Sprouting Seeds

There is another easy way to supplement your diet with homegrown produce early in the season, you can sprout seeds. Sprouting seeds are so full of vitamins, antioxidants and vitality that they almost ooze a halo of health and vigour before you devour them whole. That makes sense when you think that every seed contains essential nutrients and enzymes to germinate and grow until the plant can produce it’s own food.

You can’t get much fresher than your own home sprouted seeds and it is so easy to do, you literally just add water. Plus you can be assured that they were nurtured and grown in the very best conditions and didn’t feel a thing before you munched on your lunch.

You can extend the harvest season by sprouting seeds indoors for tasty stir-fries, lively sandwiches or colourful and healthy garnishes for homemade cuisine. Sprouting seeds can be grown all year round but are particularly useful over the winter months.

It really is a growing trend and has resulted in a huge increase in range of sprouting seed now available. Look out for an amazing range of seeds and sprouters from the garden centre. Simply soak the seed overnight and then sprinkle it into a dedicated sprouter to grow. All you do is rinse the developing roots and shoots twice a day and within a few days the tasty, vitamin rich sprouts are ready to eat. They are perfect to supplement a dull winter diet and a great way to get children eating healthily.

It’s a bit like growing mustard and cress and in fact you can sprout seeds of both of these in a sprouter. Be sure to buy seed specially designed for the purpose as some seed is treated with chemicals to prevent fungal diseases. You don’t need to invest in a special sprouter, you can use a large jam jar or old coffee jar and cover the top with muslin or netting so that you can wash and drain the sprouting seeds without tipping them down the sink.
Start off with a healthy seed mix or a simple seed such as alfalfa, it has a lovely mild taste and is great in sandwiches and stir-fries.

There are a few rules to get the best results. You need to remember that the seeds will grow quickly, quadrupling in size in days, so don’t sow too many. A teaspoon full is a good place to start. Your seeds and sprouts need to breathe, don’t leave them standing in water and don’t seal them into any sort of container. Most seeds need to be soaked overnight ad then allowed to drain. They then need rinsing twice a day. They must never dry out completely or they will shrivel and stop growing and they must not be too wet or they will go mouldy. Once you get started it’s really easy, but get the hang of it with a cheap seed that is easy to grow so that you don’t waste money if you get it wrong to start with. Your sprouts and seeds need some warmth but not too much and they don’t like it too cold either, again a little trial and error will help you find the right conditions, but follow the instructions on the seed packet for the best results.