Sprouting!

[cocomamba]

I'm starting! I have been feeling more and more committed to the raw food lifestyle and I want to do whatever I can to keep it going. I've been hearing so many wonderful things about sprouting that I want to make it a regular thing. The problem is, I know NOTHING! I bought a sprouter and am waiting for my sprouts to be ready (should be a few more days). I tried to do a bit of research online but it all sort of sounds like a foreign language. I know you all know a lot about this, can you share some info? Just some basic stuff that can help me along. Tips, books, other resources? Thanks so much!

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Lets just start really simple and get the following beans. l know you have a sprouter but you'll need alot more equipment than just that so l will discuss the jar sprouting method because it's cheap.

But before you start soaking the food you will need to remove any broken or split seeds by hand (usually lentils and beans need this). lf you don't remove the broken beans etc they rot prematurely and can cause the entire sprout mix to rot. This is always fiddly, but get it done and it will be worth it.

* azduki = 12 hour soak
* alfalfa = 4 hour soak
* lentil = 10 - 12 hour soak
* chickpea = 12 hour soak
* wheat/barley/oats/rye = 12 hour soak
* millet = 8 hour soak
* quinoa = 4 hour soak

Always soak in the sprouting jars with non wire gauze with strong rubber bands too keep the gauze on the end of the jar. After you have soaked the food, tip out the soak water and refill the food in the jars with water once or twice again with water so they are washed properly.

Then you place the jars on dish racks and keep in the dark. 12 hours later you need to fill the jars up again with water and empty them after 20 seconds and let drain on the dish rack for another 12 hours. Keep on doing this until they are ready, but...here is a special tip below:

lt's important to sprout in the dark until the last day (lentils/beans) or last 1 - 2 days with alfalfa and other sproutable greens because it ensures they remain crisp, juicey and delicious. Growing sprouts in full time daylight always make them touch and fiberous. When you do need to give them some sunlight (in the final day or two of growth), put them in indirect sunlight, never directly under the sun.

Books to get:
http://www.amazon.com/Sprouting-Book.../dp/0895292467 (essential to learn all about sprouting)
http://www.amazon.com/Sprouts-Love-E.../dp/0933278039 (not as essential, but it does make you appreciate exactly how sprouting changes the food into something far superior than the original seed). l might mention some of these amazing things about sprouts alittle later just to fire you up. *wink wink*

Try those seeds above first because they are the easiest to sprout.


Sprouting around people who don't want it around in the kitchen
The rule is to keep all this stuff away from their sight.

Use the backyard tap to do the sprouts (if the water is relatively safe for drinking) and keep the dish racks of sprouts in the shed, under the house or even outside somewhere. The key is to have good ventilation and to keep the sprouts in darkness until the final days. lf you need to keep them outside on hot days, just place them under a tree or under the house. Sometimes seeds need to be rinsed 3 times a day, but often twice is enough for most seeds.

When you start getting more confident with sprouting, get much bigger jars and go for it.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Lets just start really simple and get the following beans. l know you have a sprouter but you'll need alot more equipment than just that so l will discuss the jar sprouting method because it's cheap.

But before you start soaking the food you will need to remove any broken or split seeds by hand (usually lentils and beans need this). lf you don't remove the broken beans etc they rot prematurely and can cause the entire sprout mix to rot. This is always fiddly, but get it done and it will be worth it.

* azduki = 12 hour soak
* alfalfa = 4 hour soak
* lentil = 10 - 12 hour soak

After you have soaked the food, tip out the soak water and refill the food in the jars with water once or twice again with water so they are washed properly.

Then you place the jars on dish racks and keep in the dark. 12 hours later you need to fill the jars up again with water and empty them after 20 seconds and let drain on the dish rack for another 12 hours. Keep on doing this until they are ready, but...here is a special tip below:

lt's important to sprout in the dark until the last day (lentils/beans) or last 1 - 2 days with alfalfa and other sproutable greens because it ensures they remain crisp, juicey and delicious. Growing sprouts in full time daylight always make them touch and fiberous. When you do need to give them some sunlight (in the final day or two of growth), put them in indirect sunlight, never directly under the sun.


to be continued.....

And i thought i knew how to sprout, wow very informative.

Thank you, i will try your tips too if this is ok

All the best

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

And i thought i knew how to sprout, wow very informative.

l'm really happy to hear this. l didn't think anyone would really care.

Thank you, i will try your tips too if this is ok

All the best

Of course you can use my tips. l am here to share.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Here is just alittle something l wrote the other day:

"The biological changes that happen during sprouting is amazing; converting concentrated foods to a pre-digested form is really important for freeing up energy as well as neutralizing nutrient inhibitors, as well as generating nuclic acids (the youth factor l call it) and a nutritional value between 10 - 30 times that of vegies. Sprouts are similar to fruit, but have the substance of beans and protein rich foods, that's there beauty among many other great things. A really important thing about sprouts is that they have easily eatable digestable fiber, where-as vegies have fiber which is too chewy because they are a less natural plant (many vegies are derivatives of grass seeds apparently, but developed un-natural unhealthy characteristics by ancient man sprouting the seeds in un-natural conditions (kinda like GM foods). Sprout bushes will survive the floods and winds, but vegie patches will be long wiped out....nature destroys the week. Sprout bushes also have longer roots than vegies that pick up all the trace minerals. With sprouts it is win win all the way. l was only speaking on the radio about sprouts yesterday.


Sprouts (mothers) are far more nutritious then vegies (children of seed baring mothers) because they are seed baring mothers; all seed baring mothers need the extra life force to generate the seeds. When you eat seed baring mothers, all that life force energy is converted into your body, that's why you become like superman when you live on this stuff".

[Raw Angel Mom]

I printed everything your wrote about sprout and i will keep this in my kitchen

Thank you again for taking the time to share

All the best

[Leone]

l'm really happy to hear this. l didn't think anyone would really care.

I am sooo happy to have found this thread! YES! I CARE! I am just beginning to sprout and this is such a valuable resource to me.

I have purchased my organic seeds and sprouted some lentils, peas, adzuki, mung, and a mixture of alfalfa, radish and clover. Unfortunately I ran out of sprouts this morning! I guess I should have started more soon after I harvested the first ones!

Thanks so much for the pictures, Mr Raw. It really helps to see what others are doing that have done this for a while. You are actually the one who opened my eyes to the thought of doing lots of sprouts. I am looking forward to hearing more about what you do.

Now I am going to go back and take some notes on the suggestions posted here. Thank you all for posting!

[mpure]

I am familiar with sprouting, and have done so with some seeds and nuts, like almonds, cashews and sunflower seeds, but for some of the more hardy and solid beans, like chickpeas bring me some questions. I have sprouted chickpeas, and then made raw hummus, but i wonder how some of these sprouts are eaten. The hard ones, like chickpeas cannot be eaten as they are because of how hard they are, they are not easy to eat. The question I have for everyone is: once some of these sprouts are grown, what do you do with them for eating? Are there ways to soften some of these beans and seeds up, without cooking them so that they are more edible? Things like hard wheat berries, I would love to eat as they are once sprouted, but again, too hard to chew and snack on. Any ideas/advice/recipes/tips??? THANK YOU!

[MysticTree]

If you sprout chickpeas they are fine - just crunchy like a nut.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

I am familiar with sprouting, and have done so with some seeds and nuts, like almonds, cashews and sunflower seeds, but for some of the more hardy and solid beans, like chickpeas bring me some questions. I have sprouted chickpeas, and then made raw hummus, but i wonder how some of these sprouts are eaten. The hard ones, like chickpeas cannot be eaten as they are because of how hard they are, they are not easy to eat. The question I have for everyone is: once some of these sprouts are grown, what do you do with them for eating? Are there ways to soften some of these beans and seeds up, without cooking them so that they are more edible? Things like hard wheat berries, I would love to eat as they are once sprouted, but again, too hard to chew and snack on. Any ideas/advice/recipes/tips??? THANK YOU!

Steve says to make a dehydrated bread from chickpea or wheat sprouts. Dips can also be made from sprouted chickpeas. Crunch them down and ferment them and add various other ingredients...be creative.

[mpure]

Can sprouted wheat berries be eaten just as they are?

[manker]

What else do you use to make dehydrated bread with chickpeas? I miss bread most since raw so if you have a recipe that'd be great :)

[JenniferMooreFuller]

Can sprouted wheat berries be eaten just as they are?

Definitely. They are chewy and good if soaked overnight before allowing to sprout.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Yep, soak for 12 hours and then sprout for two days.