Sprouting!

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Sprouted amaranth.


ln the jar it is a beautiful pink/red, typical of desert weeds (photo doesn't do it's beautiful colour justice). Soaked it for 4 hours and sprouted for three days. lt started turning pink on the second day and turned really pink on the third day. l find it much nicer to eat than quinoa and it keeps far better in my experience (no easy spoilage like with quinoa). Thre nutritional profile is simply staggering, one of the most amazing of all. lt was imported from Mexico to Australia.

The grain is really small (poppy seed size) and can fall through the usual gauze wire used for sprouting jars, so when you drain it be careful.

lt doesn't get any better than this:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...d-pasta/5676/2

[Jen Rose]

Thanks to you I sprouted my mung and adzuki beans longer....whoa!! What have I been missing!??! The rabbit ears are so cute!!!

Also, I sprout flax seed by just letting them soak in it's slime and the tail comes out after a few days...this is OK right?? I don't rinse it or anything and I've never had a problem with it...I then mix in carrot juice pulp and dehydrate into flax crackers.

[Jen Rose]

lt doesn't get any better than this:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...d-pasta/5676/2

Wow 26 g of protein!!

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Part of tonight's dinner: (trays brought in from the cold winter and taking up a couple of days residence in the laundry)

Peas grown on soil - pea shoot smothie


Just for interest, here is my best sunflower planting this winter. Dinner for this coming Sunday night.
Sunflower seeds grown on soil - future sunflower green juice - the most balanced and highest quality land protein in existance and rare vegan source of vitamin D....the drink of all drinks

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Got lots of sprouting action planned for next week.

1). Me and a mate are doing a day road trip next week. We are picking up a 25kg sack of sproutable sesame seeds and have found my first source of organic brocolli and red clover seeds for sprouting, we'll also pick up 5kg each of the clover and brocolli for a start. We are both very excited about it. We also go to a farm and pick up lots of spring water.

2). Also meeting a fellow sproutarian. He is going to show me some advanced sprouting methods so l can cut my time way down and sprout my beans much more sucessfully. Garry has no trouble sprouting his mung, yet mine are a disaster; probably because he uses special water while l only use tap water for convenience. l am sure the spring water l purchase next week will make all the difference and cut my overall time down to almost nothing.

l am also ditching the jars and using proper sprouting trays because it will save hours a day.

l'm ready to rock `n roll.

[streetsurfer]

2). Also meeting a fellow sproutarian. He is going to show me some advanced sprouting methods so l can cut my time way down and sprout my beans much more sucessfully. Garry has no trouble sprouting his mung, yet mine are a disaster; probably because he uses special water while l only use tap water for convenience. l am sure the spring water l purchase next week will make all the difference and cut my overall time down to almost nothing.

l am also ditching the jars and using proper sprouting trays because it will save hours a day.

l'm ready to rock `n roll.

You might try and let your water sit out and gas off for a day before use. Not so much for the chlorine as that can also help hard coats to split. Some old timers would soak their garden seeds in a bleach mixture to shorten the days to emergence. There are other compounds formed during the decontamination process though, when chlorine encounters organic materials in the water it is used to treat, trihalomethanes being one. These are what I would want to gas off, if in fact they do gas off.
Being a methane I imagine some of it might.

Another additive or soak fluid can be buttermilk...the lactic acid should help break down the hard coats (saw P. Allen use it on okra seed), so it may work for things like oat groats and beans as well.
Ascorbic and Citric acid may work as well with helping split coats. It also retards spoilage and removes oxidation. I often use it on estended soakds likemung beans, but I have never made the comparison between soaking with and without.
I am wondering why or what trouble you might be having with the mung soaks. Can you give details? I have very good results with tap water that has been chlorinated, whether gassed off or not. If they are spoiling on you add ascorbic acid powder and soak longer maybe-something like 1/8-1/4 teaspoon. per qt. with 12 hr soaks (would that be round 1 ml/L)

[T-Bird]

Sounds like fun, Mr. Raw!!!!

Update us - with photos! - on your new techniques.....

I've been craving lima beans - wierd as I never ate them that I can recall much -

Have you ever sprouted them? I know on the sproutpeople.com they list some sprouts as not being suitable raw, but I didn't see any lima bean there.....I picked up a handful from whole foods bulk section, and thought maybe i'd try.....wonder if you had ever attempted?

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

You might try and let your water sit out and gas off for a day before use. Not so much for the chlorine as that can also help hard coats to split. Some old timers would soak their garden seeds in a bleach mixture to shorten the days to emergence. There are other compounds formed during the decontamination process though, when chlorine encounters organic materials in the water it is used to treat, trihalomethanes being one. These are what I would want to gas off, if in fact they do gas off.
Being a methane I imagine some of it might.

Another additive or soak fluid can be buttermilk...the lactic acid should help break down the hard coats (saw P. Allen use it on okra seed), so it may work for things like oat groats and beans as well.
Ascorbic and Citric acid may work as well with helping split coats. It also retards spoilage and removes oxidation. I often use it on estended soakds likemung beans, but I have never made the comparison between soaking with and without.
I am wondering why or what trouble you might be having with the mung soaks. Can you give details? I have very good results with tap water that has been chlorinated, whether gassed off or not. If they are spoiling on you add ascorbic acid powder and soak longer maybe-something like 1/8-1/4 teaspoon. per qt. with 12 hr soaks (would that be round 1 ml/L)

Thanks for the advice. What l am currently trying is the old technique of adding wheatgrass to the soak water. Grass neutralizes toxins in the water. Obvious my water supply has alot of chlorine in it. My beans really struggle with it (most die), and the peas also struggle but manage to survive. Garry's are all good. We both use the same source of beans and peas.

The mung starts going bad after 3 days in cold weather. Sorting the good ones from the rotted ones takes an hour, it's a nightmare that l need to find a solution to quickly so l keep my sanity.

Garry even uses a bike pump on his sprouts and says that automatic sprouters are not necessary. We should work well togeather, we can teach each other stuff, we both have our special areas of knowledge. We both think similar in that we largely avoid vegies and see fruit as a secondary thing.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Have you ever sprouted them? I know on the sproutpeople.com they list some sprouts as not being suitable raw, but I didn't see any lima bean there.....I picked up a handful from whole foods bulk section, and thought maybe i'd try.....wonder if you had ever attempted?

l sprouted lima and broad beans a long time ago. Easy to sprout but still far too starchy (not enough water content) and big. l wouldn't even bother with them, there are much more suitable raw foods to eat than those.

You could also try sprouting corn for 10 days (on soil or without) and cutting off the green shoots and adding to salads or smoothies. Another thing to sprout are carrot tops until the green shoot grows out the top; just eat or add them to juices.

[streetsurfer]

The mung starts going bad after 3 days in cold weather.
------
Garry even uses a bike pump on his sprouts

thanks for all your great tips as well. Above or below 65-75 and I can see that happening as the sprouting slows down considerably.

Are you saying he aerates his soak water regularly? Great idea-something I never considered....a small fish tank pump on a timer ought to work real well; sort of a carry over from making compost tea, but I will use a new stone, lol.

Thanks much!

[manker]

This discussion has been so helpful I really want to try sprouting too! In one of my raw recipe books it showed the jars upside down but it hasn't been mentioned if they need to be so thats my question also. As well, can you sprout other organic seeds say, broccoli or pepper plant seeds? Thanks!

[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!

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Just some quick updates about the sprouted chestnuts. After 5 - 6 weeks l have managed to sprout them with their shells on. lt's a long time but it is also a blessing because it buys me alot more time for finding suitable long term storage solutions. l have taken care of half of my nuts in storage, but the long germination period really helps me out. l soak the nuts for 1 month and then place them in jars and rince regularly.

l have been rinsing many shell-less chestnuts over a period of three or four weeks also. Some will sprout quicker than others, but none appear to be rotting.

l have been sprouting the nuts so the tails are sometimes as long as my fingers (pics another day). The feeling l get after eating them is really cruisy, but still very grounded. lf l am in a rush to go somewhere l will blend them with rejuvalic, alfalfa sprouts and sunflower greens...it's an incredible combination. Even better, l will break up the sprouted chestnuts and soak in rejuvalic over night and then blend with other stuff.

So far the Walnuts haven't sprouted.

`The sprout people' have never done anything like this so l am sharing this stuff with them also because l know they are interested.

So yes, sprouting nuts is really interesting and takes alot more time, and they are hardy and less prone to rotting. l will be sprouting a bunch for my vegan doctor soon as well.

Next year l go big time with sprouted hazels nuts, almond, walnut, chestnut and pistachio nuts. Might even find other ones if l am lucky.

Might try sprouting chia tonight.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

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!

Awesome stuff Leone.


An update on how my sprouts go when soaking and rincing in wheatgrass soaked water isn't too far away.

My mung beans currently die in tap water when rinced and soaked in it so l have been putting bits of wheatgrass in the soak and rince water to neutralize any toxins in the water (Kulvinskas wrote about this). Hopefully it will work.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

This discussion has been so helpful I really want to try sprouting too! In one of my raw recipe books it showed the jars upside down but it hasn't been mentioned if they need to be so thats my question also. As well, can you sprout other organic seeds say, broccoli or pepper plant seeds? Thanks!

lt's all been talked about in this thread. Take your time and read it well.