Soak: Put 1-2 Tbsp. seed in a wide mouth jar with a sprouting lid. Add water, swirl, and drain. Refill jar with water and soak 1-2 hours. (Soaking broccoli for longer than 2 hours can cause it to lose germination.) Drain well and invert jar at an angle on a sprouting rack, or in a bowl or drain rack.
TIP: After draining, tap the shake the jar gently to remove excess moisture. Rotate the jar and tap gently a few more times.
Rinse: Twice a day, refill jar with cold water, swirl, and drain well by tapping excess water from jar.
Enjoy! Ready to eat in 5 days. Refrigerate to store. (Sprouts store best when they are fairly dry. If you need to store immediately after rinsing, spin dry first.)
Helpful tips:
• Some sprouts tend to clump together as they grow. To separate, fill the jar with water, remove the screen and stir gently with a fork during the regular rinse. Remove hulls if desired. Drain well as usual.
• The drier they are the better sprouts keep. Be sure to let sprouts grow another half day after the final sorting rinse before storing in the fridge. Optional: put folded paper towel on top of the sprouts in the jar. Put lid on and refrigerate turned upside down. This removes excess moisture.
• If your home is very warm during the summer months, it may help to rinse the sprouts three times a day with cold water. Stir gently if clumping.
• To remove the hulls and unsprouted seeds from leafy sprouts, use a special sorting rinse. Pull sprouts out of the jar into a large bowl filled with water. Swish gently using fingers to separate the tangled roots. Most hulls will separate and rise or sink. Discard the hulls. Collect the sprouts back to the jar with or without aid of a strainer. Return the sprouting closure and drain so you can continue for half a day more of sprouting.
• Some brassicas (cabbage family) like radish and broccoli develop very fuzzy root hairs the longer you leave them undisturbed and these can be mistaken for mould. You will even see these after a few days of storage in the fridge. Stirring and rinsing removes the root hairs for a time.
