You can imagine my husbands shock when he came home from his trip. The shock prompted a concerned husband to want to talk about the plant life taking over our kitchen.
So on Sunday, I embarked on a more organized sprouting journey. I went to the store to get actual Mason jars in the correct sizes for my projects, and I placed an order for other sprout necessities (screens/ lids). So I've been immersed into the world of sprouting... the Sprout People.
This last week I successfully sprouted wheat, quinoa, and lentils for dinners/ lunch leftovers and soaked oatmeal for breakfast.
Total time involved in rinsing, washing, prepping for meals = 30 minutes.
Sprouted Bread and cookies require more attention and more of an investment because you have to dry (dehydrate) and grind (grain mill) your sprouted grain of choice into flour.
We've decided to invest in a grain mill attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer. Since we're boycotting Craigslist, read more here from NYTimes, we found a great deal at Everything Kitchens online.
We'll be able to grind fresh flour, not just that of the sprouted variety.
Shameless plug, because I get a discount on my order :0)
Everything Kitchens - Cuisinart Kitchenaid & Hamilton Beach
Here are some photos for all you who are intrigued:
Wheat and Quinoa from the bulk bins at Whole Foods. Non-Sprouting State.
Step 1: Either soak for or rinse depending on what you want to sprout.
Step 2: Drain all the water.
After just 12 hours of soaking, you will see they've germinated! Continue to rinse 2-4 times a day till you reach the sprout level you're comfortable with.
Step 3: Cover them with either a sprout screen or cheesecloth (flour sack towel and rubber band will work) and put them in a cabinet away from light.
Step 4: Enjoy your beautiful Sprouts to use in cooked recipes or to dehydrate to make sprouted flour.
Now that wasn't so hard, was it?
10 comments:
I've been thinking of starting small with some oatmeal. Or black beans. I figure if I have sprouted by accident before, surely I will have success if I do it on purpose. Thanks for the photo tutorial, Jen. It really does seem simple. I know a few people who would read this are fb friends of yours who have asked you about all of this sprouting business. I just wanted to say that on Jen's side bar, there is a link to Passionate Homemaking. If you search that blog for sprouting or soaking, there is a lot of info on the why's and wherefore's of the whole business. The nutritional benefits and whatnot. :)
Yea! I was hoping you would change your mind and blog about it. Expect a copycat blog entry later this week...I'm on a mission to learn how to do more cooking techniques. Today's task: start wheat berries sprouting and learn how to make bagels.
Melissa- are you going to soak your oatmeal?
Elizabeth- You may already know this, but make sure that you soak your wheat berries for 12 hours. You can put a Tbsp of Kefir or lemon juice to help the cause. The longer you let them sprout the more bitter they get... just a warning.
Very cool. Sprouting has been on my "to do someday" list for a while. How do you think they taste? Have you noticed a difference in digestibility?
Kate- taste is very nutty. I used the wheat in oatmeal and in veggie stir fry, quinoa in a chicken casserole in place of rice, and the lentils were in a sloppy joe recipe in place of ground beef.
a week full of grains/ beans= less gaseousness in the whole family. If I may be frank, less tooty-ness in the men, esp.
hmm .. we could go for less tootyness. if for no other reason than to avoid the constant stream of farting-related knock-knock jokes i hear these days.
"knock knock"
"who's there?"
"fart"
sigh. "fart who?"
"fart fart!!" uproarious laughter.
HAHAHAHA! Life with boys...
Sorry, Mel, you and Elizabeth, are seriously out numbered.
Oh my.
The end.
I may have to try some next time I go to Whole Foods. I may try that bread machine recipe b/c you don't have to dehydrate and grind the sprouted wheatberries.
I found this extremely interesting! I saw a sloppy joe recipe with lentils, too, and thought that was right up my alley. Thank you for the tutorial, you did make it look easy!
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