It's a little bit rainy/snowy outside now, the cats are both snoring on the bed in the room next to my office and I have the book All The Light We Cannot See on my bedside table screaming at me to come read it. No, seriously. Screaming. With a German accent. Plus there's fresh, homemade bread downstairs.
But I can't light the fire and enjoy the rainy/snowy day, pet the cats, read the book or eat the bread ... because of you people and your unrelenting demand for posts. I've mentioned this before.
Sometimes you people really bug me.
I've given it some thought and you people don't bug me anymore. My mortgage, food and utility bills bug me. They're the life sucking, needy ones in this situation. Mortgage, food, utilities. Mortgage, food, utilities. Basically I live like an Amish person so I have no idea how my expenses are so huge, especially my grocery store bills. I grow 80% of my own produce, don't eat a ton of meat and almost never clean my house so that eliminates expensive cleaning products. I blame it on Joe Fresh. And Italian cheese.
Somebody asked me the other day if I do the things I do to save money. Um. Kind of. Not really. I mean that's a small part of why I do the things I do, but really I make bread, grow food, have chickens and build stuff because I like doing these things. It makes me feel like I'm better than everyone else. You know. Superior. Like a cat.
If I didn't like doing them it wouldn't matter how much money I was saving ... I wouldn't do them. Which is why I would never do my own dental surgery. Sure I could save some money but I don't think I'd enjoy doing it. It depends on what sort of drugs I could get my hands on, I suppose.
Alfalfa Sprouts I grow myself for 2 reasons. One because there have been a few health scares over them. In the past 20 years, there have been 30 sprout outbreaks were people got sick and had to go to the hospital and were forced to wear ugly hospital gowns. Alfalfa sprouts that were full of toxic, icky, dirty, salmonella juice were to blame. So that's reason number one to grow your own sprouts.
Reason number two is, I really like how they look on the kitchen counter. They look cute.
This isn't the first time I've talked about growing sprouts. One of the very first posts I wrote for this blog 5 years ago was how to grow your own alfalfa sprouts. Throw some alfalfa seeds in a mason jar, soak them overnight, then rinse and drain them for a few days. Voila. Alfalfa sprouts.
Nobody cared.
Mind you I only had about 5 readers at the time. So I'm going to lay this whole sprout growing thing on you one more time. I'm also using a different technique now which greatly enhances the cuteness of the sprout.
First off you folks are going to have to buy yourself some alfalfa seeds. You can get organic sprouting seeds online, or from your local health food or bulk store. You want good quality seeds because most times when alfalfa sprouts become contaminated it isn't because of the sprouting process it's because of the seeds. The seeds themselves arrived with bacteria. So don't buy your sprout seeds from a dirty organic hippie. Buy them from a clean organic hippie.
Which brings me to my next point. I do NOT do this, but it's suggested that when you soak your seeds to get them ready for sprouting you should add a couple of tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide to your soaking water. So say, 2 Tablespoons per 2 cups of water. This will kill some of any bacteria that's present on the seed.
How to Grow Alfalfa Sprouts (which are GREAT in sandwiches especially my favourite sandwich ever, and salads)
- Soak 1-2 Tablespoons of alfalfa seeds overnight in water (or water with hydrogen peroxide if you prefer).
- Drain and rinse the seeds. Set aside.
- Fold up a piece of paper towel and stick it in the bottom of a small dish or bowl.
- Add water to the dish with the paper towel then drain it so there isn't excess water in the bowl. Just a nicely soaked paper towel.
- Sprinkle your soaked seeds overtop of the paper towel evenly and in a single layer.
- Over the next 2 days keep the seeds moist by adding a dribble of water over them.
- Once the sprouts have established their place on the paper towel (around by the end of day 2) you can carefully rinse and drain the sprouts. If you rinse them too early or with too much force, your seeds won't get a chance to root into the paper towel and will go flying all over the place.
- Rinse and drain twice a day until your sprouts look like sprouts. The photo above is day 4. The photo below is day 5.
Once they're all sprouty you can keep them in the fridge for a few days loosely covered with plastic, or in an open plastic bag. They don't last long so only make what you're going to use in a few days.
Sorry about saying you bugged me. You don't bug me. I just get cranky sometimes. When you don't let me lounge, pet, read and snack.
Nancy S in Winnipeg
I've grown sprouts in a jar since the 70s. Fast, easy and I just love sprouts. Not sure I'm ready to switch to growing in a dish.
I added them to my bread dough one time. Great nutty flavour, but, the little green flecks kinda freaked me out. Maybe I've matured enough not to judge. And also I don't have a 4 year old going "Yech!"
Keep up the good work. I love reading what you write.
Tara
WAY cuter than sprouts in a mason jar, I am so doing it your way! And, I love the new website design, it's cool and classy, like you!
Marti
Excellent. I have white square bowls and a boatload of broccoli seeds. (Or were those alfalfa seeds? Not going to ask niece. She bugs me.)
Where is the post that says what I won, please?
John @ PADL
These are so cute that I almost want to grow them just for fun! I bet the kids would get a kick out of it.
Sandy Grevatt
The sprouts look super will give them a try.
Regarding your library, All The Light We Cannot See was an awesome book. I have read it and many others that are on your bookshelf. Now reading in paperback (complete with dog tags, and tea spit from laughing, Bill Bryson's Notes From a Small Island. At this time this is my day time and/or lock myself in the bathroom book. Also reading on Kindle Small Vegetables: Tangled Roots in a Small Village. This is my go to bed and turn off the lights book. Thanks Karen for the laughs and info. Going to try dioramas on gifs this year, should be interesting.
Granny G
Karen
I might be doing my Dioramas again this year Sandy! I can't seem to think of a wrapping idea. I normally know exactly what I'm doing by now. Eep. And after last year's Dioramas I'm under a bit of pressure to impress, lol. ~ karen!
Kim from Milwaukee
Thank you for the peroxide tip, Karen! Now I must make a loaf of bread so I can have a bologna and sprout sammich when they're full grown. You think the sprout's nutrition will offset the bologna? Here's to hoping!
Karen
Mah... who cares. Bologna rules! LOVE a good bologna sandwich. ~ karen!
Kim from Milwaukee
Yes, I was kidding. Sprouts should never go on bologna, only mustard, maybe cheese and definitely fritos.
Nancy Blue Moon
Do Cleo and Ernie eat your sprouts?...Two of my cats are plant eaters and will go for most any plant I bring home..That is why I have to check online first to see if any are toxic to them....Sprouts are yummy in sandwiches and salads...they are also good in homemade egg rolls..Suggestion: Maybe you could cut back on potato chips and Diet Coke to save on your grocery bill...I am also thankful for you Karen...your DIYs, your advice, your cats, your recipes..and for sharing with me your good news and your bad news...For all of this and much more...I Thank You my friend...
Tracy
Hi Karen- I just love your humor! Please don't ever stop sharing it.
Since I'm not a fan of sprouts, is there another type of greens that I can grow with this method?
XO!
Julie
Well I've been growing sprouts with your jar method for a couple of years...I have sprouts on my lunch sandwich nearly every day! I feel like it would be a lot more annoying to rinse them if they were rooted in a piece of paper towel! Super cute tho!
Dagmar
Okay, so now I *must* know the difference between watercress and these sprouts. I mean, I am smart enough to figure out they come from different "mother" sources. But I can't imagine where in the world the brussel's sprouts hold seeds within them ? And watercress ? I always thought that was from the lettuce family. So again, where could there be seeds within this plant? Please forgive my ignorance; but the only stupid question IS the one not asked.
Oh, and Karen. I hope you know that your blog gets a lot of us out of the gutter and back on our feet again. Thank you for the joy. ?
Karin
oh don't worry deary, you bug me too.
you with your brilliant hilarity and your helpful and inspiring tricks and ideas and your overall adorability – which I didn’t even know was a real word until I looked it up. there!!! you make me smarter by just writing a comment.
I do love your idea of growing sprouts in a dish or bowl, though. when I first came across this wonderful thing of “grow yer own sprouts” I actually bought one of them plastic grow containers. not bad for starters but I gave that up real quick and switched to mason jars. I don’t quite recall why I stopped doing that….
… and then you come along, bugging the poop outta me with your ingeniousness, so guess what we’re having on Sunday… yeah, thanks a lot… oh, and now I hafta go back to the original post from all those many years ago and reread THAT one as well….
it’s a tough job loving your blog, but someone’s gotta do it.
have a great day.
Jody
Bug, bug, bug, bug......on a side note, if I was ever famous enough and people cared enough to ask who I was wearing I would have to say "Joe Fresh"
Jan in Waterdown
I went out the other night with a bunch of gals to a tapas restaurant in Burlington and the open kitchen had a huge white dish of water cress sprouts displayed above their prep station. It looked super chic and of course, the sprouts were a garni on everything. Have you had radish sprouts? They taste quite tangy. I guess sprouting stuff results in a concentrated flavour of the mature plant. Cheers to you, you super cute and super chic chick! lol!
Linda in Illinois
Happy Thanksgiving - I am Thankful for you Karen.
Susan Coady-Butler
Karen your posts are the first thing to read online each night. Once I read them, I know I can then go to bed. Sometimes I do, most times I keep puttering around getting things done and smiling as I think about whatever you wrote about. I have been growing sprouts for years...since the 1970's...yes people that lived then are still lurking about! I've always used the jar with the screen type lids that go from tiny holes to larger holes. I love the look of the sprouts in the little container with the paper "medium" but I'm wondering if the essence of the paper with the bleaches, chemicals, dioxins would effect the make up of the sprouts. Keep up the good work , we enjoy pretend cranky Karen. Take a few minutes to read, pet the cat, eat well, and sit by the fire.
deborah kimbell
Sprouts are also a fabulous winter-time treat for the chickens, if you can bear to share them...
Sandy
Thank you for this post, Karen. I love sprouts but gave them up after the scare. I think it would be great to have something growing in the middle of winter.
jo
I do remember the original post. Have always wanted to try this, only with mustard seeds. Do you think the ones you buy at the grocery store would work? The seed company's sell some but it was quite expensive. Thoughts?
Karen
Hmm. I have no idea, lol. All you can do is try. Chances are it would work. ~ karen!
Chris
I have grown mustard from the seeds in the spice aisle, and they are lovely and a bit hot. I grew them in soil in a little pot in the summer, but I am sure they would work.
jillian
I have been growing sprouts for years....alfalfa, fenugreek, diakon radish, broccoli, etc. but they never look as pretty as yours! Well, I just use the jar method or some green sprout dishes that stack on top of each other. So easy to do and full of value with little cost.
I only grow and eat them in the late fall to late spring to get some very fresh veggies loaded with enzymes and nutrients. I have never had a problem with food poisoning in my own home but then again, I don't wipe my butt, pick my nose or do just plain nasty things then handle food without washing my hands. lol
So happy you posted this. It was a good reminder to get growin some sprouts!
Rose
I hear you Canadian! I have a great book and cozy fireplace calling to me but am in a flurry of Thanksgiving prep. Your blog is definitely one of the things I am grateful for. It's given me much joy through the years!
Karen
Thanks Rose. And eat a whack of stuffing for me. ~ karen!
cbblue
How much is a whack? If you provide the measurements I will do so for you. Maybe two. Ours is soooooo good. Jeanne