During our recent skill set seminar in Philadelphia they covered the topic of sprouting seeds. The presenter was very knowledgeable on the issue and I thought I would pass on some of the information which I gained for my readers benefit. Sprouting seeds is a fairly straight forward and simple process. It takes very little of your time and the end result can provide a tasty new treat for your evening salad or your favorite bowl of soup.
The primary task before you is to select a suitable seed to sprout. You have a rather vast choice in this selection, ranging from just about all bean varieties including the popular mung Bean, various grains, an assortment of leafy sprouts such as Alfalfa or Clover, the brassicas, such as Broccoli, Cabbage, Mustard and the ever popular Radish seeds. You can even go a little crazy and do some of the more exotic sprouts such as Garlic, Fenugreek or Onion. Although they may be especially sensitive to the rinsing and draining phase they could be well worth the efforts expended. Lastly, you have the various nuts and pseudo-grains. Almonds, Peanuts, Sunflower and Pumpkin do not like the high humidity and will likely not do well while the small seeds of the Quinoa and Amaranth may be drowned in the water which means you must manually drain these seeds if you wish to grow them.
After purchasing the seeds it is important to remember that proper storage is essential in order to maximize the seeds ability to germinate. These dormant beans, grains and seeds should be stored in a cool, dry, dark location with temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees. The humidity should never exceed 70 percent keeping in mind that the lower humidity is frequently the most desired.
You can generally extend the life of your seeds to their maximum potential by freezing them. This will increase their life span by 4 to 5 times it's usually amount of time. By merely placing them in your kitchen refrigerator you can double their useful span of life. In either case, you will want to avoid any sort of condensation as it would be detrimental to your seeds well-being.
Now, after selecting the seeds which you wish to sprout you will need to prep them. This step is not completely necessary but does help "kick start" the seeds. As you rinse them off cull through them carefully and remove any non-seed pebbles and scrapes. Look for damaged seeds and immediately discard them. Although many of the small seeds may be too small to cull you will discover that anything larger than a radish seed should be inspected for any strange plant parts, pebbles, broken conditions or for weed seeds.
The next step in our procession is the seed soaking phase. Since all your dry seeds exist is a dormant state the act of soaking ends the seeds dormancy and triggers its life cycle. Usually if it is left to the seeds own accord it will develop a young plant which continues the life process of seed-plant-seed relationship.
Different seeds will naturally soak up different amounts of water. A general rule of thumb would be to mix 2 to 3 parts of water to 1 part of seed. The seeds will absorb much of the water as they are soaking in it. You can not provide too much water for the soaking process as the seeds will absorb only the amount of water which they require. You will notice that I stated you can not use too much water however, you can soak the seeds for too long of a period of time. This time will vary with the seeds and will usually appear in the seed sprouting instructions. The duration of soaking varies from 8 to 12 hours normally however, in some cases only a period of 20 minutes is necessary. Check the seed information provided with your sprouting seeds to be certain.
You will want to mix up your seeds with either your hands or a small wooden paddle in order to ensure an even water coverage. You will find from experience that some seeds such as alfalfa, broccoli or clover can be adequately covered with water and still fail to properly soak up the liquid. By prepping your seeds you will avoid this problem.
After you have completed the soaking proceed to skim off any of the residue or non-seeds which may be floating on the top of the water. Push slightly upon any floating seeds and note if they sink or not. If they fail to sink they should be discarded.
Rinsing is an important process in your sprouting adventure. Remember you are going to eat this product when it is complete. Draining represents a means of regulating the amount of moisture which our sprouts will have available. Rinsing will occur on a regular basis in order to restore this moisture to the seeds. It is generally best to rinse your sprouts over a sink by hand. Use water which has a cool temperature of 60 to 70 degrees and don't spare it, use plenty of it. If you have the capability to use high pressure on your sprouts you should do so. Rinsing should take place 2 or 3 times per day. Drain your sprouts well after rinsing them as it is easy to lose your crop if left sitting in a puddle of water. They do not like wet feet! Another important factor for successful sprouting is air circulation. Like humans, if sprouts can't breathe as they growing they will simply die. Never place them in a closed cabinet but let them enjoy their life on your kitchen countertop.
Its now time to enjoy the labors of your work but remember as you progress between one crop and another its essential to keep your equipment clean and sterile. Wash your sprouting tray well between various crops using one tablespoon of bleach to a pint of water.
You can store your sprouts in the refrigerator for as much as 6 weeks but don't try to store wet sprouts. I hope you enjoyed this article on sprouts and found it useful.
Copyright @2011 Joseph Parish
http://www.survival-training.info
