Year Around Indoor Gardening - Sprouting

Spouts are a super food.

Fact:

• Did you know that a radish takes about a month and a half to grow to maturity and contains 10 international units (IU) of vitamin A? Conversely, radish sprouts take 5 days to grow and contain 390 (IU) international units of vitamin A. Wow!
  


• A two ounce shot of wheat grass contains 70% Chlorophyll and is equivalent to eating 3 pounds of raw vegetables
  
  

Why I have started to grow my own sprouts:

• Sprouts are a nutritionally power packed food with high concentrations of vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, and bio-flavinoids etc.


• I can simply and quickly grow fresh organic produce year around in my own kitchen – no pest problems.


• Less production time from seeds to the table


• The tender cell walls of the sprouts easily release their concentrated nutrients which maximizes our ability to assimilate them. Sprouts are packed full of enzymes that aid digestion and balance the digestive tract.
• Sprouts can be added to salads, sandwiches, used to cook with or juiced
  

To learn how you can economically grow your own nutritious sprouts year-round check out this book: Sprouts –The Miracle Food – The Complete Guide to Sprouting by Steve Meyerowits. AKA: The Sproutman. In his informative book and on his web site Sproutman uses three methods for home sprouting:

1. Bamboo baskets - which give his sprouts more vertical room to grow as opposed to the mason jar method.


2. Soil-less sprouting trays and the


3. Fresh Life Automatic Sprouter.
   

Personally, I have sprouted in mason jars but the sprouts get too crowded and stay too wet which tends to allow mold to develop. I have also grown wheat grass in organic soil for the purpose of increasing their mineral content which turns into real messy indoor gardening. I have not yet tried to sprout in bamboo baskets. But, the easiest way to grow sprouts for me is to use the Fresh Life Automatic Sprouter. I bought an extra barrel and wheat grass pads to double my ability to sprout wheat grass.

Check out my amateur video of the progress of my Fresh Life Automatic Sprouter. I am growing wheat grass...to be continued.

If you are interested in a Fresh Life Automatic Sprouter you can call me at: (615)331-3136 They sell for $99.00

Wow! Here is another recipe I tried from the agave cookbook (you can find the book on my web site – and for all my Nashville friends you can save on shipping). When I went to our “pot-luck” I doubled it so that I would have some to bring home to have the next day…Haahhh! I was out of luck - gone!

I didn’t have all the ingredients below so followed most of it but I substituted a few things:

For the dressing I substituted:
Healthy coconut oil for the vegetable oil.
I didn’t have rice vinegar so I used Bragg’s apple cider vinegar
I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used sushi pickled ginger and diced it

For the salad I used:
Shredded carrots (food processor)
Shredded cabbage
Onion – yellow and green
Cucumbers- julieanned

I don’t like hot foods – and this had a little heat from the chili-oil but it was hot and sweet and you just couldn’t stop eating it. Which is exactly what you want in a healthy recipe.


Asian Cabbage and Sprout with Ginger Dressing

Serves: 6 - 8

Description:

This is a delicious salad that can be used as a side dish or as a main course (just by adding chicken). The dressing has a wonderful Asian flavor and can be used as a dressing on mixed greens as well.

Ingredients:

Salad:
1/2 head green cabbage
1/2 head red cabbage
2 carrots, julienned
2 cups bean sprouts
2 cups snow peas
1 red pepper, diced
2 grilled chicken breasts, cubed (optional)

Dressing:
1/3 cup Xagave
1/3 cup white rice vinegar (unsweetened)
1/3 cup soy sauce*
1 tsp. fresh chopped garlic
1 tsp. fresh chopped ginger root
1 tsp. hot chile oil
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Garnish:
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Steps:
Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl and mix. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend. Pour dressing over salad mix, toss and sprinkle sesame seeds over top.


Tips and Notes:
This salad and dressing will taste delicious for several days.
*May substitute Braggs for soy sauce. (dilute 1 part Braggs to 1 part water).

Thank you Stephen Richards!