How to Grow Sprouts at Home

Fresh sprouts aren't difficult to grow in your own kitchen, and in only a few days you can have a crop of crunchy, nutritious spouts to use on salads or in sandwiches, or to sprinkle on vegetables dishes, stir fry, a bowl of hot soup or stew. Sprouting seeds requires no special equipment, and as long as seeds are edible, they can be sprouted. Try alfalfa, fenugreek, soybean, radish, lentil, mung beans or grains such as wheat, rye or barley.

Seeds

Mesh screen or cheesecloth

Rubber band

Purchase seeds from a health food center, herbal supply store or garden center. Read the package label and select only seeds appropriate for sprouting, as seeds for agricultural or gardening purposes may have been treated with fungicides or other chemicals.

Place abut 1 tbsp. seeds in a sterile glass jar. If the seeds are large, such as mung beans, start with about 1/4 cup of seeds. Fill the jar about half full with cool water.

Place a piece of fine mesh screen over the top of the jar. Alternatively, stretch a piece of cheesecloth over the jar. Secure the mesh or cheesecloth with a rubber band. Double the mesh or cheesecloth if the seeds are tiny.

Place the jar on your kitchen counter and allow the seeds to soak for eight to 12 hours. Drain the water through the mesh, then refill the jar with cool water. Shake the jar gently to swirl the seeds, then drain the water through the mesh again. The seeds shouldn't be allowed to soak in water after this step.

Rinse the seeds with fresh water every morning, then drain the excess water through the mesh. The sprouts will be ready to eat in four to six days. Sprouts are best when they're about 1/2 inch long.

Save the nutrient-rich seed-soaking water and use it to water your plants.