Monday, March 29, 2010

Sprouts











We have a window full of sprouts , bean sprouts broccoli sprouts and a mix of sandwich sprouts. I have been learning about the benefits of eating sprout. I first purchased a two tray sprout er, for 10.00 then learned you can sprout in a simple jar with cheese cloth over the lid. The tin contains soil and broccoli sprouts. The seeds were organic and affordable from http://www.frontiercoop.coop/
I have seen some fancy web sights that sell screen lids, the cheese cloth was 1.50 at Lowes. Bob is not yet a huge fan but he will tolerate some on a sandwich or on a salad or on top pizza. Below is a Bean Sprout Salad from Whole Foods. In fancy restaurants these are "gourmet micro greens"
Lager our soon to be 8 month old Rottweiler (Friday he will be 8 months) has happily accepted them as part of his daily diet. Lager is fed about 75% kibble "Blue Buffalo"http://www.bluebuff.com/ and about 25% raw and local diet. Just a peak at Lager is a testament to organic and local foods , he has amazing size a shiny healthy coat and sparkling white teeth, ok credit goes to the breeder as well http://www.giantrotts.com/.
I will do an additional blog in the feuture that list more of Lagers diet, a quick note is includes lots of greens/sprouts farm fresh hard boiled eggs root veggies and raw local pork, and beef. Garbage in= Garbage out
Seed Prep and How to Grow
Fill the Jar with water. Swish and swirl the water around in the Jar. Pour water out and repeat the fill and swish and pour until the water runs clear. Skip this step if you don't have a screen with mesh smaller than your seeds , or cheese cloth.
Soak
Fill with cool (60 - 70°) water unless instructed otherwise by your seed supplier and leave to soak for 8 - 12 hours or for the time noted for the specific seed you are sprouting.
Rinse
Fill Jar with cool (60 - 70°) water (unless instructed otherwise by your seed supplier). Swish and swish the Jar. Pour water off and repeat once or twice more. As a rule I do it 2-3 times every time I Rinse.Rinsing 2-3 times a day takes seconds if you keep on the kitchen sink or kitchen window.
Drain
This is the hardest part of Jar sprouting. When you are done you need to get as much of the water out of the Jar as possible. With a Jar all you can really do is use gravity, so turn it Screen down and shake it up and down over and over and over again until no more water comes out through the Screen. When you are growing big seeds it is easy enough to get most of the water out, but when they are small seeds, there will always be some water left, so shake more than you think is necessary. It can't hurt! The seeds should be kept moist, but not wet. After three to five days, sprouts will appear. Once you are satisfied with their length, you should remove, rinse, drain and refrigerate them in a covered container. Don't leave them to long, however, as rootlets will appear, which affects the flavor.
A clay flowerpot can also be used. Soak the flower pot overnight and place a piece of cheese cloth, flannel or muslin over the hole in the bottom. Then cover the entire pot with the seeds inside with muslin secured in place. Rinse and drain as above.
Health Benefits of Sprouts
http://www.rawfoods.com/articles/rawcashew.html
by Steve Meyerowitz
Sprouts have long been famous as "health food" but recent research shows that in addition to being a superb source of nutrients, they also have important curative ability. Sprouts like alfalfa, radish, broccoli, clover and soybean contain concentrated amounts of phytochemicals (plant compounds) that can protect us against disease.

Bean Sprout Salad
Serves 2 to 3
This is from whole foods web sight, fresh salad of bean sprouts with tomatoes, red onion, cooling cukes and zesty lime juice. Assemble just before serving.
Ingredients
2 cups bean sprouts 1/2 cup diced red onion 3/4 cup chopped, seeded cucumber 3/4 cup diced tomatoes 2 teaspoons lime juice Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Mix bean sprouts with onion, cucumber and tomatoes in a serving bowl. Stir in lime juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.


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