Tuesday, March 1, 2011

adventures in sprouting

sprouting edible seeds seems to be all the rage right now, and rightfully so, as sprouts are plants at their greatest point of vitality and are said to be the most nutrient-rich food on earth!

what's great is sprouting can be done most anywhere, any time of year - with just a jar, some seeds and water.


the bag of fenugreek seed above cost between one and two dollars and will yield a few jars of sprouts. some farmer's markets and health food stores sell seeds for edible sprouts. seeds may also be purchased online. 

the sproutpeople say, "fenugreek has gained popularity in recent years due to research that indicates that it increases the breast size." what?! fenugreek in general is great for breast health - it's been used to increase milk production in nursing mothers for hundreds of years! there are many other therapeutic uses, including those for men, found here.

convenient sprouting kits and lids exist, but this little set-up works fine. a piece of clean nylon pantyhose or cheesecloth would also work - anything that will allow for proper drainage.


after a good rinse in a mesh strainer,


two tablespoons of seed were soaked in filtered water overnight.


another good rinsing and they're placed upside down to drain and sprout out of direct sunlight.

they were rinsed and drained every 8-12 hours.  

day 1 - soaked seeds ready for sprouting


day 2 - little tails or roots have already formed!




day 3 - tails are longer. this is when the sproutpeople would eat them - before the leaves open. i like to let my sprouts "green-up" for more nutrients, so on we sprout...


day 4 - they're ready to go! wow, that was fast!


they received a very thorough rinse and were set out to dry before storage in the fridge.



alone, fenugreek spouts are a bit on the bitter side, but i find them to be really tasty atop salad, soup, raw pizza and wraps.


after venturing into some buckwheat sprouting, apple buckwheat granola and basil pizza crusts were made.


the buckwheat groats were soaked about an hour and sprouted for a day and a half on mesh excalibur dehydrator screens.



some were saved for smoothie toppings...


others were mixed with dried coconut, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, apples, dates and maple syrup for a scrumptious cereal.


before


 after


the cereal/granola was dehydrated at 115° with cheesy kale chips (gone before i could ask "where's my camera?") and sprouted buckwheat pizza crusts.


this recipe plus basil, kale and a few tablespoons of hemp seed.


the green crusts look pretty and taste phenomenal with cashew cheeze and fenugreek sprouts.

sprout-tacular!
=)

15 comments:

  1. Fenugreek is one sprout I have never tried. I have to put that on the list.

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  2. Truly an exceptional blog post. No kiddin'---I mean that. I can picture that stuff all over my pizza. YES! Thank you, Kelli...

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  3. I haven't done fenugreek before, I want to now. Thanks for the inspiration. You've been busy in the kitchen, love all the buckwheat stuff too.

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  4. oh my, i always want to do this, but i get lazy. i think that i'm going to venture into sprouting this spring!

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  5. I love sprouts. I have never tried fenugreek though, and sprouts in your cereal, how creative! I really must venture beyond the alfalfa sprouts.

    -Brenda

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  6. I just sprouted for the first time! So much fun! Hehe!

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  7. jane, i'm going to grow fenugreek greens too. the taste is unique and i like what i'm reading about it as far as nurtitional value.

    thanks, clint! yes, put them on your pizza and post a picture, p-p-p-please!=)

    thanks bitt. i get surges of kitchen energy every few days. today was not one of those days.

    thanks, marlie!=)

    griffen, spring's a great time to start!

    brenda, i'm amazed to learn how many seeds make edible sprouts! i only knew of mung and alfalfa before i started exploring online.

    lauren, it is so fun! the kids i sit are sprouting alfalfa and they love it too.=)

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  8. Loving this post. It is packed with so much information. I actually bought some buckwheat groats today.Thanks for the inspiration.

    Your granola looks great. I made some too last night but mine did not turn out so well.Probably because I didn't follow the recipe.:)

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  9. Sproutacular, indeed! You go, girl! :o)

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  10. sprout-tacular! ha ha - cute! And you know we have fenugreek at home but have never sprouted it (love your mesh screen btw). And the buckwheat cereal - looks so good!

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  11. beautiful sprouts kelli--so glad you tried the fenugreek. I "harvest" mine super young, next time I will let them go longer to see how I like them that way.
    Loved your post!!
    Happy Sprouting,
    Elizabeth

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  12. forgot to tell you--my garbanzo sprouts got funky...fermented almost. I think I just waitied too long to "harvest" them. Back to the drawing board with those.
    Thanks for answering my question the other day--didn't think you'd want me posting it so I just read it privately.
    Peace and Raw Health,
    e

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  13. thanks elizabeth! sorry to hear about your garbanzos - same thing happened to me, with sprouting quinoa as well. i wonder if it was because my kitchen was too warm at the time???

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