Sprouting Talk

I'm a complete novice at all things gardening but even I'm surprised at how simple sprouts and shoots grow. A little effort you get a huge reward and sense of satisfaction.

You might not know, but, you probably have all the necessary tools and ingredients in your kitchen cupboards at home to start today. So why not give it a try?

Not all seeds need soaking, but, most need a little, some a little longer. this is to wake them up from dormancy. Some need warm water some just cold. Its a good idea to rinse them off first and you can even pasteurize too, but this hinders some of the smaller seeds. If planting in soil after sprouting I even soak in tea. The slightly more acidic tea helps soften the seed casing making it easier for germination to take place.

I now use sprouting jars for most of my seedlings, like the ones pictured below , but when I first started I just used a plain old jar with mesh over the top. The mesh needs to be small enough so the seeds don't fall out but its easy to rinse. Sprouts need rinsed every 12hrs with clean water.

After 2-3 days you should start seeing results. Every seed is a little different for example sunflower seeds are ready to eat after just 2-3 days, when they taste there nutty best, however they do tend to lose there flavour after 3 days which is a good time to either eat or plant in soil, where they regain there flavour....becoming shoots. However fenugreek seeds can take up to 6-8 days. I also have a recipe for fermented sprouts that tastes amazing with fenugreek if you'd like to know just send me a message or leave in the comments below.

Below are a few seeds I've tried

Fenugreek - 10 hour soak, drain, rinse twice daily

Sunflower Seeds - 6hrs soak , drain, rinse twice daily

Fennel Seeds - 8 hour soak, drain, rinse twice daily

If planting, I usually plant after 2 days of soaking and put into a propagator by the window in the kitchen. Just watch out for them drying out.

Why bother you might ask. Seeds contain so much goodness but our bodies cant digest them. Breaking them down becomes easier when soaked and they start to grow. Sprouting also acts as a positive impact on the amount of vitamins, fibre & minerals collected from them. Vitamins A, B, B12 and C. Minerals like iron, Zinc & Calcium. They also taste damn good too. Too my fellow chefs a little better garnish than typical Peashoots, which I adore, but all the better if we can grow our own.

Over the coming months I hope to try out new seed types and I'll keep you posted. I'm also growing a Hungarian hot wax chilli plant at the moment. My first attempt at a chilli. All is going well so I'll Blog about it in the near future. Any tips for me and fellow readers please leave in the comments below. many thanks.