Sprouters: A Complete Purchase Guide
Microgreens and sprouts are an essential part of a healthy diet. They are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals and can prevent many onset diseases like osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases.
Be it a fresh green salad or a quick sandwich; fresh sprouts can complement any dish along with maintaining your health. You can always improvise and experiment new recipes for fresh sprouts.
Moreover, the best part about sprouts is that you can grow it right in your kitchen. The easy method and least demand for care make sprouts convenient to grow at home. Sprouts can be grown in just a few days throughout the year. Sprouting at home is also cost-effective and you can grow a variety of seeds at home, including alfalfa, broccoli, cabbage, mung bean, and radish and legumes as well as chickpeas and lentils.
Tips for choosing the most suitable sprouter
The key to growing fresh, green sprouts is realizing the need for optimum water, light, and temperature required by the seeds. This can be obtained by the various sprouters that are now available. Sprouters are tools that make sprouting at home super easy with proper drainage and hydration for the seeds.
Sprouters are available in different materials and offer different features that may bring about the variation in their costs as well. Choosing your suitable sprouter majorly depends on the following:
- The time required for maintenance of the sprouts each day
- Quality of sprout produced
- Space occupied by the sprouter
- Availability of water/ the power consumption for an automatic sprouter
- Initial cost or running cost
Opting for different sprouters does not really change the basic requirements or steps of the process. The sprouters only alter the way each step is carried out. Good produce should have the same quality irrespective of the sprouter used.
However, a very important tip to remember while sprouting is the watering procedure. The secret to a good yield lies in watering the seeds on time and providing sufficient water-not too less; not too much-otherwise, the seeds will rot rather than germinate.
The different types of sprouters
Basic Sprouters
Basic sprouters can be easily prepared at home and need not be bought which include sprouting jars, bags, and trays.
Usually available in a set of 3-4 trays, these are ideal for spreading your seeds across. They are most suitable to grow mucilaginous seeds as the seeds can be individually grown and avoids clumping; moreover, the trays are designed to fit one over another to keep in the moisture along with providing enough space for the seeds to sprout. The trays have holes in the bottom to allow proper drainage and watering of seeds.
Sprouting Jars:
Sprouting jars are by far the most popular form of a sprouter, especially amongst beginners. Although you can make a DIY sprouting jar at home, the commercially made sprouters tend to have features that make sprouting is like perforated lids and angled storage. However, jars do not allow proper aeration, so the seeds require more rinsing than usual.
Sprouting bags:
Sproutman’s sprouting bag is often preferred over sprouting jars because, along with occupying lesser space the bags also allow proper air circulation and drainage due to the porous nature of the material. Sprouting bags are made of natural hemp fibre so abstain from using plastic bags as an alternate as they allow poor ventilation and drainage. This type of sprouters is best for travelers as its easy to carry and use.
Victorio 4-Tray Kitchen Sprouter:
Comprising of a set of 4 round trays, the Victorio kitchen sprouter is suitable for any type of seeds or beans. Its compact design allows it to fit in any cupboard of your kitchen. The trays are stacked over a catchment container. Sprouts are watered from the top, and it makes its way down through all the sprouting trays to the catchment container. The set comes with plastic lids as well, so you can store the sprouts immediately after growing. You can purchase additional trays and grow a variety of sprouts all at the same time.
The Biosta Sprouter:
With its visual appeal and aesthetic design, this sprouter can look good with a bowl of fruits or a flower pot. This sprouter gives “farming” in your kitchen a whole new meaning as it does not require rinsing. Its light weight and small design make it easy to transport. The lids that come with it allow you to store the sprouts once they’re ready. The excess water that is collected can be used to water other home plants providing them further nourishment.
Handy Pantry Stackable Sprout Garden:
Made specifically for the countertop, the Handy Pantry stackable sprouter includes 4 trays for soaking and sprouting. The sprouter comes with a lifetime warranty. All you have to do is soak the seeds overnight, transfer them to the sprouter and rinse the seeds once or twice daily. Typically you can get your harvest in 4-5 days.
In addition, the sprouter is handsome enough to earn a place amongst other appliances and can be put in the dishwasher with your dishes and silverware. This sprouter comes with a complementary pack of alfalfa seeds to encourage your love for sprouting. The estimated produce per cycle is an astounding four pounds.
Tribest “A Freshlife” Automatic Sprouter:
Automatic sprouters make sprouting easier than it already is. You can grow sprouts all year round without working on your part. All you need to do is fill the sprouter with water. Add the seeds and supply the required power and your sprouts would be ready to harvest in a week. The automation maintains the right amount of hydration and optimum temperature (65F to 80F) for the excellent yield of sprouts. Make sure to check up on the sprouts at intervals to see if the seeds sprout as planned.
It is essential to provide the sprouts the required conditions in order to harvest healthy and fresh produce. These sprouters will assist you to grow sprouts in the comfort of your home and make losing weight a less tiresome journey.