Trent Snow’s Sprouting Presentation
4/11/08
Seeds
You need good quality
organically grown seeds for high-yield sprouting. Seeds that have been in
storage with no oxygen will not sprout. Farm planting seeds may have been
chemically treated. If you store seeds in sealed containers, do not use oxygen
absorbers. You will also need to air them out every six months. US grown
sprouting seeds have the highest yield. I have purchased my seeds directly from
www.lifesprouts.com (a
You will find that the micro-seeds such as
Equipment
I like to use the plastic lids with stainless-steel screens that fit wide-mouth canning jars. I like them because they come a part and the cleanup is easy (just throw them in the dishwasher). You will need to tilt the jars at about a 45 degree angle while sprouting and draining. Anything will work to hold the jars in place such as a dish-rack drainer that drains into the sink. Do not cover or clog the lid screen as oxygen needs to continually circulate in the jar. I created my own draining system using ABS pipe. If you would like to make one, see the attached construction sheet.
Principles/practices
The sprouts need to be rinsed and drained with fresh water about every twelve hours. This is to remove the toxins produced as they grow and to prevent mold. I rinse mine before leaving to work and when coming home. Place then in plain sight where you will not forget to care for them. Use fresh water between 65-70 degrees (a little cooler than luke-warm). I rinse and drain each jar twice before placing it back in the drainer. Because house temperatures change, in the summer I would use water at the cool end; and in winter at the warmer end. Sprouts like a room temperature between 66-74 degrees. If your house is 80 degrees in the summer you will likely have problems with mold, etc.
Some light is good for sprouts (though not essential), but avoid constant direct sun-light as the seeds will cook, mold or dry out. My kitchen sink window faces north so it is just right for my sprouts which also drain into the sink.
Sprouts like lots of oxygen circulation and some continuous humidity. Each jar is like a green-house. After rinsing and draining, I roll the jar to spread the sprouts out and keep them from plugging up the screen where oxygen enters the jar. The tilted jar drains out standing water yet keeps residule moisture trapped in the jar along the sides of the glass.
To start seeds place them in the bottom of the clean empty jar and fill about 2/3 with water and let stand overnight. Rinse them the next morning and place to drain (rinse 4 times on first rinse). For the leafy mixture I place enough seeds to just cover the bottom of the jar (about 3 table-spoons). They will expand about 20 times as they sprout. For the bean mixture I fill the jar about 1/4th full. The beans will expand about 4 times. Sprout the leafy mix until tiny green leaves form (about 6 days). Sprout the bean mix until all the seeds have a tiny white root just longer than the seed (about 4 days).
Hulls are the empty outer seed shells which remain after the seed cracks open. Don’t worry about getting rid of all of them as they just add crunch like pop-corn hulls do after popping. When draining the jars, many of the hulls will stick to the screen. I simply remove the lid after each draining and rinse of the hulls. You can also use a spoon after draining to remove un-sprouted seeds and hulls from inside the jar. I just don’t get too worried about eating some of the hulls.
Rotation
If you eat a jar of mature sprouts in 3 days then start a new one every three days and you will have a continual supply. Once they are mature you can store them in the refrigerator and they will keep fresh for a week (as long as you continue to rinse them at least once a day). If you have to leave town for a day, rinse the jars and place in the refrigerator and they will be OK for a day.
Eating
Rinse the sprouts just before you serve them, they will taste fresher. I like to add the bean and leaf mixtures to a lettuce salad about 50/50. If you don’t have lettuce, just mix the leaf and beans with each other and added a little salad dressing. Sprouts are wonderful in winter if no fresh produce is available. Happy sprouting!
Trent Snow’s Sprout Drainer (4/11/08)
Materials
These materials can be purchased at any building supply
store or plumbing store. ABS pipe is the black pipe used for sewer systems.
(Qty 3) 3” diameter, ABS, 45 degree wye connectors
(2 ft) 4” diameter, ABS, Schedule 40 pipe
(Qty 1) small can of ABS glue
(Qty 1) 2” long screw or bolt.
Cost
The total cost of materials will be around $24 at today’s prices (excluding any paint)
Tools
Hack-saw
Knife
Drill and bit
Directions:
1) Cut the 4” diameter pipe in half lengthwise.
2) Take one of the new 4” diameter pipe half-sections and cut it across-ways into three 7” long sections of half pipe (with 3 inches remaining).
3) Cut the 3 inch remain half-pipe section so it is 2” wide instead of 3” wide.
4) Cut the rim-flange off of the base of two of the wye connectors (so they will fit into the other connectors).
5) Use the knife and trim (round-off) the sharp edges on all the cut pieces above.
6) Glue the three wye connectors together in a straight line and let dry.
7) Glue a half-pipe 7” section onto the back of each of the three wye connector’s 45 degree opening (the opening sticking up on the wye). These will hold the jars which drain at 45 degrees.
8) Make a base support structure by gluing the half-pipe 2” sections on top of one of the cut off flanges. When the glue dries, position the drainer system straight up in the base support structure and drill a small hole through one side of the base-support and the drainer pipe flange. The screw or bolt will be placed through this hole to keep the drainer upright in the base support. The base support will provide the tilt needed to drain the water into the sink.
(See the photos below)
Construction Photos of Trent
Snow’s Sprout-Drainer
Materials
Cuts
Base Support
Completed Sprout Drainer
