A
GUIDE TO
The
Sprouter & Its Parts
• Getting Started- Seed Chart •
Seed & Sprout Tips •
Suggestions:
Alfalfa, Etc. • Recipes
SPROUTING
NOTES & SUGGESTIONS
"To
live effectively is to live with adequate information."- Norbert
Weiner
Most seed types require little more than 1-12 hours of soaking
followed by varying periods of unattended sprouting time (and
no rinsing.) Some seeds have special handling needs.
For example:
SPROUTING SALAD VARIETIES
1) With the Alfalfa Insert
pushed into the bottom of the Inner Container and the Inner
Container within the Outer Container, pour in ¼ cup of salad
type seeds, then fill the sprouter with warm water (bathing
temperature) and soak 8 hours.
2) Drain seed mass thoroughly and loosen. At this critical stage, for
best result, use centrifugal force to achieve optimal drainage of the seed
mass. A mesh tube bag (often used to package 4 lbs. of oranges) can be used to
hold the sprouter as you swing it creating a “salad spinner” effect. A
knee-high nylon stocking could also be used. After 10-15 revolutions, empty the
Outer Container, and loosen the compacted seed mass by slapping around the sides
of the sprouter. The sprouter should be covered with either the Dome or the
snap-on Vented Lid.
3) About 24 hours after draining the soak water, fill the sprouter with room
temp. water and use a fork to loosen and stir the sprouts. (It works well to
leave them in the water for 5-10 minutes, especially if you rinse just once per
day.) Always drain thoroughly. Repeat the process once or twice per day until
the sprouter is full – usually by the fourth day when doing ¼ cup batches of
salad varieties.
NOTE – Once salad sprouts reach leaf stage they begin to
shed hulls. Some hulls float to the top and can be skimmed
with the fingertips, many drop to the bottom along with any
hard or non-viable seeds. Once the sprouter is full, after
rinsing & draining, we can transfer the “good” sprouts
(using a fork) to a second sprouter (no alfalfa insert),
leaving the hulls, dead seeds etc. in the bottom of the
first sprouter for disposal. If only one Sprouter is
available, temporarily transfer the “good” sprouts to any
container until the “cleanout” is done.
When salad sprouts have been soaked and sprouted 24 hours we
can begin eating them, even as we utilize the above
techniques to achieve full leaf stage, uniform greening,
dehulling and growth to more advanced stages. What is
unique about Easy-Sprout is that the more seeds used per
batch the more efficient it becomes, provided they don’t
become a waterlogged, root-bound mass in the bottom of the
sprouter. Once at a stage you like, refrigerate any uneaten
portion with the Vented Lid, but wait at least 12 hours
after last rinse.
BEANS, ETC.
Sprouted beans taste better, cook faster, are less gas forming,
more nutritious & versatile than unsprouted beans. Most will
find only garbanzo, lentil, mung & pea sprouts palatable fresh.
(A few lentils & mung may remain hard - be aware.)
• Garbanzos love cool (50-60
F.) temp., no rinsing & even sprout in the refrigerator in
7-10 days.
• Mung beans like warmth.
(8 oz. soaked 8 hrs. grew pound of sweet 1/2" sprouts in 8
hrs. at 107°F.) For long fat mung use 3/4 cup beans. After
soaking, invert Dome & put in 8 oz. weight. (Don't block vents.)
Rinse 2+ times/day. Grow in dark until full. (If desired use
the above pan method for dehulling.)
Without raw foods,
we fall into a kind of twilight zone of ill health. You don't
feel sick, but neither do you feel well." (Henning Karstrom,
Swedish Medical Researcher)
BUCKWHEAT
& SUNFLOWER
The quickest & easiest way to use these two delicious varieties
is in the hulled form. Buckwheat is the most reliable, quality-wise.
• Buckwheat makes thick
soak water. If the seeds are "dusty" from hulling, get rid
of the dust by swirling the seeds in the sprouter before adding
soak water. Some extra seed washing before and after soaking
helps. And thorough drainage & loosening is a must. Ready
to use in 24 hours.
• Sunflower's biggest concern
is freshness, and rancid seeds are often found in the marketplace.
Look for light grey seeds. Use within 48 hours of soaking.
(Unhulled sunflower is used for growing greens, as is unhulled
buckwheat.)
SESAME
• Sesame acquires a bitter
taste if overgrown. It's most palatable with no root showing
to just budded out. As with all tiny seeds, drain thoroughly
and loosen. Sprout 12 hrs., cool & freeze in plastic bag.
