Learn About Sprouting

Sprouting is the process of germination of seeds. By placing seeds in the right environmental conditions, they will start to germinate. This means, they will start the journey of transformation from a small seed to a mature plant. Sprouting is the first step of that transformation. When talking about growing sprouts, the plant will stay in that first stage of germination and will be eaten before it can progress to a mature state. 

Sprouting seeds are vegetable seeds, such as broccoli seeds, radish seeds and alfalfa seeds. They usually have a quick and high germination rate and have been carefully selected for the purpose of sprouting. Our sprouting seeds are grown on a small farm in Italy, which uses absolutely now pesticides. Our seeds are 100% organic and undergo vigorous lab testing, to ensure they are safe to consume. 

The process of sprouting is very easy, really anyone can do it. You don’t need a green thumb or any prior experience of growing vegetables. In fact, it is a great way to gather knowledge about how to grow vegetables. Sprouting also requires hardly any time and you will see results very quickly, as most sprouts grow in just 3-5 days. Because it is so easy to grow sprouts at home, it is also a fun thing to do with children. Here you can find a full guide on how to grow sprouts at home.

Sprouts are packed with a variety of different vitamins, minerals and nutrients. They really are that healthy! Most of the time, their nutritional value is much higher than the nutritional value of their fully grown counterparts. This might seem counterintuitive but makes sense when you think about it. The seeds already contain all the nutrients they need, in order to grow into a mature plant. But when you eat this plant as a sprout, in the very early stage of its life, the density of nutrients in that small sprout is much higher than in the fully grown plant. If you want to know more about the health benefits of sprouts, take a look here. 

Growing sprouts at home is very safe, especially when you have the right equipment. It is very important to ensure that your sprouts do not sit in water. Your equipment must enable the water to drain properly. Otherwise you will have problems with mold growing on your sprouts, which can lead to food poisoning. If you have the right equipment, rinse and drain your sprouts regularly and properly, you don’t have to worry about your sprouts being safe. 

Sprouts grow very quickly, much quicker than microgreens for example. The exact sprouting times depend on the sprouting seed variety.  Generally it takes between 3-7 days from starting your sprouts to harvesting them. 

The terms sprouts and microgreens are often used interchangeably, indicating that they are the same thing. They are not. There are some very distinct differences between sprouts and microgreens. The main one is how they are grown. Sprouts are grown hydroponically, which means all you need is water. Microgreens on the other side need a growing medium. Microgreens also enter the next stage of the growing cycle of a plant. So they are a little older than sprouts and therefore require more time to grow. To find out everything about the differences between sprouts and microgreens, click here.

Sprouts are best consumed raw. When you cook them, they will start to wilt and lose their crunchy texture. But more importantly, they will also lose most of their nutrients, as they are not heat stable. So if you are growing sprouts to add more nutrients to your diet, cooking or even blanching your sprouts is counterproductive. If you are growing your sprouts correctly, use the right equipment and use seeds that are safe for sprouting, then it is completely safe to consume raw sprouts. 

In general, you could use any vegetable seed and sprout it. But you may encounter a few issues when using generic vegetable seeds. First, they are not selected for a quick and high germination rate. This means, you may wait a very long time for your sprouts to grow and maybe only about 50% of the seeds will actually germinate. Seeds meant for sprouting are especially selected for good germination rates. Second, you should make sure to use organic sprouting seeds. Sprouts are eaten raw and fully (including the seed), so you don’t want to eat seeds that have been sprayed with pesticides. Our sprouting seeds are 100% organic and selected for optimal germination. 

To safely grow sprouts, you will need a large glass jar, a sprouting lid, a holder for your jar and a tray to catch excess water. You can make your own make-shift sprouting jar using a cheesecloth and rubber band instead of a sprouting lid and create some construction that supports your jar upside down in order for excess water to drain. This may be more cost effective but especially as a beginner it is advisable to get the right equipment. This way you will grow sprouts successfully and safely. 

Sprouting is properly one of the cheapest (if not THE cheapest) way of adding more nutrition to your meals. Although sprouting seeds can seem expensive, you don’t need many seeds to grow a lot of sprouts. And sprouting seeds yourself is about 10x cheaper than buying sprouts from the supermarket. Plus, they contain a lot more nutrients! 

Sprouts have a huge variety of different health benefits as they contain a lot of important vitamins, mineral and nutrients, such as Beta Carotene, Sulforaphane and Omega-3-Fatty-Acids to just name a few. The type and amount of nutrients in sprouts depends on the seed variety. But common health benefits of sprouts are improved hearth health, improved digestion, lower blood sugar levels, anticancer properties, improved immune system and so much more. Take a look here, to find out more about the health benefits of sprouting. 

Sprouting is incredibly sustainable. Sprouts require very little water and grow in just a few days. Especially when comparing homegrown sprouts to store-bought sprouts, it becomes apparent how sustainable growing sprouts at home is. You eliminate the need of transportation as well as the need of plastic packaging for sprouts. Because sustainability is a very important topic for us at Hey Sprouty, all our products are packaged in sustainable, biodegradable packaging. 

The taste of sprouts depends on the seed variety you choose. Sprouts taste a lot milder than microgreens, making them a great option for sprouting beginners. If you are looking for a very mild seed variety, then Alfalfa is your best friend. If you are looking for something with a bit more kick to it, try radish or mustard sprouts. Whatever your taste, you can find the right sprouting variety for you. Yet another reason we love sprouting so much: it never gets boring, there are so many seed varieties to try! 

Sprouts significantly increase in size (about 4 times) when they germinate. This means, you won’t need many sprouting seeds, to grow a lot of sprouts. It depends on the seed variety but for example, 10g of broccoli seeds equal about 40g of broccoli sprouts. For a jar of 750-1000 ml, you need about 1-2 tablespoons of seeds.  

Yes, pretty much any legume can also be sprouted. Especially popular are chickpeas, mung beans, adzuki beans and green peas. The process is the same as for sprouting vegetable seeds, however sprouted legumes will look a little different. Sprouted vegetable seeds will make small green leaves, sprouted legumes don’t. They will make a small white shoot and then you know they are ready to be enjoyed. 

Yes, you can also sprouts a variety of different nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds and many more. It is better to sprout them yourself at home, than buying sprouted nuts from the supermarket. These are usually only soaked and not fully sprouted because the sprouting process makes them less shelf stable. If you want the full load of nutrients from your nuts, sprout them yourself at home.