by Katri Marson

Created on: October 03, 2009

Sprouting is a quick and simple process that produces vitamin packed food in as little as a few days. It is also something that anyone can do, even without a green thumb or any gardening experience.

To grow alfalfa sprouts at home you don't need a fancy contraption. All you need is a jar. You can get a fancy sprouter if you like, but if you are on a budget, a jar works great. You can buy a sprouting lid, basically a lid with a screen at the top, or you can make your own. To make your own just get your basic jar lid, the 2 part kind that comes with a typical mason jar, and remove the center part of the lid. Now cut out a screen (available at a local hardware store) to fit inside the outer lid and secure it with glue.

You can find alfalfa seeds to sprout at most natural food markets and online shops. You can even use basic garden seeds if they are organic and you know that they are untreated.

Now that you have your jar with the right lid and picked out your seeds of choice follow these easy steps and in a few day you will have delicious and nutritious sprouts:

Soak - To start the process you need to soak your alfalfa seeds overnight. Add about 2 tablespoons of alfalfa seeds to the jar and then fill it with water. Make sure your seeds are more than covered.

After the initial soak drain the water out of the jar. This is where the screen on the lid comes in handy.

Rinse - The sprouts need to be rinsed 2-3 times a day, with cool water. You can usually get away with once or twice a day. Once in the morning and once before bed often works fine.

Unscrew the lid and fill the jar with water (with the faucet turned on high) swish and shake it around a bit and then drain. Do this once or twice. If you have one of those sprayers on your kitchen sink I recommend using it for the rinsing process. It helps rinse and aerate them really well.

Drain - Draining is a very important step in which you need to make sure as much water as possible is removed from the jar. Drain the water from the rinsing process and then do a little shaking of the jar to get every last drop of water that you can from the jar.

Let it Sit - Each time after the rinsing and draining process let it sit with the jar propped up tilted on its side and the lid facing downward.

Light - You can start off your sprouts in a dark place or just grow them out in the open. Either way at some point they will need light. If you started them out in the dark they need to get light around the time the first leaves come and the hulls have shed.

Indoor lighting or sun is just fine and will work wonderfully to get the leaves green. Though, having it by a window (like a kitchen window) to get constant light is best.

When the leaves are green your alfalfa sprouts are ready, just give your sprouts one last rinse and then let them sit to dry. Once they are dry you can store them in a container in the refrigerator. The alfalfa sprouts should keep for a couple weeks.

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