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Rainbow Kitchen

The Green, Green Shoots of Spring

By Allison St. Claire
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Sprouts contain an estimated 100 times more enzymes than fresh fruits and vegetables. These enzymes allow your body to extract higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from other foods you eat in conjunction with the sprouts as well.

Cabin fever is closing in. Seed catalogs are piling up. And I’m craving anything fresh and green and not flown in from other continents or even across the U.S.

But – I’ve got drips and drabs of seeds and beans and lentils and grains in jars marching in a crooked line across my counter. And almost every single one of them ready to supply an appetizing, amazing array of nutritious food to alleviate my current dissatisfactions.

Yes, friends, almost every one of those jars represents a cornucopia of sprouts ready to happen. I don’t need anything more than those little jarred beauties, some clean water, flowing air, and a jar or even a tray of dirt to create a feast of some fresh, green (and other colors), crunchy, raw food delights – and all in a matter of just a few days!  

Sprouts are simply what happens when a seed cracks open for the first time and sends a root or a leaf stalk poking upward out of the soil and into the open air.

They may be small, but they are packed with nutrition, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that help protect against free radical damage.

Other commonly sprouted beans, nuts, seeds, and grains include:

  • Alfalfa: a good source of vitamins A, B, C, D, E, F, and K.
  • Wheatgrass: high in vitamins B, C, E, and many minerals.
  • Mung beans: good source of protein, fiber, and vitamins C and A.
  • Lentil sprouts: contain 26 percent protein and can be eaten without cooking.
  • Or quinoa, squash/pumpkin seeds, chia and flax, peanuts, almonds, rice – the list is nearly endless. And, there are even sprout mixes for your dog or cat on sproutpeople.org.

According to massive amounts of research and studies, sprouts are just about nature’s most perfect food. As summed up here by Dr. Joseph Mercola and others: Many of the benefits of sprouts are because, in their initial phase of growth, the plants contain more concentrated amounts of nutrients. As a result, you need to eat far less sprouts, in terms of amount, compared to a mature plant. For example, when sprouting seeds, nuts, beans, and grains you get:

  • Higher vitamin content. In some seeds, the vitamin content is increased by as much as 20 times during the sprouting process. Some go even higher. The B1 in mung beans, for example, increases by 285 percent when sprouted; B2 goes up by 515 percent; and B3 (niacin) by 256 percent.   
  • Higher enzyme content. Sprouts contain an estimated 100 times more enzymes than fresh fruits and vegetables. These enzymes allow your body to extract higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from other foods you eat in conjunction with the sprouts as well.    
  • Increased essential fatty acid and fiber content which also increases dramatically during the sprouting process.
  • Increased bioavailability of minerals and protein. When the seed starts to sprout, minerals such as calcium and magnesium bind to proteins in the seed, which makes both more readily available and usable in your body.
  • Sprouts are also among the least expensive foods you can buy or grow. Growing your own can cut the cost by about 90 percent or more, compared to buying them.

 

Making Sprouts

There are millions of resources on how to grow sprouts. Seriously! A simple Google search yielded 1,000,200 hits. Two of my go-to favorites for information and supplies are sproutpeople.org and sprouthouse.com.

Prominent topics on the sproutpeople site, for example include extensive information on these sprouting basics:

  • Seed storage: Keeping your dormant seeds happy.
  • Soaking: Turning a dormant seed into a nutritional powerhouse.
  • Rinsing: Water is the key ingredient in sprouts. Use it liberally.
  • Draining: It is essential that sprouts be drained thoroughly after rinsing. Sitting in a puddle is the most common cause of crop failure.
  • Air circulation: If your sprouts can't breathe while growing they can die. Don't put them in a closed cabinet.
  • Greening: Photosynthesis is cool, and so is chlorophyll, but not all sprouts are into it, nor is it necessary. Sprouts of all colors are packed with flavor and nutrition!
  • Cleanliness: Your seed should be clean and your sprouting device should be sterile. Wash your sprouter well between crops. Sterilize when necessary.
  • Storage: Properly stored, fresh sprouts will keep for up to 6 weeks in your refrigerator but fresher is better. Never refrigerate wet sprouts.

 

Where and When to Eat Them

Simple: Almost anywhere, anytime, any way – salads, smoothies, toppings for veggies, in stir fried anything,  sprinkled on popcorn or nachos, by the unadorned handful...


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Allison St. Claire loves to dream about, study, grow, play with, prepare and ultimately enjoy eating great food.

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