Create a Nutritious Kitchen Garden in Winter
by Ellen Livingston
I receive a lot of questions about growing and eating sprouts, so I've decided to write a little article to express my views on the issue, and to provide support for those of you who want to explore this food. First, I'd better let you know that I am not an expert on sprouts! I grow them sometimes, and eat them sometimes, but they have never been a staple in my raw diet, in any season of the year. For me they are a "fun food" that my children and I enjoy every now and then. They are fun to grow, and add a nice texture to soups, salads, and raw sandwich wraps. And yes, they are nutritious.
Much of the raw literature has elevated sprouts to "superfood" levels, due to their concentration of nutrients and live enzymes. While it is true that they contain a concentration of nutrients as they prepare to launch themselves into a mature plant, more is not always better for our human bodies. I generally don't put much stock in the idea of "superfoods", preferring to focus on ensuring naturally sufficient nutrients in my diet by consuming a large variety of different plant foods throughout the year, each food beneficial in some important way. If we follow a healthy raw vegan diet, we don't need the extra enzymes or "super-nutrition" in sprouts.
Imagine going back to a pristine, natural, tropical environment like that which we would have first encountered on planet Earth. The most readily available and satisfying foods would have been fruits, and some mature greens. We may have discovered some teeny tiny young sprouts, but would not likely have found them or gathered them in sufficient quantity with which to create a meal. Sprouts by themselves are usually not tasty enough to form a meal, in my experience.
Perhaps you are aware of the debate about the presence of toxic substances in sprouts, especially in alfalfa sprouts. These toxins are present to protect the young sprout as it attempts to grow into a mature plant. In the quantities we would eat, these toxins pose no serious threat to us. An exception may be wheatgrass juice, when consumed daily. Grass is not one of our natural foods, and when concentrated as it is in wheatgrass juice, it can become a real irritant to the body. Hence its reputation as a detoxifier - in reality it may be more of an "excito-toxin", causing a reaction by the body as it attempts to cope with unwanted, potentially unsafe concentrations of nutrients in an unnatural form.
Sizing it all up, if you like sprouts, enjoy them! If you don't like sprouts, don't worry, you don't need them to create health. I don't recommend eating bean or lentil or grain sprouts, as they are very difficult to digest and cause toxic byproducts. But green leafy sprouts such as sunflower, buckwheat lettuce, clover, alfalfa, broccoli, radish and others are fine, some more spicy than others, so be careful. You can also soak nuts and seeds in purified water and most will eventually produce a small white sprout. But the real advantage to soaking nuts and seeds is that they rehydrate some, and thus become easier to digest.
Green leafy sprouts grown in your kitchen can become a good source of extremely economical, ecological, fresh-picked, nutritious food in a long northern winter. The extra plant life in your kitchen will also freshen the air and bring pleasure to your senses! These sprouts are very easy to grow, and easy to digest. If you have children, sprout growing can become a wonderfully fun and healthy project. Most kids will eat sprouts they have grown themselves.
By now you're either feeling relief that it's not necessary to fuss with growing sprouts for your healthy diet, or you're inspired to begin your winter indoor garden! Steve Meyerowitz (aka, "Sproutman") is the expert I can recommend to you, and you can visit his informative website at www.Sproutman.com. He has published several sprouting guidebooks. Another good resource is www.sproutpeople.com. Go to these sources to order seeds, and to learn sprouting methods. But beware that I do not necessarily endorse other so-called health information that you may find at these sites.
There are several good sprouting methods. You can use large wide-mouth canning jars with a mesh lid, special breathable sprouting bags, bamboo baskets, or automatic sprouters. The basket method takes up the most space, but is perhaps the best method for green leafy sprouts because it provides maximum growth freedom (leafy sprouts get pretty cramped in a jar or bag!). Hanging bags are perfect for nuts and seeds.
If you are inspired to get serious about creating a kitchen garden, I suggest you explore the internet sites for information, and consider purchasing a book. The basket method is my favorite, and is described in great detail in Steve Meyerowitz's book, Sprouts, The Miracle Food. It involves soaking the seeds overnight, then placing them inside a plastic colander or a natural bamboo basket. Choose an unpealed fiber basket with 2" sides and holes big enough to let air circulate, and small enough to prevent little seeds from falling through. An 8" diameter basket will comfortably grow 5 TBS of alfalfa or clover seeds (clover is a little spicier than alfalfa). Sterilize new baskets by boiling them in water for 3 minutes.
First, soak your seeds overnight in pure water. Then, pour the seeds into your sprout basket. Rinse them vigorously with a sink sprayer (if you don't have one you can buy a shower nozzle for your sink faucet). Place the basket in a greenhouse tent with lots of air space above the seeds (a large sturdy clear plastic bag will do). Rinse well with the sprayer and good water pressure for 30 seconds, twice daily. Tilt the basket to drain it well. Sprouts like indirect light (not hot, direct sun), at least in the second half of their growth time, and a temperature of about 75 degrees. An east or north window sill is nice. Enjoy your sprouts in 6 - 7 days! Every now and then clean and brighten your bamboo basket by soaking it for an hour or so in a dilution of natural bleach and water. Then rinse and air dry.
This should get you started. It's really very simple! The books are written to help you trouble-shoot, create more elaborate home-made systems, try different methods, and learn to grow many different kinds of seeds.
Reference:
Meyerowitz, Steve, Sprouts, The Miracle Food: The Complete
Guide to Sprouting, Sproutman Publications, 1999
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