The Joys of Sprouting!

It's always a joy to share our passion for live foods. Sprouting invites your inner gardener to bloom!
There's something magical when ordinary seeds and beans burst into life with the help of just a bit of water and attention.  Here's a peak at some of the sprouts  we've  grown lately:
clover, broccoli, buckwheat, lentil, fenugreek and radish sprouts- as well as sunflower, sweet pea and
 radish microgreens. (Kenny regularly grows these along with wheat grass).

We are both fans of the "Easy Sprout" cups.( http://www.amazon.com/Sproutamo-Easy-Sprout-Sprouter/product-reviews/B000GHUD86.)  They are inexpensive, simple to use and clean.

Have you seen the documentary "A Place at the Table"? It is a powerful look at hunger in America. To watch the trailer go to: .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgxxT4xpVNI .
 One of the important issues they touch on in the film is the lack of fresh vegetables and fruit in low income  diets. I was shocked to learn that over 40 million Americans fall into the category of "food insecure". These are often people who are employed but  still can't afford sufficient food. Another issue is access to raw produce. Too often, small rural corner stores stock tons of dry goods (read: chips,cereal,bread and soda) which are chock full of corn, soy and wheat ...( which are coincidentally ingredients that are heavily subsidized by the US government). Many times distributors of produce don't want to deliver to small stores. In addition,  dry goods last longer on shelves than fresh raw fruit and vegetables.
This documentary got me thinking about the beauty of sprouting. It's cheap, easy and local. (Doesn't get any more local than your kitchen counter!) You don't need tons of sun or a green thumb. Just a simple container (a glass jar, a screen,  hemp nut milk bag, or a stainless steel colander), a cloth to block the light (clean dish towel or cloth napkin will work)- and some seeds or beans and water.
For less than a dollar you can have a full container of fresh greens like alfalfa, clover or broccoli

or protein packed sprouted beans like lentil, chick peas or adzuki...or sprouted grains like buckwheat, oat groats and quinoa. Fresh food without the processing, sugar, salt and preservatives. Available year round.
Seems to me this would so improve all of our diets. It puts us in control of growing some of our own fresh food.  Sprouting is nutrient dense- boasting vitamins A,B,C and E...packed with antioxidants and chlorophyll. They are Super Foods without the super price tag.What more could you want!

Add radish sprouts ,sunflower greens and alfalfa to any wrap!

Radish sprouts peaking out of this raw wrap-

Here's a simple sprouting primer:
-soak 1 cup of green lentils overnight in water
-discard soak water in the morning (feed it to your houseplants!)
-place lentils in a stainless steel colander on the counter and cover with a clean dish towel
-every 12 hours rinse the lentils well- swishing them around with your hand so the rootlets don't grow through the bottom of the colander and get stuck!
-when the sprout is as long as the lentil itself- (about 3 days) they are ready!
-store lentil sprouts in the fridge for up to one week
Try them in a salad or cook them into an earthy sprouted lentil soup!
Sprouting makes the nutrients in all foods easier to digest and assimilate.

Here's sweet pea microgreens and clover with humus and olive tapenade!

 Sprouts are so easy we like to travel with them! ...Here's a photo below of our sprouts on vacation!  Don't they look happy and relaxed! We will be using lots of luscious sprouts/microgreens at our upcoming class on November 10th at Renaissance Yoga. Join us for a session on savory appetizers and sweet desserts. Learn how to simplify entertaining for the holiday season. See how practicing mindfulness can improve your cooking and help you savor your food and your company! (For more details and registration info, click on the class tag above!)


                         Grab some seeds and get sprouting!