There are many different methods to sprouting your seeds but we find using the damp cloth or paper tower to be the easiest and most effective.
Here's what you need:
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A cotton or muslin cloth or paper towel.
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Water
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Seeds with good germination, preferably grown organically for human consumption.
Here's what you do:
- Soak the seeds: If you are using a jar, you can soak the seed in the same jar. If not, clean container will do. Use about one cup of water to every tablespoon of seed. See soak times below for type of seeds.
- When ready, moisten your cloth or paper towel and wring it out so it is damp, not wet.
- Spread seeds out evenly on your cloth or paper towel and keep seeds covered.
Soak Times:
- Broccoli and related plants like cabbage, kale, radish - 2-3 hours
- Other small seeds 2-6 hrs.
- Large seeds peas, lentils, grain, etc. 6-12hrs.
- Mucilaginous seeds cress, arugula, chia, flax, basil - do not soak, just mist to keep moist.
Remember, these are ideal soak times but if in doubt, soak less rather than more. If you soak longer then required, just carry on. It's really not a problem.
Place the finished sprouts in a sink of cold water and swirl to separate the hulls. The hulls are fine to eat but your sprouts will look much better without the. Remove sprouts by the handful, rinsing under the tap. Drain the sprouts and allow to dry for a few hours before storing in fridge.