Every winter I am so happy to grow sprouts in my kitchen. It’s definitely fun to grown sprouts at home all year, but in winter they are super special. Sprouting alfalfa and radish seeds at home is easy, cheap and delicious.

Buy seeds for sprouting. Of course you can experiment with sprouting seeds that are not sold specifically for sprouting, but our co-op has a great selection of seeds specifically for sprouting and I just experiment with what they have. A small bag goes a long way!

I’ve had the best luck with organic alfalfa seeds that are sold for sprouting. Sprouting peas and sunflower seeds is really fun, and pea shoots and sunflower shoots make great healthy snacks. I think broccoli sprouts smell bad. Radish sprouts are great if you like your sprouts to be a little spicy. I have mixed alfalfa and radish seeds together and sprouted mixed and it works great.

What you’ll need:

• Potable tap water or other fancier water if you like (I just use tap water)
• 1 glass quart jar or other container about that size (clean of course)
• 1 piece of lace or other open mesh fabric that will more than cover the mouth of the container allow water to drain out but not the seeds
• 1 rubber band to keep the fabric on the mouth of the container even when you turn it upside down to drain water out of the seeds
• Enough seeds to cover the bottom of the quart jar

1. Sprinkle enough seeds in the jar to cover the bottom. They will grow much bigger than they are in seed form, and they will take up the whole jar. You do not want them tightly packed in because they will get moldy if the water can’t drain out and they don’t breathe.
2. Put an inch or two of water in the jar so the seeds are fully covered
3. Put the mesh on the top of the jar and secure it with a rubber band
4. Let the seeds soak in water for 1-2 days. No need to refrigerate or keep in a dark place. Just keep them on your kitchen counter away from direct sunlight and bugs, other food or liquid that might fly in the jar, etc.
5. Drain the seeds and rinse them with room temperature water (not hot or super cold. Anywhere in the middle) each morning, turning the jar upside down to drain a majority of the water. Don’t worry about getting every drop out. Just most of the water. You can leave the jar tipped slightly down into your sink, or standing upside down and draining into a bowl if there sprouts can get air and are not touching the water that comes out.
6. Watch the seeds grow into sprouts for about 7 days. Taste them along the way. So fresh!
7. Take the seeds out of the jar and let them sit dry on a cloth napkin for a few hours
8. Put the sprouts in the fridge in a closed container that opens a little bit and eat them asap.