Friday, December 2, 2011

DIY: Sprout Your Own Seeds


Do any of you ladies (and gentlemen) out there watch Dr. Oz???
I've been watching him lately and on a show last month he talked about how sprouted broccoli and chia seeds are good for you.
 Yep, chia, as in cha, cha, cha, chia!



Broccoli sprouts are full of anti-oxidants and have cancer-preventive properties and chia seeds are full of omega 3's and fiber. 

Since my garden is on hiatus for the winter, I felt the need to be growing something, so
I ordered some organic seeds and screen for the top of a Mason jar. You can probably find them at a store like Whole Foods or Earth Fare.

The easy directions were printed on the screen label.

I took one tablespoon of broccoli seeds....

...soaked them for 4 hours....



...rinsed them again and tipped the Mason jar on its side in a small bowl. This is how they looked the next day.

The seeds started to sprout the following day and I put them in our breakfast window which gets a few hours of sun a day.

I continued to rinse them twice a day and on the 3rd day the jar was almost full.



On the 4th day I put them in the refrigerator.
This whole jar came from 1 tablespoon of seeds.

Chia seeds have to be dry sprouted. I put about a teaspoon of chia seeds in a terra cotta saucer. Then the saucer was put in a larger Corning Ware baking dish. Water was added to the baking dish and the terra cotta sauce wicked up the water. I also sprayed the chia seeds with water, as well.

It took several days for them to sprout.

I kept spraying them  every day and adding water to the baking dish when needed.

This is day 7, and they were probably ready to eat.

I put them in the refrigerator on day 8.
The broccoli sprouts are a little bitter for my taste to eat by themselves, but when put in a salad with dressing, you can't taste them at all. The chia sprouts are not bitter like the broccoli sprouts.
Since chia seeds(not the sprouts) are really small, they can be added to many things. I'm going to let you in on something I've found out... if you mix a 1/2 of a teaspoon with a little water and wait a few minutes, they "gel" up and can be eaten by before a meal  to fill you up. The chia seeds are tasteless, but the texture is a little like tapioca. 
Such an easy way to get some extra fiber and omega 3's!

Anyone up for trying something new?

Pam


5 comments:

  1. This is so interesting! I've heard a lot about chia seeds. I've recently bought ground flax seed meal & put in my oatmeal & grits. It's supposed to be very healthy as well.

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  2. Hi Pam,

    I never thought much about broccoli seeds until I read your post but now you've got me wanting to go out and find some seeds! And it makes me wonder what kind of sprouts are used on sandwiches at restaurants like Jason's Deli and Panera Bread.... Since they call 'em bean sprouts, are they sprouted from beans???? Inquiring minds want to know! LOL

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  3. Chia seeds are WONDERFUL for ridding the body of cholesterol!

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  4. I see you have been gardening too! Interesting idea!

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  5. I love this post. Back in my college days I used to sprout seeds, when I was young and healthy and had no clue they were good for me. I think it's time I do this again. I appreciate all of the information and helpful photos here.

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