Saturday 9 April 2011

Homemade alfalfa sprouts

Here it comes. The blooming season. Bright sunny days and fantastic summer weather have at last awakened nature after this long winter sleep.

I am lucky enough to live close to chestnut and wattle woods and capture this delightful moment of the year, when green sprouts and white buds paint the wood with sparkling colours.


Back in the kitchen, I managed to re-create this 'nature-blooming-in-a-bottle' effect by growing homemade alfalfa sprouts. Not only it is a surprisingly easy and pleasant activity (highly recommended for children, though M. was not very interested I have to confess) but also rewarding: alfalfa sprouts are the richest and most nutritious sprouts. They contain a complete range of vitamins and minerals as well as high quantity of proteins, so grow your own sprouts and you'll have super natural and nutritious salads every day!




Ingredients:
alfalfa sprouts seeds


Tools:
glass jar
muslin

Always use orgainc seeds packaged for sprouting and do not choose seeds meant for planting (they are often treated with chemical pesticides, etc. etc.).
For a small-sized jar (250-400 ml), put one tablespoon and a half of small seeds in the sprouting jar. I used very small jars so I put approx. 2 teaspoon each. Cover top of jar with muslin cloth and fix with a rubber band. Rinse the seeds with water, drain and refill. Let the seeds soak 8-12 hours.

Rinse 2 to 3 times per day for 3 to 4 days, by turning the jar upside down on the kitchen sink.
After 3 or 4 days the sprouts should be filling up the jar.
I have to tell that I expose the sprouting jars to indirect sunlight, even though it is not suggested (almost forbidden!). Most sprouts will be fine if they get indirect natural light though, there is no need to keep them dark. For more practical ingormation and tips, visit here

When the sprouts are ready  rinse them with cold water to remove hul.

Sprouts will keep for about a week in the refrigerator if you rinse them once every day or two.



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

your pictures are absolutely dreamy!

Roberta said...

and yours are simply wonderful!
I am an admirer of yours and I particularly appreciate your comment!
Thank you! Merci!

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