Sunday, January 17, 2010

We're Sproutin', Baby!

Anyone who knows me in the real world knows I love, love, love asian food!  When ordering Chinese, beef with bean sprouts is a must.  Of course you should also know, a sandwich just isn't complete with out alfalfa sprouts!  Sure, you can buy these at the grocery store; but it's sooooo much cooler to grow your own.

It's almost silly how easy it is to grow your own sprouts!  There are special jars you can buy but, we use a mason jar with ring sans the lid and some cheese cloth or a square of muslin.  Currently, we have lentils in our jar and some alfalfa seeds in the spice cabinet waiting their turn.  You can use just about any bean or seed.

The Process:
Add your seeds or beans to the jar.  Make sure to sort beans to make sure there are no stones.  I don't fill it more than 1/3 of the way up.

Finish filling the jar with water and then cover with the fabric and ring.

Drain out the water.  This is just to rinse the beans.

Refill with water and let sit for 12 hours.  Once again drain.

Every day for the next 4-5 days, fill with water swirl around and then drain.  Twice a day is best but not mandatory.  Keep your jar out of sunlight but the light from a room is fine.

Wahoooo!  You have sprouts!  Just give them a quick rinse before you eat them!  It's a bit hard to see the shoots in the jar right now, but I'll take some photos of the finished product!

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