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Searching for a Sprouting System

The only reason I don’t sprout is because it takes so much fore-thought to plan what sprouts I want several days ahead!

Who has this sprouting thing down? How to you plan when to start sprouting? What do you grow? Where do you keep it? Do you use jars?

Comments

  • deborahanndeborahann Raw Newbie

    I sprout in spurts (OK that’s lame but I couldn’t help it. LOL). I use the sprout master from sproutpeople.com It is a rectangular box with very small holes to drain without losing seed. I usually grow mixes and broccoli. I soak mine overnight and dump into the trays the next AM and then rinse 2-3 times per day. My house is very warm and dry because we heat with a wood stove so I have to rinse more frequently. They are usually ready in about 4 days. I use them in salads and on wraps and sandwiches. I also sprout buckwheat and kamut. I have a lot of trouble with my buckwheat fermenting and turning sour so I try to rinse those more often and sprout only until I see a tail. I sprout the wheat only 24 hrs so there is just a tiny tail. I don’t always have a tray going. I may go a few weeks without sprouting anything and then start back and go for a few weeks. Unfortunately they are not my favorite food but they are OK and they are super nutritious. Hope this helps.

  • i’ve been sprouting in jars, but i just read about this hemp bag that apparently works wonders and is super simple. i’m going to order it! http://www.sproutman.com/sproutbag.html

  • greeniegreenie Raw Newbie

    I used to sprout but gave up because I can’t figure out a quick and easy way to get the hulls off the sprouts.

    I mostly sprouted alfalfa and mung. I used jars and the hemp bags. The seeds sprouted well, but the sprouts were all mixed in with the hulls. Does anyone know a good way to de-hull the sprouts?

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    I just started to use my Sprout Master trays and now I LOVE to grow sprouts! I always whined with each batch using jars. I grow alfalfa sprouts and chickpeas regularly(about every 4 days I set up a batch), and grow other things like green pea, grains, etc every couple of weeks. Like if I want to make a curried raw dish with peas, I know I’ll need a few days to sprout.

    I soak my seeds and beans in any container and put them in my cabinets overnight. The next morning, I put them into the Sprout Master trays and rinse them, then put them back into the cabinet. I rinse 3 times a day. I find my alfalfa grows a bit slower than my beans(about 4 days) and my green peas grow the fastest—about 3 days at most. Things like grains are faster, about 2 and a half days. (I don’t do grains often)

  • deborahanndeborahann Raw Newbie

    Greenie-Wth the sproutmaster trays,I fill the sink to the rim of the tray and as the water is rising, swish the sprouts around. The sprouts generally sink to the bottom and the hulls rise and float so I just skim the hulls off. I lose a few sprouts and not all of the hulls come to the surface, but it is usually good enough.

  • I use 1/2 gal mason jars from acehardware.com – about $10 for 6 with FREE shipping to a local store. I use jar tops from texas best (get online) – I bought 4 each of the 3 different sizes – about $1.50 each.

    I buy 1-lb bags of alfalfa seeds from Now Foods online for about $5. I use chick peas, green peas, and lentils from the grocery store ( 75 cents to $1.30 a pound).

    I sprout the alfalfa separately, and the chick peas – green peas – and lentils mixed together. The alfalfa take 4 to 5 days (must get 2 very green leaves at top to be edible). Use 2 tablespoons of seeds per 1/2 gal jar. The pea/lentil mix takes 2 days to be ready – they only need to sprout a little bit. The pea/lentil mix should be boiled for 10 minutes before eating.

    The first step in the sprout process is to soak the seeds in water in the jar overnight. Then rinse – fill – rinse – fill – rinse about 3 or 4 times to wash the seeds every morning & night. After rinsing, place the jars in a dish pan at a 45 degree angle facing down for adequate drainage. You can also switch to larger tops as the sprouts grow for better ventilation. When the sprouts are ready to eat, put into the refrigerator dry – it’s important not to rinse before refrigerating – they’re last much longer.

    I have about 8 – 1/2 gal jars going at any one time, plus a few more ready to eat sprouts in the fridge. This is healthy & FUN —enjoy!

  • greeniegreenie Raw Newbie

    deborahann, alix1962, and everyone:

    Thank you for your replies. I was looking at the sproutmaster site (or some site that sells sproutmaster) and they say one of the oxo salad spinners gets rid of the hulls. I have the larger OXO salad spinner and I’m going to make a batch of sprouts and see if that does the trick. The sprout master tray system looks great, too, so I may get one of those.

    Hollis, thank you for starting this thread. I haven’t been eating sprouts because mine have hulls and the ones in the store aren’t very fresh. This will get me back to eating this wonderful food.

  • WOW! You’ve all been so helpful!

    I’ve gotten some new ideas to ponder, and I may even look at a sproutmaster kit or construct something myself to make my sprouting efforts a bit easier. I love sprouts and they’re what live food is all about, right? You’ve all given me new hope! ;)

    BTW, I’m loving this forum in general…it’s inspired me to dive deeper into the world of live food! ...deeper than I’ve been in a long, long time!

  • I really like the Sprout Master, by Life Sprouts. It consists of stackable trays that are easy to use and clean. You just soak whatever you’re sprouting overnight, then put it in the tray, rinsing 2-3 times a day.

    A 2 tray sprouter with center dividers allows you to sprout up to 4 different kinds of sprouts at a time. The Sprout Master is about 11”X 8”, so it doesn’t take up much counter space.

    I have a friend who has a sprouter that waters itself, but I don’t know the name of it.

  • WOW! A self-watering sprouter you say? If you find out what the make is, please let me know…I have GOT to check that one out! ;)

  • greeniegreenie Raw Newbie

    Hollis,

    Here’s one self-watering sprouter. IIRC, you need to hook it up to your sink or other water supply. It has mixed reviews:
    http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/sprouting/freshli…

  • CarmentinaCarmentina Raw Newbie

    I sprout using only jars and it works fine. I’ve tried using nutbags, but the little sprout tails get stuck in the mesh and it’s hard to get them out without breaking off the tails. I highly recommend the website sproutpeople.com for all info on sprouting, soaking, sprouting systems, seed procurement. Sprouting is a cheap way to stay ORGANIC, plus it makes those of us without gardens into farmers. Kitchen counter farmers!

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