Spring Sprouting

[Guest guest]

Sprout a little vitality to welcome spring KAREN KISSLINGER

March 4, 2007

 

When processed food started to be popular in the " modern " era of the

early 20th century, long shelf life was considered a plus. Now we

know one reason foods can sit on a shelf for a long time and not

spoil is that they don't have much nutritive value -they are not

vital at supporting life. On the other hand, a jar of seeds (beans,

grains, nuts, etc.) can sit well-preserved for hundreds of years, and

then when moistened swell and grow into some of the most vital and

nutritious foods available to humans: sprouts.

 

Sprouts are baby plants, and baby plants are designed to have their

own internal " milk " supply (i.e. All the wonderful nutrients they

need for a while) until they get their roots firmly settled into the

earth. So when you sprout seeds such as wheat, oats, aduki beans,

lentils, alfalfa, red clover or dozens of others, the swelling seed

knows just how to kick in to produce lots of vitamins and enzymes

that offer you remarkable living foods - grown right in your own

kitchen.

 

In the summertime, it is possible for many of us to grow vegetables

right in our back yards and eat them freshly picked, still alive and

full of active vitamins and enzymes, the optimal way to eat them.

When my children were tiny, I used to hand them a fresh sweet pea or

bean from the garden to eat and say to them " Here ... life to life! "

 

As winter grinds on, as we see ever more clearly that the source of

our vegetables is far from our own back yards - thousands of miles in

most cases - we may instinctively feel the need for greater vitality

in our food. Like the promise of spring and renewal suggested in

swelling buds, sprouts offer us the hope and the immediate reality of

being able to eat remarkably nutritious superfoods, grown

inexpensively in our own kitchens or cellars. That's as local as it

gets. They can be eaten raw and are inexpensive to grow -taking only

a few days from start to finish, in most cases.

 

Though there are expensive sprouting apparatus to buy, most people

can get started with some nice clean jars or trays, some cheesecloth

(or muslin), rubberbands to hold the cloth over the jar mouth, and a

few minutes of time for rinsing your sprouts each day. I do it first

thing in the morning when I'm preparing breakfast and it really does

only add a couple of minutes of extra work.

 

The sprouts I've listed as my favorites below can all be grown in

jars.

 

Wash and soak each for the recommended amount of time, usually

overnight. Directions for growing them in trays are easy to find in

books and online. Then rinse and drain them and distribute them along

the bottom of a quart-size canning jar that has been laid on its

side. Place a muslin cap over the end of the jar using a rubber band

to hold the material around the jar lid. Rinse your sprouts two times

each day until they are grown to the size you want. If you forget to

rinse them and they " go bad " just throw them away and don't try to

salvage them. You'll get in the habit of rinsing -and then you'll be

in the sprouting habit.

 

For sprouts such as clover, alfalfa and lentils, leaving them in a

sunny window for five or six hours after they've reached full size

will allow the chlorophyll to develop and they will green up. After

that they should be refrigerated while you use them. Then you can

enjoy them plain, in salads or added to any number of dishes. The

Web site www.sproutpeo ple.com has an amusing editorial stressing

that sprout enthusiasts, particularly those who write about

sprouting, tend to be too " dogmatic " and say there is only one way to

sprout. The comment suggests there are many ways to sprout -and that

experimentation is fun and productive because " seeds want to sprout. "

I agree, and suggest you go ahead and play around and see what works

best for you.

 

In addition to growing sprouts such as lentil, red clover, alfalfa

and wheat, I plant my wheat sprouts in a shallow layer of potting

soil and enjoy the wheat grass that grows at a rapid rate over the

next few days. I cover them with a light damp cloth for one day after

planting to keep them moist while the root takes hold. Wheat grass is

widely considered a nutritional superfood, offering an array of

minerals, vitamins and enzymes. It is extremely sweet and truly

delicious, and really easy to grow. If you or your children are

looking for a really healthy snack treat, this may be one to try.

 

As with all produce, when purchasing seeds for sprouting, try to

acquire those grown organically, and be careful not to use seeds

meant for gardening. Even if, and especially if, they were organic

and untreated, they would present an extremely expensive way to

acquire sprouting seeds. Most health food stores and co-ops have bins

of seeds, grains and beans to buy in bulk.

 

 

You will soak and then wash your sprouts until they are ready.

Here ... life to life!

 

Karen Kisslinger has been practicing traditional Chinese acupuncture

for more than 20 years and has a practice in Millerton. She also

conducts workshops about relaxation, meditation and whole foods

cooking. Contact her c/o Healthy Living, Poughkeepsie Journal, P.O.

Box 1231, Poughkeepsie, NY 12602.

 

 

Blissed be, Annie

bodybybliss.com