Welcome and Sprouts

hello! welcome to my blog. my focus is going to be food- and my biggest goal for the year is to incorporate as many raw foods and whole grains into my families diet! i am a stay at home mom who has started going a little bit stir crazy- and have really taken on cooking and experimenting. hope you enjoy!

yesterday i started sprouting some lentils- i really enjoy sprouts, and at 3-4 dollars a pack- i figured i could just learn how to do it myself. i am going to try to sprout all types of different grains and legumes, but started with lentils.

you will need a jar (i used a canning jar with the open lid) and a piece of cheesecloth or some breathable plastic mesh (i ended up using an old pair of nylons)

measure out your grain or seed (about 3 tablespoons)
rinse your grain/seed/legume well until the water runs clear.
soak your grain for the appropriate time
here is some examples i found at Living Foods

seeds/grains:

Amaranth/Quinoa- soak 2-4 hrs, sprouts in 1-1.5 days (quinoa sprouts in as little as 12 hrs)
Barley/Millet/Oats (whole oats only)/Rye/Wheat- soak 8-14 hrs, sprouts in 1.25-1.5 days
Buckwheat- soak 15-20 mins, sprouts in 1-1.5 days
Corn- field corn/popcorn- soak 8-14 hrs, sprouts in 1.5-2+ days
Rice (only brown unprocessed rice such as basmati (white/wild/standard long grain won't sprout)- soak 12-18 hrs, sprouts in 1+ days

Legumes:

Alfalfa- soak 4-14 hrs, sprouts in 1-1.5 days
Garbanzo- soak 12-14 hrs, sprouts in 1.5+ days
Lentils (brown or green, not split)- soak 8-14 hrs, sprouts in 1 day
Mung Bean- soak 8-14 hrs, sprouts in 18 hrs
Peas- blackeye or field (not split)- soak 12-14 hrs, sprouts in 1-1.5 days

you can also sprout almonds, mustard, fenugreek, pumpkin, radish, sesame, sunflower, etc.

rinse your soaked seeds until water is clear, and put back in jar, and then rinse twice a day
your sprouts should be ready in 3-5 days, keep the refrigerated!

i am excited to expirament with this- and my older son thinks its pretty cool (although he probably won't eat them!)