Growing Sprouts

Just because its cold outside doesn’t mean you have to give up fresh food. Being a Winter Warrior is one way to put your hands on locally grown produce. Another is to stop by the Natural Frontier Market (1104 Cortelyou Rd) and set yourself up to grow sprouts. Natural Frontier carries everything needed to start sprout: seeds, sprouting containers, and a handbook.

Once supplies are acquired, the process is simple.

1. Rinse the seeds. Soak seeds overnight in a container with at least twice as much water as seeds. Note: For sprouting, only use seeds sold as sprouting seeds. Other seeds may have been treated in ways unhealthy to eat as young sprouts.

2. Rinse seeds and pour them into a sprouting bag. Hang the bag in an out of the way place with a bowl underneath. Note: Seeds don’t need sunlight to sprout. Also, there are a variety of sprouting containers. During my visit to Natural Frontier, this is the kind they had in stock.

1. Rinse seeds once or twice a day for the next three days. Note: Mold also likes dark, warm, moist environments. If there is any hint of mold, throw out the batch, sterilize the equipment, and start over.

1. Rinse the sprouts in a big bowl of water. The hulls will float to the top. Collect and compost the hulls.

2. Transfer the sprouts to a container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week. Enjoy in salads or on sandwiches or pair the sprouts with fresh Greenmarket finds. Note: some advise to continue rinsing the sprouts daily.

What are your tips for eating fresh food during the winter months?