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I am new to raw foods and a little confused about sprouting grains and beans. I have beans such as chickpeas and lentils and grains such as barley and brown rice that I purchased at a health food store and want to know if I can sprout them or do I have to order special seeds to sprout.
Thanks,
Diana
You don't have to buy special seeds, if you are getting them at the health food store, they are probably fine to sprout.
All you do is soak them for about 24 hours, then either place them in a jar, or bowl with some kind of cheesecloth over it, or you can place them in a nut milk bag, then you want to rinse them about 4 times a day and they will sprout in usually a few days, just keep rinsing them and letting them sprout, it is so easy.
It's a good idea to check the package of grain or seeds to see if it says "For eating or sprouting." A staffmember at my favorite health foods store told me that some of the packaged grains and seeds they get are treated with sprouting-preventers even though they're supposedly "natural."
I don't soak most things I sprout for anywhere near 24 hours. Overnight works just fine for me. Most raw eating books will have a soaking and sprouting times chart that can be helpful. Also, I've not found it necessary to rinse more than twice a day. Much depends, however, upon your climate. If you live somewhere very humid, you might need to rinse more often to prevent mold starting on what you're trying to sprout. Watch the water that drains out of your sprouting container. If it looks milky or colored, the sprouts are either going bad or gone already.
Thanks I'll give it a try.
Diana
I live in Western Washington where it is very humid even in summer, and I have found it is always better to be safe than sorry. So I soak for a long time to release the enzyme prohibitors, which will then allowthe seeds or nuts to sprout, again rinse several times during this period, don't let your seeds or nuts sit in the same water for that long about 4 times change the water.
Then rinse about 4 times a day, I rinse when I get up, and eat time I make a meal, so it is about 4 times a day. They will sprout and be very fresh and grow easily.
There are sprout charts in all the books, each one is different, I mean each chart is different. I know that I don't like sunflower sprouts, they grow very fast, and turn quickly too. Just once, I got some that turned, and they stunk up my house so badly, I couldn't get that smell out for about 2 months.
So, I don't even try them anymore. Besides I prefere other sprouts anyway.
The main thing is to try new things and have fun with them.
RawPriestess, funny you should mention the sunflower seed sprout fiasco because I just experienced that the last few days. They sprouted okay -- once the little tails got from 1/2 to full length as the seedss, I put most of them in the dehydrator to crisp them up. A smaller amount I left out to really sprout -- planning on green tops, but ... no! ... what I got was a yucky fossilized mess.
I found this fascinating sprouting resource tonight, though, and I ordered the plans for building a sprout growing box -- this woman's website is a little unwieldly, but her photos are great, her explanation is simple, and her resources solid and impeccable:
If you've got a minute, you might want to take a peek:
http://eatsprouts.com/
I'm planning on using the energy soup recipe she's posted there for an extended period of time. She ate it daily for her first year raw and she found it eliminated cravings and really helped her stay raw. It relies on the baby greens and sprouts that she's devised a fool-proof, easy way to sprout so that there's a fresh supply ALL the time.
I picked up chickpeas and lentils myself this week and was going to attempt sprouting for the first time.
After you sprout, in what container and where do you store? How long do the sprouts stay fresh?