I recently attended the Whole Life Expo, where I was inspired to grow sprouts.

This experiment took a little research and one failed attempt, so I wanted to share what I learned with anyone that might be interested in giving it a try.

In case you’re wondering, I’m proud to say that, yes, this is a photo is of my very own sprouts! It is a mix of garbanzo beans, peas and lentils.

Why should anyone sprout?

In addition to being delicious with an interesting texture (and cute!), sprouts are extremely nutritious. They are high in fiber and protein, low in fat and they are easier to digest than the seeds from which they originate. If you are interested in learning more, Sprout Kitchen is a good source of information on the nutritional value of sprouts.

Here are my sprouting tips:

• There’s a lot of information out there on how to sprout but I found Sprouting a Brief Overview to be comprehensive, accurate and user friendly.
• You can use a sprouting kit or a jar with a mesh lid but I just used a sieve, a glass bowl and a cheesecloth, which worked just fine. The glass is important as it lets in the light. If you use a cheesecloth, make sure it’s only one layer thick, to allow air to circulate and to let in the light.
• Don’t skimp on the number of times you rinse your seeds, as they are sprouting, or they may dry out. Make sure they are well rinsed and that they are draining properly throughout the entire process, or they may get moldy.
• Where you place your seeds, while they are sprouting, will determine whether or not they get enough light (not direct sunlight, however) to allow for photosynthesis to occur. I placed mine near a window facing north light and I also used a small lamp, some of the time.
• My first batch of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) didn’t work. I suspect that I may have done two things wrong. The seeds were old and on top of that I over soaked them. You can learn from my mistakes! The amount of time required for soaking beans or lentils for sprouting is quite different from what you would allow if you were going to boil them. As I understand it, over soaking the seeds can drown them.
• You can buy seeds for sprouting (this photo is from a package of mixed organic seeds for sprouting) and this may give you more variety, but the product you would normally buy for consumption works just as well. Old seeds don’t work, however, as they are no longer ‘alive’.

It really was fun watching these seeds grow into sprouts before my very eyes. Gardening rarely delivers results this quickly and not at all in the cold Canadian winter!