Sprouts - The Superfood of the 21st Century!

[Guest guest]

Sprouts - The Superfood of the 21st Century!

_http://www.btinternet.com/~bury_rd/sprout.htm_

(http://www.btinternet.com/~bury_rd/sprout.htm)

What is a Sprout?

 

Edward Cairney in his book The Sprouters Handbook defines a sprout as 'the

transitional stage between seed and plant'. But to put it even more simply, a

sprout is simply a baby plant. For the first few days of its life a baby plant

- or sprout - is not capable of feeding itself and is sustained entirely on

nutrients contained in the seed, the equivalent of mother's milk. These

nutrients only become usable when the seed starts to sprout. During sprouting,

the

seed's enzymes convert stored inactive nutrients into a sort of nutritional

superfuel which allows the sprout to grow very rapidly during the early days

of its life. Proteins are thus converted into amino acids by enzymes known as

proteases, fats into essential fatty acids by lipases and starches into

simple sugars by amylases. Sprouts are essentially a pre-digested food, the

seed's own enzymes having already done most of the hard work.

Why Eat Sprouts?

 

The Benefits:

1.

Very cheap to produce - Sprouts are an excellent food for paupers!

Quickly and easily produced - Some kinds of sprouts are ready for eating in

just one day.

No preparation or cooking needed - Most sprouts can be eaten raw. And

there's no need to cut them up or peel them either.

Very nutritious - Sprouts are simply bursting with vitamins and minerals.

They are also a good source of chlorophyll which is said to have anti-bacterial

and anti-inflammatory properties and is even supposed to restore the colour

to greying hair! And raw sprouts are an excellent source of plant enzymes,

making them very easy to digest. Plant enzymes, incidentally, are also supposed

to keep you looking young!

They're fresh and alive - Forget the wilted, shop-bought lettuce next time

you want to make a salad! Sprouts can be grown quickly and easily in a jar on

your kitchen windowsill. All you have to do is to remove a handful from the

jar when you want to eat them. They're organically grown too.

Good source of fibre and protein

They have cleansing properties - Helping to neutralise and remove waste from

the body. The fibre in them also helps to keep you regular.

Anti-Cancer Properties - Many sprouted seeds and grains seem to have

anti-cancer properties too. Consequently sprouts are often used to treat this

disease. Red clover, for example, contains genistein - an anti-cancer compound

which is also present in soya beans, black beans and peanuts.

How To Sprout

 

There are several methods of sprouting, the most commonly used method being

the jar method. However, many types of seeds can also be sprouted in trays,

or grown in punnets on pieces of damp paper kitchen towel. Sprouts grow best

at a temperature of about 21 degrees C (70 degrees F).

1. The Jar Method

 

It's possible to purchase special sprouting jars (see mail order section

below) but these can be quite expensive and so if you are on a tight budget,

you

might like to make your own instead. To do this you will need a supply of

clean, empty jam jars, some elastic bands and about half a metre of muslin

(also known as cheesecloth) which can be purchased in curtain or drapery shops

for about £3.99 per metre. Cut the muslin into squares - large enough to cover

the top of the jar and allowing at least a one inch overlap all the way round

the jar.

Note: If you can't acquire any muslin, jars can also be covered with nylon

mesh instead. This is available from gardening shops and can also be used in

the tray method of sprouting described later on. Another possibility is to use

pieces of fine-meshed net curtain. Jars can also be arranged in a row on

your work surface and covered with a clean tea towel, but you will then need to

use a sieve every time you rinse your sprouts.

Method:

*

Place your seed in the jar. (For a normal size jam jar try using about 1

tablespoon of seed.) Next fill the jar with water and replace the lid. Leave

the

seeds to soak for the required amount of time - see table below. Tip: It's

often quite convenient to leave seeds to soak overnight.

After soaking remove the lid and fasten a piece of muslin in place over the

top of the jar, using either an elastic band or a piece of string. Carefully

pour off the soak water. Rinse the seeds with fresh water, then pour off the

water again.

Upturn the jar, leaving it at a 45 degree angle (in an old saucer perhaps)

for about two minutes in order to allow any excess water to drain off.

Place the jar in a pleasant position - on your work surface or on a

windowsill perhaps - but not in full sun as this will stress the sprouts and

cause

them to dry them out too quickly.

Rinse and drain the sprouts once a day - perhaps twice/day in summer when it

is hot. Continue to rinse and drain daily, until your sprouts are ready to

eat.

 

2. The Tray Method

For this method you will need some seed trays with and without drainage

holes, (obtainable from gardening shops) some jam jars (or a bowl) to soak

seeds

in, a plant spray and some nylon mesh. If germinating very small seeds, such

as alfalfa, line the tray with damp kitchen towels.

*

Place the seeds in the jar/bowl and fill with water. Leave the seeds to soak

for required amount of time - see chart below.

Pour the seeds into a sieve and rinse well.

Line a seed tray with nylon mesh (this is used to aid drainage) and sprinkle

on the soaked seeds. Place the first tray inside a larger, hole-free tray to

catch any drainage water.

Place the trays in a warm, dark place and leave to sprout. Spray with water

once or twice/day until your sprouts are ready. Place the tray in daylight

for at least a few hours before eating your sprouts, so that they will develop

chlorophyll and go green.

 

3. Growing Salad Greens

Equipment as mentioned in 2. above, plus a small amount of soil or seed

potting compost. This method is used to grow sunflower, wheat or buckwheat

greens.

*

Soak seeds as described in tray method above.

Rinse the seeds in a sieve and place them in a glass jar. Leave to sprout

for one day - see jar method for more information.

Next place about 2cm of soil in the garden tray and water it to make it

damp. Distribute the seeds evenly over the surface of the soil - they can be

touching but not piled up on top of one another. Finally, cover the seeds with

a

thin layer of fresh soil/compost and lightly water again to ensure that it is

damp.

Spray daily to keep the soil damp. Your greens should be ready for

harvesting in about a week. Cut them with scissors and wash them well to remove

any

soil. Used soil mats can be composted.

If you prefer not to use soil in your kitchen, many salad greens can easily

be grown in punnets instead. Simply sprinkle the soaked seeds into a punnet

lined with a piece of folded, damp kitchen towel and spray regularly to keep

the paper towel damp. Mustard, cress and rape are all suitable for growing in

punnets in this way.

 

4. Growing Wheatgrass For Juicing

Wheatgrass juice is a remarkable, very nutritious drink, full of vitamins,

minerals and enzymes and an excellent source of chlorophyll. It's easy to

digest, costs only a few pence a day to produce and can often be tolerated by

people who are normally intolerant to wheat. Like sprouts it is easily produced

at home, either being grown in a tray on unbleached paper towels or in a

small amount of soil. Wheatgrass has valuable medicinal properties - restoring

health, increasing energy levels and offering protection against radiation and

x-rays. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, can boost the immune system

and has been used to treat candida infections and arthritis. If you would

like to grow some read on!

Method

*

Place 1 cup of whole organic wheat in a sprouting jar, fill with water and

leave to soak overnight. (Note: If you are using jam jars, you may need to use

more than one jar.)

Rinse and drain the wheat and allow to sprout in the jar(s) for 24 hours.

Next, if you are using paper towels put several layers in the bottom of a

plastic serving tray (these can be purchased in supermarkets and hardware

stores) dampening the paper with a spray bottle. Alternatively, if using soil,

spread a layer of soil about 2 cm thick on the bottom of the tray and dampen it

in a similar manner.

Empty the wheat onto the damp paper (or soil) and spread out evenly and if

using soil, sprinkle a thin layer of soil over the top of the wheat and

redampen with the spray. Cover with another tray. This will keep the heat and

moisture in.

After two days check to see if the wheat is drying out and spray again if

necessary. When the wheat is 1-2 cm tall, remove the top tray and put the wheat

in semi-shade - not direct sunlight - to grow. Spray with water regularly to

keep the substrate damp. If you are using the paper towel method, after day

five some natural seaweed fertiliser (e.g. SM3 available from the Organic

Gardening Catalogue) can be added to the spray to provide extra nutrients.

If grown on paper the wheatgrass should be ready in 7-10 days, or if using

soil in 10-15 days. When ready, cut the wheatgrass with scissors or a sharp

knife. The wheatgrass can then be juiced, using a special juicer e.g. the

Porket manual juicer, sold by The FRESH Network for £36.90, including postage.

Recommended dose is approx. 4-6 tablespoons of wheatgrass taken daily, either

by

itself or mixed in with other juices. Don't over do it though, as wheatgrass

has a strong cleansing effect!

 

__

 

What To Sprout?

It's possible to sprout many types of beans and pulses, cereal grains, nuts

and seeds. Just see what's on offer in the sprouting chart below! Many of

these seeds can be purchased fairly cheaply and easily, either from a health

food store or from a supermarket or wholefood co-op. However, some of the more

unusual types of sprouting seeds (e.g. cereals) are often only available by

mail order - see list of mail order suppliers at the end article. When

purchasing seeds for sprouting try to buy organic seeds whenever possible. And

don't

use seeds purchased to be grown in gardens, as these are often treated with

chemicals. SPROUTING CHART Name Soak Time Length Days Main Nutrients

Method Used Aduki 24 hrs 0.5-2cm 2-5 Vit C and iron Jar or tray method

Alfalfa 8 hrs 0.25-2cm 2-5 Vits A, B, C, E, K and minerals Jar or tray method

Almond 8 hrs No shoot produced 1 Vits B, E, good source of calcium and protein

Jar or tray method Barley 12-15 hrs Root length of seed 3-4 B vitamins,

vitamin C and minerals Jar or tray method Black-eyed Beans 24 hrs 0.5-2cm 2-5

Vits A, C and minerals Jar or tray method Buckwheat 12 hrs Not applicable 1

Vits B, C and minerals, lecithin Leave to sprout for one day, then grow as

for salad greens, in trays with soil. Cabbage 8 hrs 0.5-2cm 2-5 Vits A, C, U

Jar method, best mixed with milder sprouts such as alfalfa. Chick Peas 18 hrs

- change water 2-3 times 0.5-1cm 2-4 Vits A, C and minerals, particularly

calcium Jar or tray method Fenugreek 8 hrs 0.5-1cm 2-4 Vits A, C, iron and

phosphorous Jar or tray method. Green Peas 12 hrs 0.5-1cm 2-3 Vits A, B, C.

Rich in protein and fibre. Jar method, but worth trying it out in trays if you

want a lot. Haricot Beans 12 hrs 0.5-2cm 2-4 Vits B, C and minerals Jar

method Lentils 12 hrs 0.5-1cm 2-4 Vit C, iron Jar or tray method. Try all

types

of whole lentils. Millet 12-15 hrs 0.75cm 3-4 Vit B2, B3 and iron and other

minerals Jar method Mung 24 hrs 0.5-2cm 2-5 Vit C, iron, potassium Jar or

tray method. Best grown in dark. Mustard 8 hrs 0.5-2cm 2-7 Vits A, C,

minerals and chlorophyll Grow in a jar, mixed with milder sprouts. Or in

punnets on

damp paper towels. Oats 12 hrs 0.5-2cm 2-3 Vits B, E and minerals Jar or

tray method. Use whole sprouting oats Peanuts 8 hrs 0-0.5cm 1 Vits B, E and

minerals Jar method, rinse frequently to prevent mold Pumpkin 8 hrs No

sprout 1 Vits E and minerals especially iron Jar method Quinoa 8 hrs 0.5-1cm 1

Vits B, E and amino acids Jar method Radish 8 hrs 0.5-2cm 2-4 Vits C, potassium

and chlorophyll Jar method Red Clover 8 hrs 0.25-2cm 2-5 Vits A, C and

minerals Jar or tray method Rice 12-15 hrs Ready when root is same length

as grain 3-4 Niacin, vitamins E and C Jar method. Best eaten cooked, not raw.

Rye 12-15 hrs Same length as grain 2-4 Good source of manganese, iron,

phosphorus and potassium. Jar or tray method. Sesame 8 hrs No shoot 1-2 Vits

B,

E and minerals, especially calcium Jar method Soya bean 24 hrs, changing

water regularly 0.5-2cm 3-5 Vits B, E, and minerals such as calcium and iron,

plus lecithin. Jar or tray method. Sunflower 8 hrs 0-0.5cm 1-2 Vits A, C,

minerals, chlorophyll Grow using jar or tray method. Can be grown as salad

greens in soil in a tray Sweetcorn 12 hrs 1cm 2-3 Vits A, B, E Jar method

Watercress 8 hrs 1-3cm 2-5 Vits B, E and minerals Grow in a jar, or in punnets

on

damp paper towel Wheat 12 hrs 0.5-1cm 2-4 Vits B, C, E and magnesium Jar or

tray method, or grow as wheatgrass in trays on soil

 

__

Using Your Sprouts

Right, so you've grown some fresh and tasty sprouts - now what should you do

with them? Sprouts can of course be cooked, but by far the best way to eat

your sprouts is raw - that way you'll know for sure that they're bursting with

vitamins and plant enzymes! One of the easiest ways to use raw sprouts in

the vegan diet is to simply add them to your salads. There are many recipes for

sprout-based salads, although these often require fairly large amounts of

sprouts. So if eating sprouts in quantity doesn't appeal to you at first, or if

you simply haven't enough room to grow large amounts of sprouts at once,

then try using your sprouts as a garnish for your salad instead. Alfalfa and

sprouts such as rape, mustard or cress are ideal for garnishing purposes.

Alternatively, try using sprouted sunflower or sesame seeds, chopped sprouted

almonds or any of the sprouted beans/pulses or grains as a means of adding some

extra protein to your salad. It's also possible to make Oriental-style salads by

mixing mung beans with other raw vegetables - carrots, celery etc. and

perhaps some sprouted peanuts or seeds.

Sprouts also make a great garnish for sandwiches - try mustard and cress or

watercress sprouts to add that bit of extra colour. And did you know that

there's no need to cook chickpeas if you want to make hummus? Simply, use

sprouted chickpeas instead of cooked ones. Raw hummus is ideal for use in dips,

sandwiches, or as a filling for pitta breads and it's full of calcium too! And

of course raw sprouts make ideal finger snacks, eaten perhaps at parties or

used as a change from crisps in children's lunchboxes.

Many sprouts can also be juiced, along with other kinds of fruit and

vegetables. Perhaps the most famous sprout for juicing purposes is wheat -

which is

used to make the health drink rejuvelac. (See The Sprouters Handbook for more

information.) Also many sprouts (almonds, sunflowers or hemp seeds for

example) can be used to make sprouted seed milks. Whereas almond sprouts,

blended

with rejuvelac, make a lovely yogurt. In addition sprouted almonds, sunflower

and sesame seeds are often used to make raw vegan cheeses.

If you don't mind cooking your sprouts, then sprouts can be used in many

cooked vegan dishes too. Perhaps the most famous way of cooking sprouts is to

use mung bean sprouts in a stir-fry. But did you know that sprouted sweetcorn,

haricot beans, aduki, soya and black-eyed beans can all be used in stir-fries

too? And that many types of sprouted grains can be used to make sprout

breads - rye, quinoa, or wheat sprouts to name but a few. Also I've even seen

alfalfa and triticale sprouts used in recipes for cakes and biscuits! And for a

main course - perhaps as a change from a lentil or nut loaf - you could try a

loaf made from various sprouts instead. Finally, don't forget that sprouts

can be cooked in soups, casseroles and burgers and that some sprouts (e.g. soya

and wheat and barley sprouts) can be placed on a baking sheet and baked in a

moderate oven for about 15 minutes, until brown and crunchy. Sprinkle these

baked sprouts on top of your salads. (For extra flavour sprinkle them with

garlic powder before baking.)

__

 

Further Reading:

* The Sprouters Handbook by Edward Cairney (Argyll Publishing, 1997) -

see this month's _Book Review_

(http://www.btinternet.com/~bury_rd/septnine.htm#book) for more information.

You can purchase a copy of this book from

The Organic Gardening Catalogue for £4.25 (plus a handling charge for small

orders) or from The FRESH Network for £3.99 plus £0.80 postage. (Both addresses

given in mail order section below.)

* Sprout For The Love of Everybody by Viktoras Kulvinskas. Available

from The FRESH Network for £6.50 plus £0.80 postage.

* The Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook by Steve Meyerowitz. This

book should also be available from The FRESH Network by mid-September, but no

price information available at the moment. (You can also find out more about

this book by visiting the website section below.)

* Raw Energy Recipes by Leslie and Susannah Kenton. (See p. 62-67 for

information on sprouting.) An interesting and useful little book, although

not all of the recipes are vegan. Available from The FRESH Network for £6.99

plus £0.80 postage, although I obtained a copy from my public library. Note:

Raw Energy Recipes is also one of three books contained in The Raw Energy

Bible, also by Leslie Kenton.

* Sprout Garden by Mark M Braunstein. Price £9.99 plus £1.50 postage.

Available from: The Vegan Society, Donald Watson House, 7 Battle Road, St

Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN37 7AA. (E-mail: order)

 

__

Good Websites for Sprouters:

* _Seed and Grain Technologies' EasyGreen Website_

(http://www.easygreen.com/) - Offers sprouting equipment and seeds for

sprouting. This site has

some vegan sprout recipes.

* _Raw Food_ (http://www.rawfood.com/) - Sells about 5 books on

sprouting (USA).

* _The Sproutpeople_ (http://www.sproutpeople.com/) - Supplies

sprouting seeds (USA) and has quite a lot of useful information on many aspects

of

sprouting.

* _The International Sprout Growers Association_

(http://www.isga-sprouts.org/) (ISGA) - Worth a visit.

* _ISGA _ (http://www.isga-sprouts.org/salad.htm) recipe site - The

salad recipes here are vegan.

* _GoGreen_ (http://www.gogreen.org/) - Kits and information on

growing sprouts (USA).

* _The Sprout House_ (http://www.sprouthouse.com/) - Information,

sprout seeds and accessories (USA).

* _Sproutman's Website_ (http://www.sproutman.com/) - Lots of info on

growing sprouts and wheatgrass, plus a chance to browse parts of

_Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook_ (http://www.sproutman.com/cookbook.html)

.. This

book contains many dairy-free, vegetarian, living food and sprout recipes and

includes recipes for sprout bread, seed cheeses, almond milk and rejuvelac.

 

__

Mail Order Suppliers (UK)

Seeds, Sprouting Books and Equipment

* The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Riverdene Business Park, Molesey

Rd, Hersham, Surrey. KT12 4RG. (Tel: 01932 253666.) Sells a good variety of

seeds for sprouting and also stocks the Beingfare salad sprouter, sprouting

jars

and copies of the book 'The Sprouters Handbook'.

* John Chambers, 15 Westleigh Rd, Barton Seagrave, Kettering,

Northants, NN15 5AJ. (Tel: 01933 652562.) Offers a good selection of sprouting

seeds,

by weight - from 250g to 30kg!

* The FRESH Network, PO Box 71, Ely. Cambs. CB7 4GU. (Tel: 01353

662849.) Sells a variety of sprouting jars, trays and kits, plus two books on

sprouting - see further reading above.

* Seeds By Post, Suffolk Herbs, Monks Farm, Coggeshall Road, Kelvedon,

Essex CO5 9PG. (Tel: 01376 572456.) Sells seeds for sprouting.

* _Tamar Organics_ (http://www.tamarorganics.co.uk/) , Tavistock

Woodlands Estate, Gulworthy, Tavistock, Devon. PL19 8JE. Tel: 01822 834284.

* The Revolutionary Sprout Sack, available from

_http://www.ebay.com.au_ (http://www.ebay.com.au/) (search for sprout).

 

 

Local Suppliers:

In addition, the following companies are listed in The Sprouters Handbook as

supplying sprouting seeds and equipment:

* Beanfreaks (Cardiff). Tel: 01222 251671.

* Grass Roots (Glasgow). Tel: 0141 353 3278

* Harvest Natural Foods (Bristol). Tel: 0117 942 5997.

* Infinity Foods (Brighton). Tel: 01273 603563.

* One Earth Shop (Birmingham). Tel: 0121 632 6909.

* Out of This World (Newcastle). Tel: 0191 213 0421.

* Planet Organic (London). Tel: 0171 221 7171.

So if any of these local suppliers are near to you, then it may be worth

contacting them to find out exactly what's on offer.