How to Sprout: Alfalfa Seeds

Full of minerals and amino acids, sprouts are a great healthy food to have on hand during the winter when fresh goodness isn't as readily available. The best part, it's super easy to grow at home! Hooray for simple, at-home abundance in the middle of January! I made my first batch of sprouts this week and I was thrilled with the yield (2 large overflowing mason jars from 2 tbsp. of seeds). So for very little money and time you can have fresh food in rotation all winter! Absolutely delicious!

For my first batch I went with alfalfa sprouts, simple and delicious in salads, sandwiches, and green smoothies. If you would like to give sprouting a try at home (if you aren't already) here's a step by step guide to sprouty goodness.

You Will Need

Alfalfa Seeds
Mason Jars (at least two)
Cheesecloth (or squares of breathable fabric)

Step One: Soak 2 tbsp. of spouts in mason jar overnight. You want to replace the inner cap of your mason jar with the cheesecloth so that you can let water and air into and out of the jar without losing seeds.

 DAY ONE

Step Two: Rinse sprouts in the morning. Continue to rinse with cold water every 12 to 24 hours for several days. (I rinsed morning and night just to be safe and keep 'em clean!) Lay your mason jar on it's side to drain any remaining water during the sprouting process (this also allows the seeds to spread out). Once your sprouts begin overflowing the first jar move half over to a second jar and continue rinsing both jars of sprouts.

DAY THREE

 

Step Three: Around day six your sprouts should be fully developed. They will be nice and green with long white tails. To finish your sprouts place on a towel or plate in the sunlight for a couple of hours. This will allow them to soak up all that fresh sunlight and soak up lots of chlorophyll. Yum!

 DAY SIX

 

Step Four: Enjoy! Make sure you're sprouts are nice and dry when you store them in the fridge. They will last in a ziplock bag refrigerated for about a week (or two). When they are no longer vibrant and have begun to discolor you should toss any remaining sprouts.

 ABSORBING LOTS OF SUNLIGHT!

Happy sprouting!

Tara