Intro to sprouting

For this week's batch, I sprouted barley and mung beans. Both are very easy to sprout, delicious, and cheap! There are many guides out there with a variety of opinions and specifics. Here's the view I have come to adopt from Raw Chef Dan. It's a simple approach that makes a lot of sense and has worked for me. You can buy a sprouting jar like the ones pictured (forgot to put the lids on) or you can make your own easily. Basically, anything that you can use to soak the seeds/grains in and be able to drain will work.

First, you simply soak the seeds/grains overnight with plenty of water to cover them. I used 2 tablespoons of mung beans and 1 cup of barley. I usually stick to 2 tablespoons for seeds and 1 cup for grains. The next morning you drain the water out, rinse a few times and set aside laying down or at an angle, making sure as much water is out of the jar as possible. You repeat this morning and night until your sprouts are ready. Some things only need one day, others (like alfalfa) require up to 5 or 6 days. Make sure to cover the jar during the day (as if it were in the darkness of soil), but still allow it to get air. If you're sprouting something that needs to get little green leaves (like alfalfa) then the last day you simply let it get some sun before you do a final good rinse. You can also put them in a bowl of water and let the hulls (outer layer) float to the top and discard. That way you throw out the enzyme inhibitors that were protecting it until it was ready to grow.

That's it! You're ready to eat living foods that are packed with all the nutrients and enzymes of the entire plant. Sprouts are good in every meal of the day. They give an instant energy boost you can actually feel. They have a super clean/fresh taste too.  If you want to try a variety, I've seen small packages of sprouted beans at Publix. Toss them on your next salad and see what you think. I'll be sprouting a variety of things throughout recipes. Hopefully you'll get some inspiration, so don't make excuses, just give it a try!