Sprouts, edible and highly nutritious though they may be, have been known to conjure up graphic and disturbing childhood memories for some. In the case of traditionally tender and edible bean shoots, I’ve been told that fertile imaginations can easily mistake the vitamin-and-mineral-packed morsels of crunch for writhing worms, especially in their canned, slippery-slidey Chun King incarnation. That, according to my mom, is what happened on one particularly dark day in dining history when amid my youthful hysteria, I was convinced that the stewed ethnic pseudo-vegetable porridge she was forcing me to consume was actually laced with hundreds of white wrigglers. Though I never SAW such creepy crawlies in the real world at large, somehow, my two eyes convinced me that they were in fact swimming in my food. The flood of tears and half-whiney, half-shrieking protestations that I managed to summon were, however, no match for my mother’s insistence that I “cut the cry baby act and eat my dinner.” She’s always been a tough one.
If you’ve never been privy to the culinary corruption that is Chun King Chinese Food (available on the shelves of your local grocery store since 1947), its ITALIAN creator managed to perfect the recipe for the saltiest, mushiest, slimiest insta-food this side of the Mediterranean Sea. Jeno Paulucci’s chow mein, unceremoniously jammed into a tall metal can wrapped with a bright blue label, was the #1 sure-fire way to elicit dinnertime tantrums across America (even if the child was normally a card-carrying member of the clean plate club). To this day, I’d be hard-pressed to swallow even one mouthful of Paulucci’s soy-brined-limp-sprout-and-shredded-vegetable-abomination – why would I really want to reopen THAT can of worms? My sane, adult, nutritional sensibilities regarding all things sprouty might potentially become mired in a gelatinous sludge of MSG flashbacks – the likes of which I may not be able or willing to shake.
Fast forward to today. I never imagined that I’d be excited about growing my own sprouts – ANY SPROUTS for that matter – and yet the time has come. Like so many people, I’ve been looking for the best way to ensure that my food supply is as safe, nutritious, and environmentally-friendly as possible while still saving money in the process. What I realize time and time again is that the very best way to achieve these cumulative goals is to do it yourself. You can be hugely ambitious and tackle your own gardening project this spring, or you can take the decidedly less labor-intensive route and grow your own sprouts on your kitchen windowsill to boost the health-and-crunch-factor of salads, sandwiches, omelets and more. If you love your veggies, I think that sprouts are the next best thing to nutritional nirvana – and what’s even greater still is that green thumbs need not apply.
Personally, I’m sticking with alfalfa sprouts because they are as far removed (visually) from their white bean wriggley cousins as possible, and also because they contain a vast amount of protein, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids. They also taste pretty yummy. I think that there’s an awful lot to like in such a small package, and the technique required to grow them is practically effortless. All you really need is a packet of organic sprouting seeds, water, a quart size glass jar and a piece of cheesecloth wrapped around the mouth of the jar with a rubber band. The top four factors to consider for the highest germination success rate are sufficient moisture, proper temperature and air circulation, and minimal light. Take a look at this link for a concise tutorial on how to pull it all off.
One final note. For some reason, raw sprouts have suffered from the scarlet letter of Salmonella contamination (not to mention E. coli) and though sanitary practices and seed certification/ testing programs have been stepped up in recent years, no one wants to run the risk of getting sick from their veggies. Even if you start with certified organic alfalfa (or other sprouting) seeds, bear in mind that you will still have to treat your seeds with a disinfectant in order to kill any looming pathogens. Yup, it sounds pretty ridiculous (I mean, how safe can THAT be?), but it really seems sensible to err on the side of caution. Some sources suggest applying bleach (huh??!?) or a 2 percent calcium hypochlorite solution to your seeds for at least 10 minutes before thoroughly rinsing them, but there is another method that I believe is somewhat safer. I recommend heating them on the stovetop for five minutes in a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide that is preheated to 140° farenheit — that’s the same stuff that you’d willingly swish in your mouth when you have a dental issue. Just be sure to use a sterilized cooking thermometer during this process and then rinse the seeds thoroughly before initiating sprouting.
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