Give sprouting a go
In the past when I thought about sprouting my next thought would immediately be….”too hard basket”.
Then came the fateful day (which turned out to be a blessing in disguise) when my sprouts lady, who I have been buying beautiful yummy salad sprouts off for over a year, told me she was having some time off….what! How dare you! Was my reply, I had gotten so used to looking forward to that fresh crunch in my salads and the mouth full of nourishing goodness that followed. She then went on to tell me it was actually really easy and I should try it myself. As I pretended to listen and be interested to her instructions I was thinking to myself “too hard basket”, but it turns out what she was saying somehow got through because after a couple of weeks of resenting her and longing for my sprouts back I finally forced myself to bite the bullet and at least give it a go (good old Aussie mentality!). What I discovered was I loved the whole process, it was so cool watching these little dried hard beans form a life of their own, I really don’t like to cook but food preparation and raw food is a passion and sprouting has joined my list of things I love to do. It doesn’t take any time and the whole process of watching something grow is totally worth the small effort it takes, it is especially great for kids to do and observe.
So the point of this story? Give sprouting a go mate! If I can turn maybe you can too!
But what is the point of it all I hear you ask? Imagine a dried bean, seed or nut. When in this form it is as if they are hibernating and all life force is stagnant, they have limited nutrient value and our bodies are unable to absorb most of the small amount of nutrients in them as they have high levels of phytic acid which will bind to important minerals to limit the absorption by the body. By soaking these foods you are able to reduce the phytic acid significantly, as well as ‘awaken’ the vital life force. We are living beings and when we eat living foods we thrive. There is a plethora of information out there about the benefits of sprouting and if you are up for a read check out the site herbs are special and the site sprout people has a detailed list of all different beans, seeds and legumes you can sprout, how to and individual information about the different varieties.
To start you off……
~Place in a ceramic bowl beans/legumes of your choice (eg chick pea’s, lentils, mung beans) put in as many as you think you can eat over a week. Tip; most beans/legumes will increase in size by 25-50% when soaked and sprouted. Rinse then cover with filtered water, water level should be about 1 inch above the level of beans, make sure you check after a couple of hours that the water level is still above your beans. Soak overnight.
~In the morning drain and rinse your soaked beans, see how they have expanded! Then place in a glass container and cover with a piece of muslin and rubber band. Leave them on your bench, in a warm sunny spot if possible but not if it’s too hot.
~You will need to rinse, drain and replace them in your glass jar about 2-3 times a day over the next 2-3 days, depending on how long you like your little tails to be, obviously the longer you let them sprout the more they will grow but they will also continue to grow when you put them in the fridge to store. I have no hard and fast rules about how many times I do this rinse, drain, replace method, I simply do it when I remember and when I have time.
~Finally when you are happy with your result (and be happy, you just grew a little nutritious plant to eat!) then do a final rinse and drain, trying to get them reasonably dry to place in a container to put in the fridge. The container I use is not airtight, it has holes in the top which allows the seeds to ‘breathe’ and continue growing. And lastly of course ENJOY! Eat in salad’s with some nuts, baby spinach, avocado, capsicum, cucumber, whatever your heart desires.
One Comment
Gee u never cease to amaze me! believe it or not we did this when i was in infant school!!! took them home my mum loved them everyone thought she was odd! i like to think she was ahead of her time!!! be great to do with the lil ones!!! will have a go x x x