Even though I have been gardening for quite a few years now, it never ceases to amaze me how plants and vegetables spring up from such tiny seeds. Every seed knows what it is and what vegetable it is supposed to produce. All it takes is sunlight, soil , water and a seed....and some sort of inciting energy. Some people call this energy God and others may call it nature. What astonishes me even more than being able to grow plants outside is that all year round...even in the dead of winter...there is a very special food that we can grow inside, without much sun and no soil. All that is needed is water and some seeds.You probably know where I am heading with this. Most of you have heard of sprouting seeds indoors to use in salads, sandwhiches...or just to snack on plain. At least once a year I like to reread my books about sprouts to remind me of their health benefits and the simpleness of producing my own enzyme/vitamin packed produce....without much equipment. This is the kind of thing that gets me psyched. I love being at least partially self sufficient and at the same time being able to control the quality and freshness of the food I serve my family.
The book I am currently rereading is The Sprouting Book: How to Grow and Use Sprouts to Maximize Your Health and Vitality (Avery Health Guides)
. The sprouting kit in the picture above, I have been using for years and it can be found here Sprout Garden 3 Tray Family Sprouting Kit - Includes: Sprouter, Drainboard, Covers, 3 Sprouting Trays, 2 Oz of Certified Organic Alfalfa Seed, Instructions. Grow Healthy Fresh Sprouts in Your Own Kitchen!
It has worked very well and is easy to use.
I'd like to quote from the preface of Ann Wigmore's "The Sprouting Book".... "Sprouts, while inexpensive and easy to grow, afford one of the most concentrated but truly natural sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids (protein) known. They are also biogenic ....alive...and capable of transferring their life energy to your body. Biogenic foods are foods that when planted will create new life. All raw, unsprouted seeds, beans, grains, and nuts are biogenic. When they are sprouted and eaten, they provide the body with a form of living energy...a composite of vital food factors not yet isolated by scientists, but proven to be of value in nature's laboratory of day-to-day life." Wigmore goes on to say that vegetables and fruits are different and are bioactive instead of biogenic. Bioactive means that while fruits and vegetables are full of life and nutritious elements they are not biogenic or capable of creating new life. I found that fact to be very interesting.
. The sprouting kit in the picture above, I have been using for years and it can be found here Sprout Garden 3 Tray Family Sprouting Kit - Includes: Sprouter, Drainboard, Covers, 3 Sprouting Trays, 2 Oz of Certified Organic Alfalfa Seed, Instructions. Grow Healthy Fresh Sprouts in Your Own Kitchen! It has worked very well and is easy to use. I'd like to quote from the preface of Ann Wigmore's "The Sprouting Book".... "Sprouts, while inexpensive and easy to grow, afford one of the most concentrated but truly natural sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids (protein) known. They are also biogenic ....alive...and capable of transferring their life energy to your body. Biogenic foods are foods that when planted will create new life. All raw, unsprouted seeds, beans, grains, and nuts are biogenic. When they are sprouted and eaten, they provide the body with a form of living energy...a composite of vital food factors not yet isolated by scientists, but proven to be of value in nature's laboratory of day-to-day life." Wigmore goes on to say that vegetables and fruits are different and are bioactive instead of biogenic. Bioactive means that while fruits and vegetables are full of life and nutritious elements they are not biogenic or capable of creating new life. I found that fact to be very interesting.
There are many different types of seeds that can be sprouted and it's alot of fun experimenting and trying the various seeds. One of my favorites is red clover seed and is the seed I am using in my sprouter in the photo at the top.These seeds are at least a year old and as you can see....some of them are floating. Some people say that when seeds float that they are old and inactive but other people say this is not true and that their floating seeds do sprout. Either way, I have always ended up with a full tray of sprouts in the end. The photo at the top is the first step of sprouting....soaking the seed. I used 2 TBSP of seed, filled the container with water and let them soak for 6 hours. I then dumped the water, rinsed the seed , inverted the bottom container, set the tray with the sprouts in it on top of the inverted container and then covered the sprout container with another inverted container. These are stackable and you can sprout several different trays of sprouts at once.I rinse the seeds under running water twice a day and then recover them to let them continue sprouting. This is what the seeds look like after 24 hours of sprouting. Wait till you see how they transform each day.
After 3 days
Done...After 5 days
I just think it is so amazing!
You can buy organic sprouting seeds at your local health food store or you could buy them here
Red Clover Sprouting Seeds
Check out the seed sprouting video below
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