Sprouting



Sprouting at home is an easy, inexpensive, and highly nutritional process. Sprouts are natural sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, trace elements, amino acids, and proteins in a raw foods diet.

Sprouting at Home - Easy 1-2-3

1. Clean an soak the seeds.

2. Rinse and thoroughly drain the seeds for the suggested sprouting and soaking time.

3. Harvest and store sprouts.

Choose a Sprouting Method

1. Sprouting Bags - the best sprouting bags are the ones made from hemp or nylon mesh. They are environmentally friendly and can of course be used many times. And its easy and convenient as you can sprout a seed of any kind and size and you can simply hang the bag over your kitchen sink after rinsing because the fabric of the bag does the rest. Youc an also travel with these bags and eat raw foods on the Go!

2. Sprouting Jars - if you don't want to spend any money on sprouting, you can sprout seeds in a Glass Mason or Ball jar that you have around your house. Just get a fine mesh screen or cheesecloth to cover the opening of the jar to use for draining and rinsing. Some purveyors of sprouting sell the mesh lids that screw to the jars.

3. Sprouting Trays - sprouting trays are great for those who want to sprout a lot at one time because they are easy to stack on top of each other, but they are not as easy to clean. They are also great for growing greens and grasses without soil.

4. Sprouting Tubes - The tube method for sprouting allows for more air circulation and easy draining which makes a more perfect sprout. They come in kits with a clear plastic tube and screw on lids with a mesh screen in three different sizes.

Sprouting Location

The best location for growing your sprouts is your kitchen near your sink. Because growing sprouts is so easy and simple, your sprouts really grow on their own provided they are in the most ideal environment.

Sprouts do not need to be kept out of light, however because they do not have leaves, they do not undergo photosynthesis, so it is important not to expose them to direct sunlight. However diffused sunlight and very little exposure to incandescent light will not hurt them.

Since sprouts generate heat as they grow, the added heat from the sunlight actually may spoil them.

Seed Preparation

In preparing your seeds, do TWO THINGS.

1. Rinse your seeds.

2. And cull your seeds. Culling seeds means removing any foreign objects from your seed pile. Since the seeds are organic, you may find pebbles, plant parts, or other foreign objects in your seeds so thoroughly examine your seed pile before soaking them.

Soaking

Raw Foodists soak their seeds to wake them up because seeds that are dry are in a dormant state.

1. Soak 2-3 parts water to one part seeds.

2. Swish your seeds around in the water making sure they are getting ample water moisture.

3. Do not oversoak your seeds. This will lead to spoilage. Take a look at our sprouting chart for the soaking times.

4. After soaking for the appropriate soaking time, check your seeds for any floaters on the surface. If your seeds don't sink, throw them away.

5. Now drain off the water and your seeds are ready for sprouting.

Sprouting Chart

Seeds Quantity Soaking Time Sprouting TimeAlfalfa 3 tbsp. 4-6 hours 5 days

Anise 3 tbsp. 4-6 hours

Beans 1 cup 8-10 hours 3-4 days

Buckwheat1 cup 4-6 hours 1 day

Chickpeas 1 cup 10-12 hours 2-4 days

Corn 1 cup 8-10 hours 2-3 days

Fenugreek 4 tbsp. 4-6 hours

Flax 1 tbsp. 5-7 hours

Green peas 1 cup 10-12 hours

Lentils 1 cup 6-8 hours

Mung Beans 1 cup 8-10 hours

Mustard 1 tbsp. 4-6 hours

Onion 1 tbsp. 4-6 hours

Oats 1 cup 8-10 hours

Radish 1 tbsp. 4-6 hours

Barley ½ cup 8-10 hours

Cabbage 1 tbsp. 4-6 hours

Chia 1 tbsp. 4-6 hours

Clover 1 tbsp. 4-6 hours

Millet 1 cup 6-8 hours

Nuts 1cup 8-12 hours

Rye 1 cup 8-10 hours

Pumpkin 1 cup 6-8 hours

Sesame Seeds 4-6 hours 1-2 days

Sunflower Seeds 1 cup 6-8 hours

Soy Beans 1 cup 10-12 hours

Watercress 1 tbsp. 4-6 hours

Wheat 1 cup 10-12 hours

Wild Rice 1 cup 8-10 hours

Quinoa 1 cup 4-6 hours

Amaranth 3 tbsp. 4-6 hours

Rinsing and Draining

Harvesting

Storing Your Sprouts