Sprouting Seeds...

[northepaul]

Hi all
I tried some spouting seeds the other day at work, and quite liked them. I would love to get some to try and do myself but wondered if anyone has any experience? Are they easy to do? (as advertised) Which system is best? Which seeds would you recommend for a beginner? What do you do with them? (ie in salads or cook with them etc)

Thanks x

[sbeneli]

I use a Being Fare 3-tier sprouter like this (BEING FARE 3 Tier Salad Sprouter (Seed Germinator) | Healthstore). Despite the photo it has three trays plus the bottom catch tray.

I regularly do mung beans, alfalfa, and leek sprouts. I've done radish and mustard sprouts, too, but I personally find them a little too spicy. To use it, you sprinkle your seeds (thinly, as they do take up a lot more space once they sprout!) onto the trays and run water over them twice a day, though I usually can get away with only doing it once a day. The bottom catch tray will stop water from getting all over the place after you've rinsed the seeds, and I find it useful for soaking mung beans in overnight before putting them into a tray of their own, as it seems to make them sprout faster. I keep it stored under the kitchen sink.

My partner just eats the alfalfa sprouts straight from the tray, and I like the leek sprouts on salads or in sandwiches. I like the alfalfa in salads, too, but he tends to get to them before I do! The mung bean sprouts go into stir fries, or I just eat them as they are.

It's really dead simple.

(If you do decide you want to try sprouting things, I'm happy to send you the mustard and radish seeds I have since they're not getting any use here!)

[sbeneli]

Sorry, I thought of something else.

A lot of different things can be sprouted. If you have a good supermarket near you with an ethnic food aisle, you can find the mung beans, fenugreek seeds, buckwheat, and lentils really cheaply. They all make good sprouts.

I'd say none is easier than any other, but some are faster than others. Most things are 3-5 days, but the leek sprouts often take about ten for me.

[coreopsis]

I did some radish seeds,they are spicy but smell is quite sharp.Nice taste though.Not difficult to do,just a sbeneli says they must be rinsed and not too many at one time.

[Mr Potato Head]

It really is very easy. I took some step by step photos once, if I still have them I will posts them here.

[Mr Potato Head]

Starter pack. You don't need to use these seeds but they came with the kit..



The stacking trays in which the seeds sprout. The red things are valves which allow water to run down to the next level.



I use a tea strainer to geive the seeds a wash..



You can grow a diffesrent type of seed in each tray at the same time.



More pics to follow...

[Mr Potato Head]

You pour water into the top tray....



and it runs through to the others, gathering in the bottom tray..



Sprouts after probably 4 or 5 days..



and almost ready...

[Mr Potato Head]

And the finished sprouts....



It is a great thing for kids to try to and even better if they eat some. I use them in salads, sandwiches or just on their own.

[Two_Sheds]

Excellent advice from everyone, and you can't beat the photos from Mr Potato Head.

I've given up sprouting the small seeds, I get more bang for my buck from green lentils (split red ones don't sprout), aduki, mung and chickpeas.
Old seeds don't sprout well

The main problem with sprouting seeds is mould - you really do have to rinse and drain well twice a day

I chuck a handful into soups, stir fries, salads and sandwiches

[jackie j]

As said above really easy to do, great taste easy to find the seeds in lots of places.

[stella]

Great photos, I use a plastic box with a lid, do all the same things as above, works for me.

[Bramble_killer]

I have a t&m 2-tiered seed sprouter. If you have one of their £5 vouchers and buy during a free p&p weekend (like now) then it's only 99p.

I was given some sprouting seeds but reading on here that you can sprout from packs in the supermarket so went to an asian supermarket and bought bags of beans and pulses.

Also Julian Graves do a good deal on seeds sometimes.

Mine are sweeter if I remember to keep them in the dark (covered under a tea towel). But I don't like things to be too strong tasting.

[northepaul]

Wow thanks all - this is the place to ask!
Fantastic photos Mr Potatohead - I shall use that as a reference, thank you.

I thought i might try the T&M one, Bramble as I have a voucher, like you said.

So can I use my own pulses, such as lentils (I have some green ones I bought from an organic shop) or do they have to be specially treated?

If so, could you recommend which ones would work from shop bought packs please?

Thanks again - you're all stars!

[Bren In Pots]

I used to use a wide neck jar with a bit of fine net over mouth of the jar that worked well. Then I bought the T&M sprouter with free postage and a £5 catalogue voucher, I like it better because it doesn't take up much space and I sprout both Puy lentils. and alfalfa. at the same time.

[sbeneli]

So can I use my own pulses, such as lentils (I have some green ones I bought from an organic shop) or do they have to be specially treated?

If so, could you recommend which ones would work from shop bought packs please?

You should be fine with just about everything as long as the pulse is still intact. It's been suggested that it's not healthy to eat sprouts from pulses raw over long periods of time, but I imagine a bit here and there throughout the week is fine. Some things, like kidney beans, should be avoided.

I'd say to give it a shot with what you have before buying seeds. You can sprout nearly anything: http://www.sproutkitchen.com/sprout-...on-information

Incidentally, the bean sprouts you get in big bags at the supermarket for stir fries are mung bean sprouts. So much cheaper and so easy to do yourself if you get a big bag of mung beans from a foreign food store or the ethnic section of your grocery. You'll find pulses in other areas of the store but I've gotten bags of things 3x the size of what can be found in the non-ethnic sections. Great value for money.

(But, speaking from experience, don't try it with the sprouting cress that you grow to put on salads (the kind that come in punnets of soil in the supermarket). The seeds turn to a gelatinous goo when they get wet, and it's absolutely horrible.)