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When it comes to growing your food, we always try to find something that’s easier, quicker, and nutritious at the same time. But for first-time gardeners, baby steps are essential.
Wondering what to start with?
Start with growing sprouts; Yes, one of the most accessible living foods to grow indoors & which barely requires any space or special equipment (not even a sunny window).
The best part?
They require just a few minutes of hands-on time & almost anyone can grow them at home!
What are Sprouts?
The journey of every plant involves a crucial phase called sprouting or germination, where the seeds break their hard shell, which is its natural defense coating & begin to grow the primary roots called sprouts.
This outer protective layer of the seed contains various complex compounds (phytates, enzyme inhibitors & various antinutrients) that slow down the absorption of essential minerals by the body & lead to digestion problems. Once a seed sprouts, the outer coating breaks down and converts the complex compounds into a simpler form.
The nutrient value present in the seed increases by almost 30 times that of the same plant when it’s fully grown, so the sprouted stage is one of the most nutritious stages.
Thus, sprouts are the germinated seeds grown without soil, a couple of inches in length, & have just started to develop stems & leaves. Each seed contains all the nutrition it takes to germinate & grow, which means if you are consuming a sprout, you are eating everything in a plant, from roots to leaves.
Types of Sprouts
Sprouts can be grown from many different varieties of seeds like
- Bean sprouts
- Lentil sprouts
- Grass sprouts
- Vegetable sprouts
Among all these varieties, the most common & healthy sprouts are grown from vegetable seeds like alfalfa, clover, turnip, radish, fenugreek & many others, which are super nutritious and easy to digest as compared to the sprouts of lentil or a legume. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, protein & antioxidants and hence help boost the immune system.
Why grow sprouts?
You can get sprouts easily from the supermarket or farmer’s market, but if you want them as your daily source of supply, it’s best to collect some wide mason jars with organic seeds & grow them at your home; for a sustainable & fresh harvest on your own countertop.
You can get sprouts easily from the supermarket or farmer’s market, but if you want them as your daily source of supply, it’s best to collect some wide mason jars with organic seeds & grow them at your home; for a sustainable & fresh harvest on your own countertop.
It would be best if you grew your own sprouts as they are:
- Quick & easy to grow
- Highly nutritious & delicious living food
- Can be grown indoors with minimal equipment
- Available in a wide variety of seeds
Benefits of sprouts
Apart from being a powerhouse of nutrition, these tiny sprouted seeds offer several health benefits that convince you to incorporate them into your daily diet. Some of their many benefits are the:
- Help fight illness as they are rich in antioxidants
- Increase the availability of protein to the body
- Support healthy digestion by converting complex nutrients into easily digestible form
- Provide a vitamin boost with vitamin A, C, E, K & B complex
- Facilitate weight loss due to richness in dietary fibre & low-calorie content
Some common myths related to sprouts
Now let’s talk about some common myths associated with sprouting
- Growing them is a very time-consuming process & it cannot be done on a daily basis
- You need darkness to grow them
- Their regular consumption is very costly; thus you cannot consume them more often
Please remember, all of these statements listed above are wrong as you can grow them very easily, even in sunlight using very small quantity of seeds. Yes, you heard it right, sprouting is easy as well as economical provided you know the easiest & the most convenient method of growing them. And trust us, then you won’t find this process difficult at all.
Supplies needed to sprout seeds
To grow the finest sprouts at home, all you need is
Equipment:
- Wide mouth jar
- Sprouting mesh with elastic or a cheesecloth
- Large bowl
- Airtight container for storing the sprouts after the process
Ingredients:
- Filtered water
- Organic sprouting seeds
How to Grow?
Now that you know a little bit more about sprouting & its benefits, are you ready to give it a try? ;)
The seeds are usually sprouted in jars, sprouting trays, or muslin cloth. Among all these methods, jar sprouting is the easiest method & works for nearly any seed. It requires only a jar with a sprouting mesh to drain out the water and, of course, the seeds :)
Once you have your jar & the seeds, here’s how to grow them:
- Add 1-2 tbsp of seeds to a wide-mouth glass jar, rinse them well with water & drain them.
- Fill about ¾th of the jar with water, cover with a sprouting mesh & let them soak.
For how long?
It depends on the weather conditions; 6-8 hours in summer & 8-12 hours in winter.
Bigger seeds like peas or beans should be soaked for at least 24 hours.
- After soaking, drain the water and then again rinse, swirl & drain off the water completely.
- Shake the jar so that the seeds are well distributed and place the jar in a bowl propped upside down at an angle to allow drainage & air circulation through the mesh.
- Rinse, swirl & drain the seeds 2-3 times a day, making sure they never completely dry. After 3-5 days, your sprouts should be fully grown & ready to eat (½ to 2 inches long)
- Once they are ready to harvest, place them in a bowl & rinse them to remove any unsprouted seeds & seed hulls.
- Dry them using a paper towel & place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Prepare your Seeds
It is strongly recommended to choose only high-quality, non-GMO, non-coated organic desi seeds because when you are eating a sprout, you are eating the seed itself.
While choosing the seeds for sprouting, look for the seeds that are not chemically treated, cracked, or milled. They should be marked “sproutable” on the package, as all the seeds that can sprout do not mean they are suitable for sprouting.
Before soaking the seeds, rinse them thoroughly to clean them. Most importantly, do not forget to charge & empower your seeds with positive thoughts & the Supreme Soul’s blessings to enhance the potency of the seeds :)
How do sprouts differ from microgreens?
Based on nutritional value, upon sprouting, the vitamins, minerals & protein content in the seed increases with a decrease in carbohydrate content & the resultant protein formed is the most easily digestible of all proteins available in foods.
Thus they are extremely rich in proteins, vitamins & enzymes and are one of the best ways to benefit from complete nutrition.
On the other hand, microgreens are grown in soil & cut off at stem level for consumption, i.e. the stem and edible leaves are consumed. It mainly consists of a central stalk and a pair of cotyledons which are the dense packages of nutrients containing all the stored food the baby plant needs to form a mature plant. They are rich in antioxidants, calcium and various other vital nutrients & are high in fibre content compared to sprouts.
How to use sprouts?
Sprouts are a very versatile food. After they are ready, they can be
- Added to salads, dips, or lettuce wraps for extra crunch & flavor
- Included in juices & smoothies
- Eaten as it is for a delicious snack
- Used in soups & stews
So?
Are you well-versed in the world of sprouting now? If yes, then order yourself some high-quality, organic seeds & get going!
Where to find them?
Explore the link below to get a wide range of 100% natural, open-pollinated, heirloom seeds that are entirely organic & have never been exposed to chemical fertilizers. Satopradhan offers a variety of Non-Hybrid & Non-GMO seeds, which have been derived from desi parent plants that were also grown organically.
Our chosen high-quality seeds ideal for growing organic sprouts are now available at our online store. When will we see you here?
Happy sprouting :)
