Sprouting!

[Marc]

So I've gone fully vegan a few months ago and went from hating vegetables to absolutely loving them as a vegan. I've been trying to incorporate many different things into my diet to make me have a great variety and I stumbled across sprouting. It's so amazing and cost effective and great for nutrients and enzymes. Here's my first crop I made at home

[Ruth]

So I've gone fully vegan a few months ago and went from hating vegetables to absolutely loving them as a vegan. I've been trying to incorporate many different things into my diet to make me have a great variety and I stumbled across sprouting. It's so amazing and cost effective and great for nutrients and enzymes. Here's my first crop I made at home

Beautiful crop!

I've been looking at sprouting. I used to do some sprouting years ago, but moved away from it. I'm ready to get back into the routine. Thanks for the prod!

[Monica]

Congratulations Marc!!!

Here is a wonderful site, with tons of info and many gourmet varieties:

sproutpeople dot org

I buy most of my sprouting seeds from Sprout House

sprouthouse dot com

because they have better prices and better service, but I sometimes order from sproutpeople because they have combinations never intended by Mother Nature! Like their Peasant lentil mix...yum!

I get my nuts from either http://www.livingnutz.com/ or http://sunorganicfarm.com/ - truly raw almonds (the almonds in health food stores labeled 'raw' aren't really raw) for much better prices, and walnuts that are 1000 times better than what's found in health food stores. I soak my nuts and sometimes sprout them for just a few hours before making into nut milk.

[Marc]

I've been reading up on sproutpeople's site, they inspired me. Soo far I sprouted mung beans and put them on everything and did some pinto also. Can you sprout walnuts?! That'd be fun to see in action.

Are you mostly raw in your eating? I'm trying to do 50/50 raw and cooked.

---

@Ruth

It's so easy to do. I just rinse before and after work and when I go to bed. Once the routine is set, it's super easy. Just add water! Lol

[native]

Why do you think your taste for vegetables changed? The recipes you began using?

[BrownEye]

(the almonds in health food stores labeled 'raw' aren't really raw)

Not normal I would guess, but we had almonds from the Whole Foods bulk bin sprout accidentally.

[Marc]

Why do you think your taste for vegetables changed? The recipes you began using?

I grew up eating fake food and never tried eating good food and veggies, so I just disliked what I didn't eat. I then just told myself I was gonna eat veggies and enjoy them, and now I like many veggies. I did have to find the foods I like as a staple though... Also just eating the good veggies only changed my taste buds and I couldn't imagine eating a pop-tart anymore.

I'm a man of simple tastes, so I could eat the same 5 different meals a week and never mind a bit. I just found a few great dishes and experiment and make sure I make my wife happy.

[native]

It's funny how our tastes evolve. I'm going to attempt easing into a vegetarian diet this spring.

Has your energy level changed?

[Marc]

It's funny how our tastes evolve. I'm going to attempt easing into a vegetarian diet this spring.

Has your energy level changed?

Absolutely amazing. It's like going from an 8 bit audio track to 64 bit. Spiritually I feel great, also. It's nothing but great for your health.

There's a great thread about it here. Good luck!

[native]

Yeah I'm looking forward to it!

[Karl]

I might try the sprouting thing. Sounds like it might be tasty.

[jacrob]

my chickpeas sprout amazingly, but anything else has random hard unsprouted beans amongst it. I usually soak overnight, rinse and drain twice per day for 4+ days. Should I take it longer than this to get my beans to sprout evenly?

[Marc]

It sounds as if you may have little rocks in there, that you aren't using enough water to soak, and/or you aren't shaking the beans around enough when you rinse and soak to ensure even contact of water for all.

How to chickpea sprouts taste? Do those taste good raw?

[jacrob]

I soak them pretty well intially, then when I rinse them I swirl for several minutes. Not sure why this is happening. Also same problem with adzuki beans. I end up having to boil them and put them in stews etc so it's definately not rocks because it all ends up soft.

How long do you sprout for? Also where do you keep them while they sprout? I keep mine in a dark cupboard.

Sprouted chickpeas are delicious! Actually they're my favourite sprouts.

I also need to find raw almonds and sprout those but they're impossible to find. I'm hesitant to order from overseas as they may be irradiated. Sprouted lentils are also next on my list.

---

Marc I keep looking at your mung bean sprouts and they look amazing. Are you using a sprouter? I just use a pyrex glass bowl and glass lid.

---

actually now I think about it my chick peas have always been organic and locally produced, yet my mung and adzuki beans were not organic and sourced from overseas (my local health food store ran out of organic stock so I bought a bag of the non-organic from the supermarket). Irradiated perhaps, and maybe causing sprouting issues. Can you sprout an irradiated bean?

I shall need to source organic beans and start all over again and see if I have the same problem.

[Marc]

Mine have always truly raw and organic from my local organic co-op market. But I use a sprouter to ensure air flow after rinsing. Make sure the beans can dry and that there is airflow or else that can really screw things up.

I ideally sprout 4 days with my mung bean sprouts and keep them on the counter (it has some light, but only matters when the spouts have leaves). I store them in a mason jar in my fridge when they're done.

Check out that sproutpeople website and they have been a great resource for me.