What an amazing food sprouts make. I first started sprouting mung beans and alfalfa seeds about thirty years ago. At that time it wasn’t a common thing to see in our western world. It was a little more difficult to find like-minded people in this adventure.

Anyone Can Grow Them

Think about the advantages of growing sprouts. It becomes the perfect food for any kitchen in any home, climate, city or country. It rivals meat in nutritional value, no soil or sunshine is required, it’s inexpensive and it grows in 3 to 5 days.

For folks who are really into growing their own fresh produce, this is a great solution for the cold or snowy winter months. Since sprouts grow right in your own kitchen, the weather or season doesn’t matter.

Packed With Vitamins

When you sprout soybeans, they take on some additional properties. They do loose a little bit of their protein, more so if you grow them long like shown in the picture. You’ll retain more of the protein if you shorten the growth time.

But what is really amazing is the increase in both Vitamin C and Vitamin A that takes place during the sprouting. There is about a 600% increase in the Vitamin C. The Vitamin A increase averages 300%. There is no loss in the B-complex vitamins with the sprouting so these beans turn into a power house of goodness.

Follow these Simple Sprouting Directions:

Wash 1/4 cup soybeans in cold water. Change the water a few times during the wash. Soak the beans in cool water 4 to 12 hours. Overnight should do it. Drain, rinse well and put the beans in a clean mason jar.

You can use cheesecloth held with a rubber band to cover the jar. Or you can get plastic lids with tiny holes in them. Health food stores generally have these. Sprouting kits are a common thing now.

Set the jar on its side somewhere away from any direct or indirect light. I have a brown glass jar that I use to keep the light out. For the next 4 or 5 days, you need to rinse the beans well and drain them well at least twice a day. I’ve found that soybeans sprout better with more rinses, so I generally rinse them 4 or 5 times a day.

You’re going to see the hulls breaking away and falling off. They will float up during the rinsing so that you can remove them from the jar. You can start eating the sprouts anytime after the hull are gone. It’s up to you how long you want them to grow.

Store the sprouts in the refrigerator and use them within a day or two. They are great for salads and stir-fry or even a snack with a little salt sprinkled on them. Enjoy!