Sprout it Out

In my attempts to add more raw food to our family's diet, I stuck out my chartreuse thumb and tried my hand at sprouting. It was surprisingly simple and rewarding. And tasty.

First, we stopped by Rainbow Foods for some alfalfa seeds.


Here's how to sprout:
In a clean mason jar, put 2 tblsp of seeds and about 2 cups of water. Place a piece of cheesecloth or as shown here, fine plastic mesh over the jar and secure with an elastic band. You can even use the ring of the canning lid to hold it, if you have it around. Another mesh material that could work well is the plastic canvas grid found in craft stores for needlework, if you cut it to fit in the canning lid ring. Let the seeds soak for at least 6 hours, or up to 12 if you have the time.



Drain the water by inverting the jar and giving it a gentle shake. Keep the jar inverted so the water drains completely, either in a bowl or a dish drainer.



Twice a day, fill the jar with water and let it drain immediately. Keep doing this for five days.



After a few days you will see little tails growing out of the seeds!



At the end of five days, the sprouts are ready to harvest. Give them a quick rinse with water


and let them dry thoroughly before storing in the fridge. Ours lasted for about a week before we finally ate them all.


They were a crunchy addition to salads and Mango Summer Rolls.