Sprout Nutrition Information and ways to use sprouts.

This information was collected from various websites about 4 or 5 years ago.

Alfalfa

Contains significant dietary sources of phytoestrogens connected with prevention of menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease.  One of the most popular sprouts, is a good source of vitamins A, B, C, D, E, F, and K and is rich in many minerals, as well as many enzymes needed for digestion.

Broccoli

Has a mildly peppery flavor.  They are also high in the cancer fighting compound, sulforaphane.

Buckwheat
High in vitamins A, B, C and D.

Lentil

Rich in protein, vitamin C and the B vitamins. They have a mild ground pepper flavor.  They are 26% protein.  They can be cooked or eaten raw. 

Radish

Has 29 times more vitamin C than milk and 4 times the vitamin A.  There spicy sprouts have 10 times more calcium than a potato and contain more vitamin C than pineapple.

Red Clover

Contains the most significant dietary sources of isoflavones of any sprout variety.  Isoflavones have been proven to have powerful anti-cancer properties.

Sunflower

A rich source of lecithin and vitamins B, D and E.  It is known for its crispness and nutty flavor.  It breaks down fatty acids into an easily digestible, water soluble form

Mustard

Characterized by their tiny, spicy leaves.  They are delicate, but very spicy.

Onion

Distinct onion flavor without the tears or waste.  26% protein and a good source of vitamins A, C, and D.

Mung Bean

These sprouts should be sprouted under pressure to produce long and juicy sprouts. Mung bean sprouts are an excellent source of protein, vitamin C, A and E, along with many minerals..

Soybean

An extremely rich source of protein and vitamins A, B, C and E. Soybeans are rich in minerals and lecithin. They can be sprouted under pressure like mung beans.

Wheat 
High in Vitamins B, C, and E and has three times the vitamin E of dry wheat. Wheat also has many minerals.

Do Not eat tomato or potato sprouts as they are poisonous. 

Ways to use sprouts:

Add to tossed salads

Use in coleslaw (cabbage, clover, radish)

Try in potato salad (mung bean, lentil)

Try in wraps and roll-ups (alfalfa, sunflower, radish)

Stir-fry with other vegetables (alfalfa, clover, radish, mung bean, lentil)

Blend into fruit shakes or juices (cabbage, mung bean, lentil)

Blend with vegetable juices (cabbage, mung bean, lentil)

Replace celery in sandwich spreads (lentil, radish)

Mix with soft cheeses for a dip (mung bean, radish)

Grind up and use in sandwich spreads (lentil, radish)

Top grilled cheese sandwiches after grilling (alfalfa, clover)

Stir into soups or stews when serving (mung bean, lentil)

Mix into pancake or waffle batter (buckwheat)

Eat them fresh and uncooked in a sprout salad (salad mixes)

Top omelet or scrambled eggs (alfalfa, clover, radish)

Combine in rice dishes (fenugreek, lentil, mung bean)

Add to sushi (radish, sunflower)

Saute with onions (mung bean, clover, radish)

Puree with peas or beans (mung bean, lentil)

Add to baked beans (lentil)

Steam and serve with butter (mung bean, lentil)

Use in sandwiches instead of lettuce (alfalfa, clover, radish)

Add to homemade bread (wheat)

My favorite ways to use sprouts are:
Add any kind to any green salad
Replace lettuce in a sandwich
Add a few alfalfa sprouts to a cheese sandwich (not grilled cheese)
Tacos made with whole wheat tortillas and alfalfa sprouts instead of lettuce

March Preparedness 2014: How to Grow Sprouts

How to Grow Sprouts *

Here are the sprout seed packages I bought at Whole Food.

I am adding 1 Tablespoon of seeds to each jar.  These are Alfalfa sprout seeds.

Place 1 to 2 Tablespoons of seeds into a 1 quart jar. 

Cover seeds with tepid water.  Sunday evening. Day 1

Cover jar with a porous fabric.  I used a layer of nylon from pantyhose stretched tight over the jar opening and secured with a canning ring on two jars. One layer of nylon from pantyhose stretched tight over the jar opening and secured with a small elastic band stretched tight on the third one and the last jar has four layers of cheese cloth secured with a small elastic band stretched tight. Let seeds soak for 8 to 12 hour.

Here is a close-up of the third jar.  Make sure the nylon is stretched tight or the water will not drain.  I like using the wide mouth jars best.

The elastic band works better than the canning ring, because you can pull the nylon after the elastic band in on.  It is hard to stretch the nylon, hold it tight and put the ring on.  Plus the ring will often make holes in the nylon.

Here is the jar with the 4 layers of cheese cloth.  This is the first time I have used cheese cloth and now after using it I have decided I like this method best.

Drain and rinse with tepid water.  Drain again. Rinse and drain the seeds twice a day with tepid water for 5 to 7 days or until the first set of leaves appear. Monday morning. Day 2

Lay jars on their side. Cover the jars with a towel away from sunlight and heat, but leave the top end uncovered so air can get in. I leave mine on the counter close to the sink so I don't forget them.  Some people place theirs in a cupboard.

Tuesday morning after rinsing and draining. Day 3

 Place the jars on their side and shake them so the seeds spread out. Tuesday morning still.

 Wednesday morning after rinsing and draining. Day 4

Thursday morning after rinsing and draining. Day 5

Shake the jars to spread out the seed/sprouts every day. Thursday morning still.

Friday morning after rinsing and draining.  Day 6

Shake the jars to spread out the seed/sprouts every day. Friday morning still.
These could have been left uncovered today, but I was in a hurry and out of habit covered them.

Saturday morning after rinsing and draining.  Day7

When the leaves appear, rinse and drain twice a day, but do not cover the sprouts.  The light will allow them to turn green.  Do this for another day or two. Saturday morning still.

Here is a close-up of the Alfalfa sprouts Saturday morning.

This is the next morning after leaving uncovered for 24 hours.  Sunday morning. Day 8
Rinse one last time and drain well.  They can now go in the refrigerator and will last about a week.

There will be seed hulls from most types of sprouts.  You can put the sprouts into a large bowl of tepid water and the hulls will sink or float, but most will come away from the sprouts.  You can remove them if you don't like them.  I wait until I am ready to put the sprouts in the refrigerator.  I pull out a section of sprouts.  Rinse them under running tepid water and place them in a resealable bag.  I repeat this until all the sprouts are out of the jar and in the bag.  Wide mouth jars are a lot easier to get your hand into to remove the sprouts.

After they are in the bag you will see more water.  Remove that water too.

I zip the bag closed except for the last inch or two and drain out the remaining water.  Finish zipping closed and place in the refrigerator.  Rinse and drain every 2 to 4 days.  They will keep at least a week.

They can be kept in the jars, but I find that they take up too much room and dry out too fast.

*These sprouting instructions do not apply to wheat, mung bean, lentils, and probably a few others I haven't grown.  More about sprouting them later.

Note:  March 8 and we are still eating fresh sprouts.  Today I added 2 layers of paper towels to one side of the bag and laid that side down.  The sprouts were wetter than I like them, but no water was draining out of the bag.