Sprouting Directions: these directions for one a 1-litre sprouting jar. If you are using a 2-litre jar, double the amount of seeds.
- Obtain high quality untreated seeds, grains, or legumes which have been tested for germination. Remove split or damaged seeds and rinse the seeds in lukewarm water.
- Place two tablespoons seeds or 1/2 cup legumes or grains in a sprouting jar with three times as much water as seeds. Soak overnight. For many small seeds, five hours soaking is enough! Seeds with very hard coats, such as guar beans, require longer soaking – up to 36 hours.
- Cover the jar with a mesh wire screen, cheesecloth, or some other material that will hold the seeds in the jar but allow air and water to pass. Drain the water from the jar. Rinse seeds in fresh, lukewarm water and drain again. For well drained seeds/sprouts, lay your jar at an angle in a warm (21ºC) dark place.
- Rinse and drain seeds twice a day. In hot, dry weather, you may need to rinse them three times a day. Drain the seeds in a dish-rack over the sink. In very humid weather the sprouts should be kept in a dry place such as above a stove, or wrapped in a towel and by a sunny window. Take care to turn the jar over gently. Overturning the jar rapidly will cause rapid shifting in the sprouting seeds. This can break the tender shoots and kill the broken shoot. This breaking of the shoot causes the seed to spoil.
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Sprouting Timetable |
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Seed |
Starting Amount |
Yield |
Daily Rinses |
Growing Time |
Recommended Best Sprout Length |
| Alfalfa Seed (for salads) |
2 tbsp. |
1 ltr. |
2 |
5 days |
1 – 2″ |
| Alfalfa Seed (for baking) |
1/4 cup |
1 – 1/2 cups |
2 |
24 hours |
1/8″ |
| Broccoli Seeds |
1 tbsp. |
2 cups |
2 |
4 days |
1″ |
| Foenugreek Seeds |
1/4 cup |
4 cups |
2 |
5 days |
3″ |
| Mung Beans |
1 cup |
4 cups |
4 |
3 – 4 days |
2 – 3″ |
| Radish |
1 tbsp. |
2 cups |
2 |
3 – 5 days |
1/2 – 1″ |
| Red Clover |
3 tbsp. |
1 ltr |
2 |
4 days |
when sprout is green |
| Sunflower Seeds |
1 cup |
3 cups |
2 |
24 hours |
1/2″ |
| Wheat |
1 cup |
4 cups |
3 |
3 days |
1/2″ |
Suggestions
- A smaller mesh screen that covers the opening of the jar is best for draining the water from small seeds. Switch to a larger screen after the sprouts become larger for best draining.
- After a quick rinse, save the water you drain from your sprouts. It is nutritious and can be used in drinks, soups, sauces, or as a treat for your plants.
- On the fourth day of sprouting, place your alfalfa, radish, or clover sprouts in indirect sunlight to develop chlorophyll. The tiny leaves will turn green within a few hours.
- On the fourth day, rinse the hulls off your alfalfa sprouts to prevent premature spoilage of your sprouts. Hulls float easily through wide mesh screens. Alternatively, fill a sink with water and soak the sprouts. As the hulls float to the top, skim them off with a strainer or a piece of screen. Gentle shaking in water may be required for some hulls. Or before eating, the sprouts can be held in a closed fist and rinsed in running water.
- It is important to avoid excess moisture during the sprouting process; and when the indoor humidity is 70% or more, sprouting may be impossible. Extremely hot temperatures will also kill the sprouts. The ideal sprouting temperature is 21ºC, however, as long as the temperature is below 30ºC there is usually no problem