(Like me!) Not everyone has a green thumb. Not everyone can grow a garden outdoors and not everyone has a Tower Garden that can grow indoors year round and supply them with organic, non-GMO produce (also like me). However, when considering ways to be more sustainable and begin to grow your own food, the easiest step toward sustainability is something you can do on your kitchen counter: sprouting.
The Benefits of Sprouting
I say this for a couple of reasons. If you have a black thumb, like me, you may be intimidated by dirt. As I continue my journey with food and the ethics of eating and sustainability, I am learning that there is A LOT to soil! Some even deny hydroponics, like my Tower Garden, can truly be “organic gardening” as, traditionally, it is the quality and the cultivating power of the soil that created “organic” as a sacred form of farming.
I say this also because, as I mention above, you can literally grow sprouts on your kitchen counter using the ambient light from the natural light and light bulbs in your home to create nutrients! Amazing, right? My simple sprouting grow kit sits right by my sink. It’s fun to watch the little sprouts grow over time. This can also be done year round.
Another benefits of sprouting is that they grow SUPER fast! We’re talking being ready to eat in 2-7 days! And, the yield of the tiny sprouting seeds is SUPER high. For instance, 1/2 of a tablespoon of seeds that have been sprouted lasts me a good 2 weeks of edible sprouts.
From a nutrition standpoint, sprouts pack a punch! High in Vitamin C, protein, fiber, and other minerals and antioxidants that the International Sprout Growers Association even have linked to improved bone density and defenses against cancer! And, given that the USDA reports that vegetables are most nutritious freshly harvested and around 7-10 days old, a simple serving of something like sprouts (or even microgreens, which I discuss a bit below) can represent the nutritional value of several servings of fresh veggies given that all of the nutrients that will develop into the adult vegetable are stored in potential in a tiny seed/sprout/green!
Lastly, umm… they’re delicious! Period. And, they can be a fun, nutritional, and tasty addition to pretty much any dish: a sandwich, eggs, salad, roast pork, soup, etc. I, in fact, am a bit addicted to them. 🙂
How to Sprout
There are a couple key things to note when starting on your sprouting quest:
- Sprouts grow best in a temperature around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sprouts grow best when they are in a bright location with indirect light.
- Especially when first growing, sprouts needs to be rinsed at least twice a day.
- Sprouts really expand. So, although you feel that such tiny seeds can’t possibly blossom to 4-20 times their size, be patient! They will.
- While sprouts don’t spontaneously evolve pathogens, they can be vulnerable to airborne pathogens, just like anything else. So, if they smell or look funny, go with your gut and throw the batch out, cleaning all the parts of your sprouter thoroughly before you try a new batch.
- Once your sprouts are at their peak of freshness (e.g. the seeds have developed roots and the little leaves will have opened up, revealing a vibrant green), they are most nutritious at this time. However, they typically will store well in the fridge (without needing to be rinsed) for around three days, especially if you are keeping them in a ventilated seed sprouter, like I do.
- If you yield around 75% of your seeds as sprouts, that’s a pretty great percentage. Be proud of yourself!
Here are the steps to sprouting:
- Soak your seeds for 8-12 hours (no more or else you can drown the cute little seeds and ruin their growing potential!) in cool water and make sure the water covers the seeds by at least three times their depth.
- Especially when first growing, sprouts needs to be rinsed in at least two cups of water at least twice a day. This is important both for germination but especially because “older” sprouts (i.e. toward the 5-8 day mark) develop more simple sugars and can mold easier.
THAT’S IT! YOU NOW GROW AND HARVEST YOUR OWN FOOD – INDOORS AND IN ONLY A COUPLE DAYS! YOU HAVE TAKEN A STEP TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY!
Other Thoughts
It is true that you can be even more sustainable by making your own sprouting container with a food-grade bucket that has many three-sixteenths-sized holes drilled in the bottom and then turning the bucket on it’s lid. However, I choose to not do that for a couple reasons. First, it doesn’t allow for a lot of ventilation. Second, it’s not exactly easy to store your sprouts in the fridge in a giant bucket. Third, it takes up space in your sink (space that you will need when you are making all of those low-carbohydrate/ketogenic meals for yourself). Fourth, the benefit of the kind of seed sprouter I use is that it has dividers so you can grow different kinds of sprouts separately and on a rotation so that you can constantly harvest sprouts and can enjoy several different kinds at a time.
If you don’t like sprouts, want something different, or want to try something more advanced, you can also grow microgreens. If you are growing them yourself, they do require properly-nutritious soil and are more finicky related to where they grow and the amount of light they need. But, if you want to still keep it simple, try an easy Hamama microgreens grow kit you can also grow on your kitchen counter that does all the work for you. All you do is add water!
Lastly, please remember to get organic seeds, which also means that they are also non-GMO. Learn more about why buying certain foods/seeds are important to buy organic here. Some good quality sources for seeds are the following:
Happy Sprouting, you sustainable rockstar!
A special thanks to Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Community Education programs and instructor Lee Arbogast for helping me expand my knowledge of sprouting.
