Adventures in Sprouting....the small stuff.

One of my goals this year was to learn to sprout a little more. If you google on the internet, "how to sprout", you will get a bucket full of ideas and methods. For me, I need something simple. I don't want new gadgets to buy. I want to use what I have and I want it to work the first time. Well, I got lucky. This time. Not so much with the new dinner dish I made the other night but it worked with my sprouts. 


I have already conquered the basic grains for my bread and baking like spelt, kamut, wheat and barley. Those are easy because they are big. You can see my demo here. I was now going to try the small stuff like millet, quinoa and buckwheat. They wouldn't work in my colander method because they are too small. I needed something without the holes for them to fall through. Here is what I did and what worked.

In this jar I sprouted some buckwheat. I took one of my half gallon jars I use for my kefir and made a make shift mesh lid. The store I went to charged around $15 bucks for a mesh lid. Ridiculous. I went to the store and bought one of those fine mesh lids to go over a fry pan for about $4 and cut out some circles. I could get several out of the lid. I am sure I could find something even cheaper if I wanted to drive around more. The metal mesh lid fit right into the band. I screwed it onto the mason jar. 

With smaller grains, you don't soak overnight. Just and hour or two. After you soak, you want to drain and rinse a few more times. Some of the smaller grains, like quinoa and buckwheat get a little slimy so you want to rinse them until the slime is gone. 

After you rinse, you tip the jar and let all the water drain. It is best to have it tipped at an angle to let it continually dry but I just drained it well and set it on its side. I would tip it upside down now and then to make sure all the water was gone.

You want to make sure that you don't use too much grains/seeds. I did a little much the first go round but found it worked fine about 1/3 - 1/2 full. You need room for the air to circulate and they will grow when they are soaked. 


Every grain takes a different time to sprout so it will vary. Usually it is about 1-3 days and depends on how much you want it to sprout. If you want green sprouts, it will take longer. You want to rinse it a couple times a day and drain it again. I roll mine around a few times so that the grains get air and rotate  a bit. I didn't let mine get to the green stage because I was going to dry them for flour. All the grains I did were done in 1-2 days tops. I did them just until the white sprout appeared and was about 1/8 inch long. 


The quinoa and millet were even smaller so after I let them soak and put them in the jar for 1/2 the day, I decided to spread them out a bit so they could get a little more air. Think I put a little too much in the jar. 

I took a pizza pan, the ones with the holes on the bottom and lined it with a cheese cloth. I put the moist grains on the towel and then covered them with another cheese cloth that was a little damp, barely. (You could use any thin towel). I set the pan on top of a colander for height and air exposure. I kept it slightly moist for the next day or two and they sprouted perfectly. You don't want them soggy, just not dried out. 


I did my millet the same way but when it was sprouted, I used it in smoothies and recipes. Millet is the only alkaline grain so it is perfect this time a year for an acidic, sick body. Since germs are everywhere right now, I figured we could use a boost. Millet is very mild so it is well hidden. The sprouting made it soft so you didn't have such a crunch effect going. 


All in all, sprouting has been easy as can be. It is funny how it takes you so long to want to try something out then you realize how simple it really is.


Sprouting is so very important for our grains. It unlocks the true potential of our food. It gives it a sort of super power that is kept hidden until the enzymes are released through sprouting. In turn, it will give us super powers.  Who doesn't want super powers? Me. I could really use some. I am a bit sleepy. 16 preschoolers will be here in the morning for some valentine fun. We are making sugar cookies, millet style. Don't tell them. 


Speaking of preschoolers, I have 4 slots opened for my 3 year old preschool next year beginning in August. AM and PM classes. I also have a few slots for my June only class on Tuesdays. Email me for details. 

sprouting, made personal

Baseball season is almost over, so hold tight ladies. Posts should be a little less spaced apart. I have lots of email requests to post about so I promise, I will get to them. But, this is one I have been trying to post for a couple weeks now. I think I have it down so it is time. First, let me explain why sprouting and soaking is now "my thing".

I have known about sprouting and soaking for some time now. It seemed like just too much to handle. I didn't want to "go there" simply because it seemed like it would be way too much work and we were just fine where we were. However, I have learned, when the time is right - when it applies to you specifically, it happens and it somehow doesn't seem like such a big deal.

I have been reading Nourishing Traditions and was really getting into the spirit of the book. It seemed like a good idea. Then, I had my 10 year old do an Organic Acids Test to see if he had Candida (yeast issues) and bacteria ,as I suspected. He did, but what I did not suspect is that he was showing a high likelihood of celiacs disease. I was totally shocked. This kid is healthy as can be and doesn't have stomach issues but he does look a little "puffy" and has a stuffy nose a lot. So, I left that office with a new purpose. Sprouting and soaking now applied to me. It was now personal.


I am directing this little conversation specifically to sprouting grains for use in breads and cereals. Sprouting seeds, beans and grains for greens is another chapter. Not ready for that yet. Sprouting and soaking of grains changes the composition of the grains. It enacts enzymes to help in digestion. It breaks down the phytic acid which is contained in the raw grain. Phytic acid prevents absorption of many minerals in the intestines. Breaking it down will help the body to get what it needs out of the grains. Also, by soaking and sprouting, the hard to digest proteins are broken down so they are easier to digest. By doing this, many people who have trouble with gluten are able to tolerate grains again. Especially when using grains that have a lower gluten content like spelt and kamut; some of my personal favorites.

In learning about this process, I found out that in times of old, like our great grandmothers, grains were always soaked. Always. In fact, when grains were collected in the fields, they would sit in a holding area on the farm first where they would be subject to rains and dew that would in sorts, soak and sprout them. Then, they were delivered in a now broken down state. Today, we just harvest with machines and ship out. We have lost understanding over time of why food was processed the way it was and the benefits the methods contained. I was shocked that I never really heard about all this before. Kind of even ticked off that this was kept from me from the so called "nutritional guru's" of the world. I mean, come on. Why isn't this a bigger deal? I know some people know it but why did I only hear about this in the last year? Not that I was ready then but still...

It got me thinking of why every other person has celiacs or stomach diseases now. It is an epidemic. Between the methods of preparation these days, the pesticides in the soil, the genetically modified seeds and overuse of wheat, we are killing ourselves. It is time to take control before we are all in a sickly state.

Well, I decided to get on with it. I have a couple of great friends who were also "there" and had some great tips and websites for me to visit. There are different methods and I found some that worked for me without disappointment. I will address soaking in the next post but here is my method for sprouting my grains in preparation for drying and grinding. Easy as pie. In fact, easier. Pictures included. ( Thanks to the nino's who bought me a new camera for Mother's Day; you rock.)

#1 The night before, put grains of choice in a bowl covered by a couple of inches of water. Cover with a towel and leave them there for 12 hours.

#2 Dump them into a plastic colander, making sure that the holes are smaller than the grain and rinse thoroughly in good water; no tap please. We don't want chemicals.
Then, put the colander over the empty soaking bowl and spread the grains up the sides and bottom so they have a little breathing room. I keep them about 1 inch deep. Cover with a towel and rinse 2-3 times per day.

#3 Repeat the rinse process until sprouts appear, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long. It takes anywhere from 1 to 3 days, depending on the grains. These ones have just started. A few of the grains went super nuts and sprouted a little faster than the other kids.You don't want the sprouts to get too long or the flour will make a mushy product. Just barely sprout them. Check to make sure that none of the grains are rancid or rotten. I just shift through a bit and pull out any that look a little gray or mushy. If you keep them too wet, they may spoil. That is why I love the colander method. I have never had a problem at all. You also can sprout more at a time by using a colander versus a mason jar. Smaller grains will probably take the mason jar method, like millet or barley. Use cheescloth or a mesh screen attached to the band for draining.

#4 Put in the dehydrator, on mesh drying sheets or parchment paper and dry at 110 degrees until dry. Check by biting down and making sure they are crunchy. It usually takes me most of the day. If you don't have a dehydrator, put them in the oven if your oven temp can go that low or heat it up a bit then turn it off and leave the light on. You don't want to cook the grains, just dry. It is getting hot enough here that you could start drying them outside. Just cover with mesh so birds don't get to it or dust blows in.

#5 Store until you are going to grind in the fridge. You want to use it as soon as you grind it to keep in the nutrition. You can store flour in the fridge if you have left over flour.

It makes the flour lighter and works perfectly in all your recipes. I love them in my tortillas and crepes especially.

There is so much more to tell but that will have to be another story. Soaking and fermenting are just as easy , if not easier. I have my routine now and it truly is no big deal. Even on my very tight schedule. A monkey could do it and he would be much healthier if he did. Hey, there's an idea for the zoo.