Sprouting Vegetable Seeds in a Jar for Big Nutrition or a Classroom Garden
Sprouting doesn't depend on weather, time or even dirt.
You want to sprout a garden you can grow in any season or climate. You want a garden you can harvest in only four or five days. You don't want to mess with dirt, soil or growing medium.
You want to sprout a garden that provides a fresh, healthful delicious crop that its full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. You want crops that don't need to be peeled or involve a lot of waste in preparation.
YES, it can be done!
I've done it in a classroom, and at home.
What You Need
Sprouting seeds is a simple process, and one that children enjoy a lot.
What do you need to produce a jar of fresh sprouts?
A packet of seeds -- alfalfa, cress, mung beans, lentils, onion seeds, radish seeds or a mixed batch. These are available in many supermarket produce sections, at health food stores or online.
A quart size Jar -- canning or mayonnaise jar
Cheese cloth or nylon net-- A commercially made sprouting jar with a plastic straining top can also be used-- but it is not necessary.)
If you are growing sprouts for a classroom project, you might also want:
a tray or platter, paper towels and a water spritzer.
The Classroom Project, from sprouts to snacks.
This is how one kindergarten teacher proceeded. (pro-seeded?)
Take a package of mixed seeds for sprouting. A single kind of seed can be used, but it is more fun to use a mixed batch so you can see the differences in each kind. This particular mixture was an assortment of alfalfa, mung bean, lentil, radish and cabbage seeds.
Place a tablespoon full of the mixed seed in a wide-mouthed jar. Cover the mouth of the jar with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Cover the seeds with water and soak overnight. Drain, and shake gently to distribute the seeds along the sides of the jar.
Take a few of the remaining seeds and sort them into groups of six or seven of each type. Place the sorted seeds on on four layers of paper towels on a cafeteria-type tray.
Mist the groups of seeds with water until completely dampened, but not swimming.
To keep moisture in, cover the tray with saran plastic wrap.
Place both the tray and the jar in a dark cupboard.
Each day the tray and the jar are taken out so the children can observe what growth had taken place. Seeds in the jar are rinsed and drained, and seeds on the tray are "spritzed" if needed.
The class uses magnifying glasses to watch the seeds begin to break out of their shells, grow a root, and develop tiny leaves. Differences and similarities are noted among the different types of seeds.
On the last day of the week, the jar is placed in a sunny spot for a couple of hours as the leaves magically became greener.
Finally everyone who wants to, tastes a few sprouts on crackers with cream cheese.
Most all of them agree that the sprouts are crunchy and tasty.
Grow Your Own
Growing your own sprouts in you kitchen is quick and simple. They make a tasty addition to sandwiches, omelets, salads and even soups.
Larger seeds like mung beans, small red beans and lentils are great in stir fry dishes. You might want to experiment with several different kinds. You will find that they are much fresher, tastier and crisper than bean sprouts you find in a supermarket.
How to identify seeds in a mixture:
Mixtures might contain some of the following:
LENTIL-- flat, reddish or green "lens-shaped" seed.
MUNG BEAN-- small , almost round, greenish-brown. Sometimes has a small white spot.
RADISH-- small, round, brick red.
CABBAGE- tiny, black, round.
ALFALFA-- tiny, "bean shape", color varies -- tan, reddish, greenish-tan.
You can also sprout soybeans, broccoli, clover, cress, flax, onion, wheat, barley, mustard, sunflower, and several other seeds and beans. In fact, all edible seeds, grains, and legumes can be sprouted.
Cress sprouts. Five day germination in two minutes with creepy dramatic music in background. Video below.
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Chronology of a Sprout: What you can expect to see.
If you have never "sprouted" before and you want to do this for a classroom activity, you might want to try it at home so you can make your own observations.
As with any lesson, you will have a better idea of what to expect if you try it out. It will also give you an idea of what kinds of seeds work best.
Day one: If your seeds have been soaked the night before, they should be drained and rinsed in the morning. By the end of the school day you may see some of the seeds have split and a little white "knob" appears on some of them.
Day two: Seeds are rinsed and drained again. A definite root--perhaps three or four times as long as the seed-- appears from most of the seeds.
Day three: Rinse and drain again. Things are really popping now! The growing material resulting from a mere tablespoon of seeds has increased from 400% to 600%.
Day four: Rinse and drain, again. Your jar is about 3/4 full. Leaf structures become apparent. Some secondary root hairs may be visible if you examine the sprouts carefully.
Day five: Rinse and Drain. You might want to place the jar in a sunny spot to see if these "baby plants" begin to develop some green color.
Your sprouts are now crispy and ready to taste-- but you can wait another day or two (rinse and drain) if you want them to grow a little more.
If you don't use all of them, they can be kept in the refrigerator for several days.
Rinse occasionally.
Germinating garden seeds in a paper towel. You can even plant these.
Why should you grow your own?
They are easy to grow, require little space and attention. They can be grown at any time of year.
They are a a good source of fresh food when you are camping, or in an emergency when you can't get to a store.
They have super nutritional benefits, being a good source of protein, vitamins C, D and A plus B-complex and phytonutrients.
They are easy to prepare and to digest. Certain kinds are high in anti-cancer properties and calcium. They provide nutritional fiber and are low in calories.
They also have essential minerals, carotene, chlorophyl and amino acids. In fact, they are probably the most nutrient dense of any foods.
Kids enjoy participating in the natural miracle of a growing seed . If they help to grow them, they are likely to enjoy eating them.
Now-- If I've got you thinking about yummy green things, take a look at my hub about healthful salad dressings. HERE. http://hubpages.com/hub/Discussing-Distressing-Dressings
Comments
I Love this Hub Rochelle!!
Thank you for sharing such a simple yet rewarding idea!! In this time of economic melt-down, I think it would do us all some good to create, grow and renew the things around us!! Nothing seems more optimistic than to see tiny growing seedlings popping up in the morning!!
GREAT idea!! Not only for the diet, but for the soul as well!!
Blessings always, Earth Angel!!
very cool! I think I might actually try this.
Cool hub, Rochelle. I might try it too. (hope I don't forget the drain and rinse thing. I am bad about stuff I need to do daily)
On a recent stay with my son in Chicago I have noticed the happy growth in the number of patio and rooftop gardens, most of them dedicated to vegetables & even fruit trees.
We have a natural desire to create gardens and I hope that need stays with us forever!
Cheers!
Chef Jeff
alfalfa sprouts and organic peanut butter on whole grain bread, a delight,
I love sprouts!! Very interesting hub, rochelle!! I think growing our own "anything" is a good back to basic way of living, I will use this info =))
I might have to try this. The kids will enjoy it.
The kids do enjoy it-- get that big magnifying glass out.
It's easy to do-- and if you keep the jar by the sink (you can throw a towel over it to keep it dark) you may remember to rinse them every day.
And yes-- even though most of us have moved off the farm, groing things is still basic, and something we might need to know more about again.
This is a terrific Hub. I have been reading more and more about the healthfulness of sprouts (vs unsprouted grains and seeds) and your detailed explanation should make it easy for anyone, child or adult, to sprout seeds and grains.
Thanls, livelonger and all others who commented. I would be interested to hear about your sprouting experiences, especially if you have never tried it before.
I like this very much! We sprouters have to stick together! Feel free to reference my hub. Thanks for asking!
Thanks k@ri, and that sprout supply link REALLY has a lot of info.
great hub!
We tend to eat quite a lot of assorted spouting seeds but (hangs head in shame) we buy them in a mixed, already-sprouted, packet.
No shame in that-- but you might find that it is easier than you thought to try it yourself.
yes, well worth a go, and I think my son would love it.
Thanks so much for this great info...This will make a wonderful homeschool science project for my kids!
We've recently been growing chia on a Chia Pet...this will "sprout" more ideas!
The kids I did it with were absolutely fascinated. The great thing about it, was that they couldn't wait to taste them.
Now, If I had just brought in a jar of sprouts and offered them for tasting-- how many kids would have been willing to try a strange green thing?
I grew some sprouts about 5 years ago, in a preserving jar with a gauze top on it. I changed the water and did everything right. It went missing, to be found in a cupboard, all slimy and revolting and without a trace of water, so now I to buy them from countdown . They are still pretty nutritious, but I may try sprouting them again, even if only to get a better variety. them again.
thanx for the hub
I'd like to hear how they do. Yes, you have to tend them each day.
I forgot how much fun it was to grow sproputs as a child. My next batch from the grocery store will be seeds instead of sprouts. The kids will love it! Thanks for reminding me how easy and fun it is to grow sprouts.
I haven't done it myself for quite awhile, but they DO taste much beter than the 'fresh' ones in the store.
Thanks.
great hub! I have been sprouting for over 30 years and have them growing in my kitchen drainboard as I type this. Adding sprouts grown in your own kitchen is the easiest way to increase your daily consumption of raw foods and they can't get any fresher than when grown at home. The nutritional content is soaring during the sprouting process, sprouting is a form of pre-digestion, so the body does little to break them down and utilize the nutrients. I believe it is the only way to consume grains nuts and seeds. Thanks so much for sharing this hub, now I do not have to write one., I will reference yours.
Blessings.
Obviously you know a great deal more about it than I do. I hope a lot of people will introduce the process to kids, as it is fascinating for them-- and they will actually eat them!
I will be looking forward to seeing what kinds of seeds you like to sprout. Thanks for commenting.
Hello
This is a really good hub
thanks for sharing this information
I'm new here and my first hub is about kids' nutrition and immunity. With 4 growing children (2 school age kids), your hub really got my attention. What a great hub Rochelle! You gave me an idea. I used to sprout mungbean when I was little but haven't tried the other vegetables you mentioned. I think I will try those with my kids for they also love experimenting. We will surely have fun munching on those sprouts afterwards. Thanks.
That's great, Mama Sez, kids do find it to be quite fascinating. Thanks for the comment.
I love growing sprouts! It's such an excellent way to get a lot of nutrition for very little cost, plus it's so easy. Great article!
Thanks for your comment, casey.
This looks like a lot of fun! I would love to try this. Sprouts sounds like a very nutritious option, and they don't seem like very much work.
Thanks, greenerme-- sounds like the perfect thing for someone with your screen name.
Glad you shared your info with us all - it is an encouragement to do it -easily- and nutritiously. Thanks for sharing your expertise!
Another great hub! How many kids will become farmers one day, all because they grew those sprouts? I guess we will never know, but I am sure that a few will be interesting in raising food for a living.
It is also very empowering to be able to grow your own food.
Next, take those kids fishing, and they will never go
hungry! LOL...sprouts and fish are pretty healthy too!
Thank you frogyfish and magnoliazz.
It was really fun watching the kids examine the sprouts each day. They found it very interesting. Though a few were reluctant to taste them, I think all of them did try. Most were surprised that they liked them. (You can put most anything on crackers with cream cheese.)
It was several years ago when I did this-- you now probably have to get triplicate copies of permission slips before you can eat anything prepared in a classroom. You can always do it for your own , at home.
Rochelle frank Hi. What an easy and fast way to grow such healthy food,also I can get my Grandchildren involved,which will be great for us all .Thank you.:) :)
Thanks for reading, oliversmum, I appreciate your enthusiasm. Kids love this-- watching the wonder of the daily changes. Let me know about your experience.
I recently sprouted some alfalfa - a friend gave me a little hemp sack and the seeds. They were excellent - wow!
This is something we certainly should share with children!
Great hub - thanks!
The fresher the better-- store bought sprouts can't compare.
That's a nice idea for a little gift, too.
For beans and grains which don't need light, you can use bags to grow them. They allow air to the sprouts, are impossible to break, take up less space than jars and are easier to rinse and drain. Just dip and hang!
Thanks, Charles. So, are you talking about mesh or cloth bags? I assume plastic bags could work too as long as they were ventilated. If you were sprouting large quantities, I'm sure this would be the way to go. Give details about your bags, if possible.
Good reminder!
Thanks so much for this great article - I have bookmarked it to share with my daughter who is a Primary School Teacher - the children will love to sprout some seeds! Thanks again.
Thanks gramarye and Alison. Children are quite fascinated by this-- especially city kids.
You have inspired me to try this! I love gardening so this will be a fun, and nutritious, experiment.
Great! I hope you'll let us know how it works for you.
Loved this hub and children really enjoy this activity!Sprouting is an excellent prerequisite to gardening don't you think?
Yes it really gets down to the basics-- and thekids are so excited when they "discover" the growth happening.
Thanks for your comment, wearing well.
Your welcome.It has been a hot day here in the U.K.so I am just going to water my tomatoes :)
I love sprouts and look forward to putting your hub to work in my kitchen. Thank you, Rochelle!
You are welcome. They are always best when you do the process yourself and they are absolutely fresh.
This is great I just love sprouts. Really nice hub with nutrition to boot!
It's probably about time I started growing sprouts again.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Happy Gardening
Marty
Thanks, Marty. It sounds like lots of people have tried it. I need to remind myself once in awhile, too.
I can remember doing something similar back when I was in grade, it must of been fun because I still remember it. Nice Hub!
Nice Hub,
it is something worth trying I think I parents live sprout fishing and I think this is something they would be more than willing to try
Thanks Waterless cookware guy and Health Store-- It's an easy way to make a memorable event for kids.Participating in miracles always does that.
I love sprouting, the other day I made sprouted buckwheat granola and it was delicious :)
That sounds very interesting. Do you have a hub about it?
Oh this hub has bought back such fond memories.
I remember doing this activity to educate my then young sons.
I knew it was time to move on when the oldest one said "Mum ,I wonder if we could grow something else soon" ..."Well funny ,you should say that son"...lol
Kids!
Thanks again, Eaglewiki. We learn so much from our kids
Patty Inglish, MS 3 years ago
It's been a long time since I sprouted any sprouts, so I may try it again. Thanks for the Hub reminder of how to do it!