**This is a guest post written by Kelly from The Morris Tribe. Enjoy~
During the winter months, I truly miss the fresh produce from my garden. I also resent the high prices of mediocre produce at the store! Sprouting is an option that has worked very well for our family and may be something you might want to consider. Not only is it inexpensive and highly nutritious, but it’s fun!
Sprouting is like having your own little garden in your kitchen all winter long. Your supply of sprouts keep coming every few days, just about the time it takes to eat your last batch. They require only a sunny window and two rinses a day, how easy is that?
All of the energy that a plant requires to produce a full-sized plant is released when a seed germinates, or sprouts. This time in the life cycle of a seed is the best time to consume them.
The nutritional value of sprouts is just short of ridiculous, read here. They are a wonderful supplement to your winter repertoire. I count on them to help my family with building immunity during cold/flu season.
Sprout People is a great source of information about what seeds are best to sprout and gives this nutritional info for sprouts:
Nutritional info:
Vitamins A, B, C, E and K
Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc
Carotene, Chlorophyll
Amino Acids
Trace Elements
Protein: up to 35%
Vitamins A, B, C, E and K
Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc
Carotene, Chlorophyll
Amino Acids
Trace Elements
Protein: up to 35%
You’ll need a mason jar, a lid ring and some cheesecloth. You can purchase a sprouting lid for a wide-mouth mason jar here for just a few bucks. I prefer a plastic lid myself. The most important thing to remember is that it needs to be clean! I like to put my jar in the dishwasher to sterilize it.
For high-quality, organic sprouting seeds, check around your town. I usually purchase my alfalfa seeds at the health food store, but they are available at grocery stores and on-line as well. A small package of seeds will cost just a few bucks and will last a year or longer as you only need a tablespoon of seeds at a time.
You’ll want to soak your seeds in a few inches of water overnight. The next morning, rinse them thoroughly. That’s it! Just set your jar near a sunny window and watch them grow! Rinse them again that night. Be sure to drain the seeds well, you don’t want excess water in the jar.
The next morning, rinse them again and then once more at night.
By day 3, you’ll be getting pretty excited as your sprouts will have germinated and will be close to ready. Just rinse your sprouts every morning and evening thoroughly.
You might want to take a taste of your sprouts on day 3 or 4 and see how you like them. Their taste will change just a bit from day to day, you can establish what day you like them best.
Once they are complete, you’ll want to rinse them well enough to get the hulls off. Then store them in a sealed container in the frig.
I like to just munch on them myself, but they also make a great addition to sandwiches. I have used them them in smoothies, the kids will be none the wiser! A strong flavored fruit like blueberries or blackberries will insure that.
“The Sprouting Book” by Ann Wigmore is an excellent resource on sprouting and fairly inexpensive as well. Being an older book, I’m quite sure you could get it from the library.
Kelly Morris is a wife and mother to 9 children, 6 biological and 3 adopted, living in small town Ohio. She can often be found blogging, writing, reading, cooking, gardening, digital scrapbooking and drinking good coffee. Kelly authors “The Morristribe: Creating Balance for Busy Moms” and loves helping other moms find balance in their lives.
*** Kelly made this super helpful video on the sprouting process. Once I saw on this video & how simple it is, I felt way less intimidated by sprouting. It is EASY!
Thanks, Kelly, for this great post and for being such a great friend to me!
Thanks, Kelly, for this great post and for being such a great friend to me!
and it is by my side 24/7. Literally!
(like on the oatmeal I am eating right now:) 
, great cookbook!) and it keeps me up to date with what is happening with food.
at a garage sale for ten cents. I bought it and devoured the insanely thick book from front to back! When I was 11, I made an entire Thanksgiving meal with very little help. I loved cooking! 
and a pen handy. When I come upon a recipe that sounds appealing, I write the name of the book at the top of the post it, *and list the recipe title along with the page number. I keep the post it (or two) stuck to the front of the library book. Then, on the day I am going grocery shopping, I find the book, look at the post it, and pick a few chosen recipes to make for the week. I look at each recipe to jot down what groceries I need to buy, which is the start of my grocery list.
to freeze in individual portions) for my husbands work lunch. I pack my girls lunch all though the school year, again keeping it simple. Usually a sandwich, vegetable, fruit and crackers. Sometimes they will get hot soup or noodles in a thermos if I’m extra motivated!
