Late last year, I returned to my previous practice of sprouting, which had fallen by the wayside as life got busier and busier. Why? I was firmly committed to the benefits of eating sprouted foods and was purchasing organic alfalfa sprouts, pea shoots, sunflower sprouts, etc. on a weekly basis. This is far from cheap! I use sprouts every day in salads, wraps, smoothies, and on top of burgers. I decided that I could better conserve money with minimal effort, as sprouts are simple and far less expensive to grow at home.

What's the deal with sprouts? Sprouting makes nuts, seeds, beans, and grains more nutritious, turning the seeds into a living food. This process increases the enzyme count, especially the enzyme phytase, which helps the body absorb vitamins more effectively. We all could benefit from this, right?  Sprouting also produces higher quality proteins and increases the fiber and vitamin content of the seed, grain, nut, or bean. Sprouted foods are easier to digest than their unsprouted counterparts. Recently, I read this article on how sprouting reduces the amount of anti-nutrients present in these foods.

Sprouting is easy and quite fun! There is something really gratifying about watching things grow.  And you can easily do this in the city, with no yard, pots, or soil.  It creates absolutely no mess and requires only a minute each morning and night to rinse and drain the seeds. I rinse them mid-day as well if I'm working from home. That's it!  Plus, it's a constant lesson in the cycle of plant growth for our four-year old, who willingly eats the milder sprouts in salads and smoothies. 

This article provides an easy-to-follow step by step tutorial on how to sprout seeds in canning jars with Easy Sprout lids, which is the method I use.  It takes about four days for alfalfa sprouts to go from soaking to your table. These alfalfa and broccoli sprouts are happily growing in my kitchen. You can see the alfalfa seeds in the jar on the left and the finished product in the middle bowl.  Yum! 

Organic non-GMO sprouting seeds are readily available on Amazon. I've tried a number of companies and my favorite, by far, is Sprout House, as a greater percentage of seeds germinate compared to other brands.  There are so many options... think alfalfa, radish, cabbage, green pea, clover, lentil, garbanzo, buckwheat, or mung bean sprouts, to name a few.  Happy noshing!