Day 125 of 365 - I'm Sprouting Again!
Yesterday, I started a new batch of sprouts. Am I talking about plants? Technically, yes, but in their earliest edible form. I've known a little for some time about sprouts being a healthy addition to the diet. But, I have been slow in adopting a practice of growing my own. I'm writing about it today to motivate myself again.
Sometime last year, I was inspired while visiting a friend who regularly adds home grown sprouts to her daily salad. I found a reasonably priced starter kit at the health food store. (This is not at all necessary but was a motivator for me.) Then, I bought myself a little bottle of organic broccoli seeds to start with. For a lot of the summer I grew my own sprouts and added them to salad, ate them as a snack or garnished other food with them. Some days I remembered. Other days I forgot and sometimes the sprouts dried up in the fridge. Eventually, I stopped doing it.
I visited the same friend again last fall and was inspired once more by how she had made sprouting a part of her weekly routine. They had found a reasonably priced large bag of mixed seeds of broccoli, radish, alfalfa and red clover at, of all places, a farm supply store. They also found there a mesh screen lid for a wide mouth mason jar, ideal for sprouting. When I visited them in the fall they picked these up for me too.
Now, to remind me that indeed spring is coming, and to try again to establish it as a regular practice, I've started a new jar of sprouts. It's really simple to do, so there's not much of an excuse to avoid it. For the amount I need, I just use one tablespoon of seed. On the first day you soak it for several hours, then drain it, rinse and drain again. You leave the jar sitting on an angle (such as in a dish drainer) for residual water to drain and air to circulate. Twice a day you rinse and drain. In four or five days your sprouts are ready to store in the fridge and use.
There are so many health benefits of eating sprouts. If you think about it, a seed contains all the starting ingredients for the plant it will become, aside from what it draws from the soil and water. Therefore, sprouts naturally contain a high concentration of nutrients which are readily absorbed by the body. These nutrients include enzymes, proteins, vitamins and minerals.
Sprouts can improve digestion due to their enzyme content which helps break down and absorb what is in our food. They help prevent anemia because of their high content of iron and copper. They are high in antioxidants which helps with cardiovascular function, supports skin health and boosts our immune system. They are a concentrated form of nutritional supplement.
You can buy some sprouts in grocery or health food stores but for freshness, it just makes more sense to grow them at home and use them at their peak. So far, I've only grown sprouts from seeds and have not yet tried sprouting beans. Most of us have had bean sprouts in Asian food and you can buy bags of them at the grocery store. They do lose nutrients when heated though, so are best used raw.
My intention is to consume one quarter cup of sprouts per day, either as a snack or as a meal topping. I actually like the crunchy texture and slightly bitter taste (think radish and broccoli). I'm sure my body will thank me for getting back on track with sprouting!
Sometime last year, I was inspired while visiting a friend who regularly adds home grown sprouts to her daily salad. I found a reasonably priced starter kit at the health food store. (This is not at all necessary but was a motivator for me.) Then, I bought myself a little bottle of organic broccoli seeds to start with. For a lot of the summer I grew my own sprouts and added them to salad, ate them as a snack or garnished other food with them. Some days I remembered. Other days I forgot and sometimes the sprouts dried up in the fridge. Eventually, I stopped doing it.
I visited the same friend again last fall and was inspired once more by how she had made sprouting a part of her weekly routine. They had found a reasonably priced large bag of mixed seeds of broccoli, radish, alfalfa and red clover at, of all places, a farm supply store. They also found there a mesh screen lid for a wide mouth mason jar, ideal for sprouting. When I visited them in the fall they picked these up for me too.
Now, to remind me that indeed spring is coming, and to try again to establish it as a regular practice, I've started a new jar of sprouts. It's really simple to do, so there's not much of an excuse to avoid it. For the amount I need, I just use one tablespoon of seed. On the first day you soak it for several hours, then drain it, rinse and drain again. You leave the jar sitting on an angle (such as in a dish drainer) for residual water to drain and air to circulate. Twice a day you rinse and drain. In four or five days your sprouts are ready to store in the fridge and use.
There are so many health benefits of eating sprouts. If you think about it, a seed contains all the starting ingredients for the plant it will become, aside from what it draws from the soil and water. Therefore, sprouts naturally contain a high concentration of nutrients which are readily absorbed by the body. These nutrients include enzymes, proteins, vitamins and minerals.
Sprouts can improve digestion due to their enzyme content which helps break down and absorb what is in our food. They help prevent anemia because of their high content of iron and copper. They are high in antioxidants which helps with cardiovascular function, supports skin health and boosts our immune system. They are a concentrated form of nutritional supplement.
You can buy some sprouts in grocery or health food stores but for freshness, it just makes more sense to grow them at home and use them at their peak. So far, I've only grown sprouts from seeds and have not yet tried sprouting beans. Most of us have had bean sprouts in Asian food and you can buy bags of them at the grocery store. They do lose nutrients when heated though, so are best used raw.
My intention is to consume one quarter cup of sprouts per day, either as a snack or as a meal topping. I actually like the crunchy texture and slightly bitter taste (think radish and broccoli). I'm sure my body will thank me for getting back on track with sprouting!
Comments
Post a Comment