Why Growing Sprouts at Home is Better than Buying Sprouts at a Store:
- Safer - Sprouts are prone to bacterial contamination and sitting on the store shelf can increase the percentage of bacteria.
- Better Nutrition - You can grow a wider variety of sprouts and control which day you harvest, for the best nutrient potency.
- Much Lower Cost - A few cents/lb vs $4-$5/lb (see my below recommendations or where to buy organic sprouting seeds for the best price)
- More Eco-Friendly - Reduces plastic packaging (human plastic pollution is killing/ harming wildlife), transportation, waste. Sprouts do not last long, so a high percentage of sprouts are thrown in the trash/landfill with plastic packaging instead of composting and recycling the plastic.
Very Simple & Easy To Grow at Home - All you need is:
- Wide mouth Mason Jar - Any size. Common sizes are: 8 oz, 12 oz, 16 oz, 32 oz jars
- Stainless Steel Sprouting Lids - EcoPeaceful’s combo sprouting and storage lids are the most durable (Lifetime Warranty), is the most eco-friendly (plastic-free) and convenient option (comes with solid/insert storage lid and airtight food grade silicone seal).
- Good Growing Conditions - In a typical temperature managed home, sprouts can be grown year-round indoor and away from direct sunlight. The ideal temperature is around 70°F, but sprouts can be grown in the temperature range of 65-85°F
- Sprouting Stand (not require) - Almost any dish drying racks, over the sink vegetable drying rack, dishwasher or stainless steel wide mouth mason jar lid/band can be used as a stand.
What types of seeds can be sprouted in a Mason Jar?
Wide mouth mason jars with stainless steel sprouting lids are one of the best options to sprout almost all seeds.
Examples of popular seeds (which includes grains and legumes) that are good for sprouting in a jar:
Grains: Barley, Kamut, Oat, Rice, Quinoa, Rye, Wheat
Legumes: Adzuki, Fenugreek, Garbanzo, Green pea, Lentil, Mung bean, Peanut
Other Seeds: Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Clover. Broccoli, Mustard, Radish, and other cruciferous seeds
Nuts: nuts usually do not sprout, just soaking is good enough.
WARNING! DO NOT SPROUT: Split, roasted, hulled, pasteurized and parched seeds.
Also, DO NOT SPROUT GELATINOUS SEEDS like flax and chia
Most Eco-Friendly & Economical Way to Buy Seeds for Sprouting
Most sprouting seeds can be purchased in the bulk section of health food stores. Almost all whole raw seeds can be sprouted, so you DO NOT need to buy special packages labeled as “Sprouting Seeds” or purchased from special "Sprouting" seller. For several years I have been buying regular grains and legumes (wheat, rye, lentils, mung beans, chickpea…) in the bulk sections of stores like Whole Foods, Smith’s and I never had a problem with germination, and if I did have a problem I would just use this seeds for cooking, and buy another batch. The only seeds I buy regularly online are broccoli seeds (not available in bulk) I reduce packaging by buying 5 lb bags of broccoli sprouts (LINK).
Buy Sprouting Seeds in the Bulk Section of Store, NOT Online
Benefits of buying your sprouting seeds from the bulk section in health food stores vs. specially packaged "sprouting seeds".
- Cost - Much lower cost. Buying seeds in the bulk section reduces your cost 2-3 times vs specially packaged/labeled as sprouting seeds. IMAGE
- Packaging - Avoids the thick plastic packaging (small size, non-biodegradable, non-recyclable), by reusing the same bags or use your own compostable and/or reusable bag(s).
- Shipping packaging - Avoids the increased amount of shipping packaging (usually not very eco-friendly) and/or cardboard boxes that are often made from virgin wood sources.
- Transportation - Reduces transportation carbon footprint.
Four Simple Steps for Sprouting at Home:
- Soak seeds for 8-12 hours
- Add seeds - Add the seeds into a mason jar, then screw on the sprouting lid with the screen, then
- Rinse well - Rinse the seeds very well by filling the mason jar with water and emptying the water through the screen a few times.
- Soak - Once rinsed, fill the jar with water at a level 2-3 times higher than the level of the seeds and let it soak. Make sure that all seeds are under water.
Soaking Time: The amount of soaking time depends on the type of seeds and air temperature. Warmer temperature = shorter time. Colder air = longer soaking time. It can be longer than 12 hours, but not longer than 24 hours. If cold or warm, make sure the seeds do not become fermented (indicated by bubbles in a water and off smell). - Rinse and place on a strainer/drying rack
After soaking, rinse the seeds very well and place the jar in a tilted position (opening down) so that the excess water can drain out - do not allow the jar to sit in the water that has drained.
My favorite way is to drain water over the kitchen sink, using a dish or over sink vegetable drying rack, but you can also use other types of dish drying racks and even in dishwasher, just make sure that door is open so that air can ventilate to prevent the dishwasher interior from getting too humid inside. - Rinse and place back on the rack 2x/day for 2-5 days
It is better to rinse more often than less often to help prevent bacteria growth, but if you forget to rinse, just rinse more thoroughly next time. I am usually able to remember to rinse only once a day most of the time and it has been fine. I just rinse very well (several times) during the last rinse. The sprouting time length can vary depending on your taste preference or if you are after certain nutrition potency - different seeds have better potency on a different day of sprouting, see more info below. - Switch to solid insert with silicone seal and Freeze or Refrigerate
EcoPeaceful Sprouting lids also come with a storage lid option - solid insert with a silicone airtight seal. This offers you the convenient ability to switch from the mesh screen to the solid lid, in order to store your sprouts in the fridge or freezer, which avoids the effort and mess of transferring sprouts into another container (usually ziplock bag - which are not a long-term reusable or eco-friendly option). Before storing your seeds in the fridge make sure they are dry on touch, especially if you are planning to keep them fresh for about a week. Wet sprouts will spoil much faster than sprouts with no water. Freezing sprouts eliminates all those precautions, just they can get stuck/frozen to each other if the sprouts were wet before freezing. - When To Harvest for most health benefit - The seeds can be eaten as soon as the sprout tail starts to protrude from the seed. Consider using different sprouting time for different seeds to maximize health benefit.
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-sprouting-up
Ways to enhance the amount of sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts (same would be possible to apply to all other seeds in the cruciferous family):
- Freezing - https://biofoundations.org/freezing-broccoli-sprouts-increases-sulforaphane-yield
- Hot water - How To Increase Sulforaphane in Broccoli Sprouts by ~3.5-fold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7buU-PK7_I
How much broccoli sprouts should you eat daily?
Effective doses can range from 40 to 60mg of sulforaphane, which is roughly 100 to 140g of fresh broccoli sprouts. https://www.houseplantgirl.com/how-much-broccoli-sprouts-should-you-eat
How to Prevent Stainless Steel Sproutings Lids from Rusting:
Under normal sprouting conditions (seeds soaking in water) stainless steel should not rust. Stainless steel is considered to be a rust-free metal. Here are a few ways to avoid making the stainless steel lids rust.
Avoid chlorine bleach. Chlorine is highly corrosive and causes pitting/rusting, even on surgical stainless steel
Avoid using original mason jar canning bands along with stainless steel screen mesh. If you use the original tin metal canning bands with a stainless steel screen, the band will rust and leach rust onto the screen and into your sprouts. That will make your screen mesh rusty.
NOTE: It may look like rust, but it is not rust. After sprouting with your stainless steel sprouting lids it might look like they are rusty. Most likely it is staining from the chemicals from the seed - similar to tea stains. Remove these stains by rubbing sprouting lids with baking soda or soak lids for 5-10 min. in vinegar and brush the screen if needed. They should then look like new again.
