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Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton, 2008
Sprouting Wheat, Beans and Seeds
Grow your own tiny, highly nutritious vegetables in a few days, anywhere.
Put into glass storage jars, or plastic tote-bins, a year's supply of alfalfa seeds, mustard seeds, wheat berries (whole wheat kernels) and the beans of your choice. The best ones for sprouting are pinto beans, adzuki beans, small red beans, mung beans, peas, lentils, and any small red or white kidney beans. The smaller the bean, the better crop of sprouts you will have. You are certainly able to sprout large kidney beans, but they may sour faster once sprouted.
Use sterile glass jars with relatively wide mouths, and some nylon, cheesecloth, or plastic window screen material (it's soft and comes on a roll, available at big hardware stores) attached to their rims with rubber bands. Put a half-inch or so of little beans or alfalfa seeds at the bottom of a jar, and add clean water up to half-jar full. Soak the beans or seeds overnight. The next morning, drain the jar through the porous material attached to the rim. Rinse seeds or beans with water through the top of the jar, no need to remove straining material; drain well, and set in a place with little light. Rinse again in the evening. Repeat this process daily, and on the third or fourth day, you'll have sprouts.
If you would then like to enhance the sprouts with a little chlorophyll, or green leaves, set the jars on a windowsill for a day.
There's a variety of ways to prepare and eat sprouts. One is in salads, another is in sandwiches. I like to put them on whole-grain bread that has been spread with labneh, or strained, thickened yogurt.
Some people grind up sprouts and cook them into meatless spaghetti sauce. Sprouts can be baked into breads, as well.
Sprouts are the perfect survival food, if one has the little bit of water required to soak and rinse the seeds or beans. Seeds and beans are easy to store in glass jugs or plastic bulk-bins. They have longevity, just as you will if you treat yourself right.
~~Copyright M-J de Mesterton, 2008
