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Originally Posted by
cocomamba
My first attempt at sprouting in my sprouter was sadly unsuccessful. The quinoa rotted! I looked today and it had mold growing on top. Not sure why that happened.
Quinoa sprouts can rot very very easily. lt's best to soak for 4 hours and rinse three times a day. Only sprout them for 1.5 - 2 days, that's enough.
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I'm going to try the jar method. Where can I purchase the mesh from? Any grocery store?
A hardware store that sells building supplies.
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I'm not sure what went wrong on my first sprouting attempt. I was watering everyday, twice a day and kept them away from sunlight.
Quinoa is one of the few that don't need to be sprouted in the dark. Actually...the grain family generally don't need sprouting in the dark unless it's rice. Grains only need two days generally, sometimes three days.
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I didnt soak them though! maybe that was the problem?
Yep. *smile*
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I got so excited when I got my sprouter that I just totally forgot to soak and put the seeds right in there.
l completely understand. l would be excited too lol.
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Here are a few more questions for ya, if you dont mind. How do you know when they are done sprouting?
For grains they only need a smallish nib sticking out (l call them hooks), two days should be enough in normal weather (best not to let them develop roots/legs, only a hook about 1 mm). For beans it's not so strict; sometimes l sprout them a week until the rabbits ears appear and the grow fully out, other times l only sprout them until the hook comes out 1/3 of an inch but harvest them before the rabbits ears appear. For alfalfa you will see many of the brown hulls falling off and sticking to the sides of the jar; it's then that you need to put them in a big bowl of water, gently pull them apart in the bowl of water, fondle them gently with your fingers until all the brown hulls float to the top of the bowl and sink to the bottom (they always sink to the top and the bottom). Scoop off the brown hulls off the top with your hands and throw them out out, scoop all the alfalfa sprouts out with your hands and place back in the jar with the gauze. This time place on the window ledge or outside in indirect sunlight so they go green (place under a tree or under a varanda for the day). As it gets cooler (no sun) you may need to keep them outside for two days. Never in direct sunlight because this reduces the water content and crispness and starts making them taste horrible and chewy and too strong. Always clean the brown hulls out so they don't rot the alfalfa, and also to make them taste better.
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The alfalfa and the quinoa that I was sprouting were starting to grow the tails but even after 3 days they looked nothing like what I imagined they were supposed to look.
Quinoa is completely different to alfalfa sprouts. Quinoa is not very flashy in looks, it's quite unimpressive and doesn't puff up too much. They can be sprouted until they get that red colour, but they don't even need to be sprouted that long. Quinoa rots easy, so never sprout for 3 days (too long). Always rinse quinoa very very well until all the white soapy froth is gone.
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When they are done, do I rinse them out and just eat?
Always nice to give them a quick rinse and eat. Sometimes l eat them on their own, but l find them better when eaten with other sprouts.
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I have to admit that they didnt look very tasty but again, I think mine were starting to go bad.
Yeah, that's why it's important to sprout them on there own, they can easily cause trouble.
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The tails on the quinoa were a bit reddish. Is that normal?
lt is, but at that stage it is verging on being sprouted too long and will be close to rotting. l've managed to sprout quinoa for a week, but 2 days is best.
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Another thing I noticed was that a lot of the alfalfa were not sprouting at all! Ever after 3 days.
That doesn't sound good. Were the seeds organic? Maybe the seeds were old. l had a recent batch of buckwheat that never sprouted, each batch rotted.
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Maybe its the sprouter? Perhaps I'll have more success with the jar method. Sounds easier!
Hard to say if it was the sprouter, but try the jar method. lf they still don't sprout then throw the seeds out and get a small sample of new ones. lf the new ones sprout well, buy a large packet of them or even a sack (make sure you don't have lupus).
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Final question, (for now! lol) and this is probably kind of dumb but I just want to make sure! The jars should be without the lids right? Instead of the lids I put the mesh with tight rubber bands?
Exactly.
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I am very inspired by your beautiful sprouts and grasses! This is something that makes me so happy! I've always wanted to grow my own food, there is something so spiritual to that! I would totally be doing exactly what youre doing (looking proudly at the greens) if I had what you have going on there! hopefully I'll be able to work up to that! Many Blessings!
l'm glad you like the pictures, that's why l posted them, to inspire. l will post other pics of sprouts soon so you get an idea of what they should look like. The only issue is that i'm going through a nightmare right now with sprouting because of the foul weather; no sun and snow all around and the sprouts have virtually stopped growing (the aduki's are so slow growing that they are rotting before they even grow a tail, so i've been forced to sneak afew inside) so they aren't looking as amazing as they usually do, but l am working out a solution. l've had to resort to loosely wrapping the sprouts in thick plastic in the shed to make like a greenhouse thingee and even bringing a bunch inside for the final two days before harvest so l can keep my food going. lt's really challenging but l am plugging on and are managing to harvest just enough. lt is so cold that i'm only rinsing the outside sprouts once a day, but these are exceptional circumstances.
And yes, it needs to be done step by step and worked up to. Sprouting takes alot of time to get fully organised and l am still working my way up to what l used to do (it can take up to a year to get all the sacks of seeds needed). Still need to design a proper sprouter and have it built, and still need to visit lots of farmers for seeds (they never answer emails or phones so it is really tough, especially tough when the seeds are quickly sold off). Getting nuts for sprouting from farms is the most tricky (virtually impossible...i'
ll explain why when l do a blog and talk about how nuts are treated and why most are heated and how it's done) and takes a huge amount of patience....months and months of waiting, lots of searching and getting nowhere for a while and lots of lose leads hanging for ages and no ways to contact the farmers most of the time. l think growing nut trees on someones land would be less hassle or advertising for people with nut trees in their yard to sell me them. So yeah, doing the sprouting properly can take a full year.
Soon i'll get a proper sprouting unit built with wheels so l can roll it out of my shed and save heaps of time. lt will be the size of a large refrigerator lol.