Sprouts: How to Grow them at Home

Growing sprouts is essentially the practice of germinating seeds so that they are easier to digest and we can get the most out of all their nutrients.

Sprouts are a food high in vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and fiber. And thanks to the rise of healthy eating, you can start seeing them on the shelves of supermarkets. But if you are looking to consume sprouts regularly, the most economical solution is to grow them yourself. Few crops are as grateful as sprouts: they do not need direct light or much space, or much dedication to grow them successfully.

In this post, we will explain how to grow sprouts at home easily.

This method not only works with vegetables and vegetable seeds but with all kinds of seeds. Some that we consume in a very habitual way: rice, almonds, lentils, chickpeas … The legumes and cereals we consume are nothing more than seeds, and they can also be germinated through the method we will discuss in this post.

Why should you grow sprouts at home?

1.  GROWING BUDS AT HOME IS QUICK AND SIMPLE
   In less than 1 week you can be enjoying all its properties.
2. CAN BE CULTIVATED ALL YEAR ROUND
3. OCCUPIES VERY LITTLE SPACE
   Which allows you to grow part of your food without the need for a garden.
4. REDUCEs YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
   Like any other crop at home, it helps to reduce the environmental impacts derived from the transport of food.
5. IT IS MORE ECONOMIC
   Buying ready-made sprouts is expensive, however, the seeds are cheap, and allow large quantities of sprouts to be produced (they multiply up to 15 times their size!). Also, virtually you don’t need any sort of material to ensure its growth.
   
6. GREATER VARIETYGrowing them at home allows you to enjoy a greater variety of sprouts than what you can get in the market
7. SUBSTITUTE FOR CONDIMENTARY
   If you like to enjoy the fresh flavor of condiments, such as basil or coriander, but you do not have space or light to grow them, doing so as if they were sprouted is a good solution: their cultivation is simple, they do not require space or light, and you will always have Hand the taste of these fresh condiments.
8. HEALTH BENEFITS
   The nutritional content of the sprouts is in a much higher concentration than in its adult version. That is because much of the nutrients that plants contain are already in the seeds and are diluted as they grow. Thus, consuming shoots implies, in many cases, consuming the “concentrated” version of a plant.
   Not only its nutritional content is very high, but it is much easier to assimilate through our body. Since the germination process helps eliminate the presence of antinutrients.
   Antinutrients are natural compounds found in plant seeds, and that interfere with our ability to digest vitamins and minerals within them.
   And why is there such a thing? What is the point of the existence of antinutrients?
   There is a scientific answer. These antinutrients have a very important protective function in the development of the plant. They are responsible for protecting the seeds from attacks by pests (they have an insecticidal function) and that the seed does not begin the germination process before it is in the right conditions.
   Once the seed is in the right conditions (humidity + optimum temperature + light) it begins to germinate, and the antinutrients decrease their concentration in the seed.
   One of the best-known antinutrients is phytic acid. According to studies, leaving them to soak for a few hours and start the germination process, decreases the concentration of this component and promotes the absorption of nutrients.

Why should you grow sprouts at home?

Before starting

It is very important to maintain adequate hygiene conditions throughout the process. Since high humidity conditions make the environment conducive to bacteria. To prevent these from ruining your day, just follow these steps:

• Use well-cleaned and sanitized containers / germinators.
• Rinse the seeds well before starting the process.
• Use specialized seeds for growing sprouts.
• Change the germination process of water daily.
• Rinse the sprouts before consuming them.

If the restlessness consumes you, or what you want is to germinate some lentils that you had at home (that are not treated to be consumed as sprouts), or you left for a weekend, and now you look at the water of your sprouts with suspicion, simply cook your sprouts. Contamination by these bacteria only occurs when consumed raw.

Anyway, following the guidelines we have given you above, you will not face any contamination problems.

Necessary materials

To make sprouts at home you don’t need much material (which is great), you just need:

• Germinator
• Seeds to germinate of your choice

Step by Step

Coming down to the topic, here is the step by step to growing sprouts at home:

• Place about 10 grams of sprout seeds or a tablespoon in a bowl of drinking water for about 6 to 8 hours. The soaking time will depend on the type of seed. Information about seed types can be easily found on our blog [we can create a hyperlink to an internal article written on this topic].
• Drain the seeds for a minute. Tip: use the soaking and rinsing water to water your plants.
• Place the sprout seeds on the germinator grid, spread them well, with no seeds on top of each other. Fill the germinator with water to the line. Place it in a place in your house with indirect light and let it drain. Any corner of your kitchen is suitable.
• Always maintain the water level. The ideal thing to do is to change the water once a day.
• After about 7 to 10 days, you can harvest your shoots, then keep them in the fridge for a week before you enjoy a healthy meal.

Finally, you know how to do it, you can enjoy your favorite sprouts at home without having to go to the market to get them.