Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

-----------------EQUIPMENT AND INGREDIENTS----------------------

Sprouting is one of the easiest ways to grow fresh vegetables for
eating; both in and out of season. While mung bean sprouts have long
been familiar in Chinese cooking, alfalfa and other sprouts have
become equally well known in recent years. Sprouts can be added to
salads, sandwiches, soups and other dishes for both the crunch and
the nutrition. Sprouts are bursting with nutrients, and certain
vitamins even increase when seeds are sprouted; up to 600 per cent.

Sprouts are economical too, from a single pound of seeds you can
produce from six to eight pounds of sprouts. All you have to do is
add a little moisture and a little warmth to the seeds, set them in a
dark place, then sit back and watch your garden grow in just a few
days time.

BASIC SPROUTING EQUIPMENT: All you need to sprout seeds is a jar, some
cheesecloth, plastic mesh, or plastic screen to cover the jar, and a
rubber band to hold it in place. But you can also sprout seeds on a
tray, on damp towels, in a clay flowerpot saucer, or in a thin layer
of soil. You may also want to try the ready made sprouters that are
available in large department and health food stores. For example,
you can buy mesh trays or sprouting lids made of plastic mesh that
fit on standard one quart canning jars. It's a good idea to try
various methods to find ones that are most convenient and work best
for you.

BASIC INGREDIENTS: You can sprout all kinds of seeds, legumes, and
grains. Try wheat, rye, alfalfa, mung beans, chick peas, soybeans,
pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, or any of the other sprouting seeds,
grains, and vegetables. Only one thing is essential; when buying
seeds for sprouting, ALWAYS check to be sure you're getting live,
untreated seed. Seeds that are intended to grow crops are specially
treated to make them resistant to insects and plant diseases; and you
shouldn't eat sprouts started from these chemically treated seeds.

You also can't sprout seeds that have been heat treated, because even
relatively low temperatures kill the seeds, leaving them edible but no
longer capable of growth. For this reason, if you're growing beans,
peas, or other vegetables for sprouting, be sure to use the drying
method recommended for this purpose. Seeds dried by blanching,
chilling, and heating will not sprout.

The only other ingredient you'll need for sprouting is water. Some
experts recommend that you let city water (which may be high in
chlorine) sit for a day or two before you use it, in order to let the
chlorine dissipate into the air. When sprouting seeds, use lukewarm
or room temperature water, rather than cold or hot.

BASIC SPROUTING TECHNIQUES: Sprouting can be done in a jar, on a
tray, on a towel, in a clay saucer, or in a thin layer of soil. Each
method works best for certain kinds of seeds. Although the basic
steps are quite similar from one method to the next, the times and
temperatures for sprouting will vary due to temperature and humidity
variations in your home. That means you've got to check sprouts
frequently. After your first couple of batches, you'll have a good
idea how long it takes to produce the flavor you prefer in sprouts.
Many sprouters also like to save the water drained from sprouts for
use in soups or sauces, or for watering house plants.

Source: Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia; typos by Dorothy Flatman
1995 Submitted By DOROTHY FLATMAN On 11-29-95

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