Cheap Greens

Maybe you've eaten sprouts before. “They're alright, I suppose” is what you thought. Well, it's what I thought, anyway, until I sprouted my own. Really. I've always had the store bought kind or the salad bar kind, and I am telling you, those are all slightly funky. The difference is huge.

When you sprout these yourself, not only do you control freshness and eliminate the need for any additives, you also get a much wider variety. Of course, you can sprout straight alfalfa, but for some excitement, you can add other things too. You can sprout broccoli (way more nutrients, apparently, than regular broccoli). You can sprout radish, for a hint of peppery goodness, without that overpowering radish harshness. Or onion sprouts. Or bigger bean sprouts. You can make a mix of sprouts for a new taste, oh the possibilities!

We got a mix from the local health food store, alfalfa, radish, clover (weird, eh?) and fenugreek. It's a 16 ounce bag for just under 5 bucks. There are two tablespoons in an ounce, so that is 16 things of sprouts. And each container of sprouts is 2 times bigger than the store type, because I am using one of those extra large plastic containers from the Thai restaurant (about 6 inches tall) so these work out to be about 15 cents a pack. It's almost done now and I am munching it, even though it is a day or two away from being done. Yum.

This was ridiculously easy to do. 2 tbs of seeds in a container with 4 tbs. of water. Soak overnight. Add water in the morning. Like magic, they sprout. Then rinse twice a day until they are far enough along to be yummy. Or a week, which is apparently the official amount of time. Then store in your refrigerator. Here are the step-by-step directions. Someplace on that site is a video, too.