recycled too, which isn't particularly great, but... it's up to you to decide whether that is a compromise you are willing to make.

More here:

www.ethicaljuicers.co.uk/sprouters_comparison.php


J.

[Veganforlife]

I've never used one, but many people use them successfully. Critics of the Freshlife point out that it recycles water that it has already used, so any 'toxins' released during the first phase are recycled too, which isn't particularly great, but... it's up to you to decide whether that is a compromise you are willing to make.

More here:

www.ethicaljuicers.co.uk/sprouters_comparison.php


J.


But...the water is changed daily. I also rinse before I use anything I've sprouted. I think one can get too critical in these matters. I like the ease of it...

[grassdude]

I got the Handy Pantry sprouter from wheatgrasskits.com. It is very simple and easy to use and you can grow tons of sprouts in this thing. At around $25, it is well worth it.

[maraw]

I received it about a week ago - yeah, I broked down and made the purchase. I'm glad I did, but I do have a few questions:

I put alfalfa in two of the sections and mung beans in the other two (I still waiting for my sunflower seeds to arrive). The mung did very well, but the alfalfa didn't grow much at all and were kind of slimy when I removed them. Not a good sign, I'd say. Is that a poor combination?

Oh, and I don't think that once a day is enough for our area (very humid here). The water was REALLY nasty each morning. Is it a problem if I replace the water more than once daily.

I must admit, I loved the sound of water sprinkling in the kitchen from time to time, and the smell of sprouts was just wonderful! We thoroughly enjoyed the mung and I'm looking forward to the next batch!

Thanks so much!
Anna
By the way, how do you guys best sterilize between batches? Shall I just use H202 or something stronger?

[Veganforlife]

Hey Anna! I've had better luck sprouting alfalfa in nut bags. Mine did okay in the FL sprouter, but I do more wheatgrass and buckwheat and such. You wait. The buckwheat, literally overnight!
My water is always funky too. And yes, I've changed it more then once a day.
I used non-chlorine bleach to sterilize in between batches. Sometimes I just thoroughly scrub, If I'm in a hurry. I have a thin brush that gets in the tubes and I also use a toothbrush for the spray heads.
I LOVE them!!!

How are you girl????

[NoGMO!]

I received it about a week ago - yeah, I broked down and made the purchase. I'm glad I did, but I do have a few questions:

I put alfalfa in two of the sections and mung beans in the other two (I still waiting for my sunflower seeds to arrive). The mung did very well, but the alfalfa didn't grow much at all and were kind of slimy when I removed them. Not a good sign, I'd say. Is that a poor combination?

Oh, and I don't think that once a day is enough for our area (very humid here). The water was REALLY nasty each morning. Is it a problem if I replace the water more than once daily.

I must admit, I loved the sound of water sprinkling in the kitchen from time to time, and the smell of sprouts was just wonderful! We thoroughly enjoyed the mung and I'm looking forward to the next batch!

Thanks so much!
Anna
By the way, how do you guys best sterilize between batches? Shall I just use H202 or something stronger?

hey Maraw,

as Veganforlife said, sprout bags work great for certain seeds like alfalfa, but if you use the FL, I'll say two things that helped me are:

I use my eye to guage when to change the water. Change it at/or before the first sign of foamy water.

and two, I had better luck not combining different sprouts until I learned what to expect from them individually. So if one type went wrong it didn't mess up the others. Pretty soon it was easier to predict what ones work best together.

mixed sprouts are available to take the guess work out, if you like! :)

I use GSE (grapefruit seed extract) to clean it in between sproutings.

I agree, the water sound is pleasant.

[maraw]

Thanks for the help you guys. I have an old bottle nipple brush from days past that I used on the tubes - it was perfect. I just used my vegetable wash to clean and it smells fine. I think the nutmilk bags mught be best on the alfalfa. They just really need the ventilation I think. I'll try changing the water more and see if that helps. Also, do either one of you use H202 in the water? I read in the manual you can do that.

Luc - I'm doing really well! Just so busy I can hardly breathe sometimes. The magazine is so great. Our circulation is WAY up from where we were last year. Also, a distributor is talking to me about going into stores. Things are perking along...

Family is well, life is good!

How about you?