Lets talk about sprouts:
Sprouts are a nutritional way to get your dose of veggies anytime. They will grow in the light or dark but only turn green in the light. The true nutritional value will depend on the type of seed you sprout. Some great seed examples are wheat berries, lentils, flax, garbanzo, onion, or whole beans. The seed must be whole and can not be cracked in anyway.
Storing your seeds:
Start by freezing the seeds in a mason jar with a solid lid. This will kill any remain bugs in your seed stock. Put a label on the jar with a date. Store them in a dark, dry area. The stored seeds need oxygen and the jar you keep them in must be aired at least once every nine months. Record the date when you open the jar to give them oxygen on the label.
Let's sprout some seeds:
What you need:
mason jar
screen lid
1-4 tablespoons of seeds
water
tray
Steps:
Put 1-4 tablespoons of desired seed into mason jar
Add water to fill jar about half way
Put on the screen lid and let it sit for about twelve hours
Pour the water out through the screen lid
Put jar at an angle into the tray
Make a couple of jars at a time to maximize your production vs. time
In am and pm add water and drain again
Do this for two to three days
Jar will fill with sprouts
Give the jar partial sunlight to turn the sprouts green
Spread the sprouts out onto a tray and cut them periodically for salad or meals. They will continue to grow.
In a survival situation you can keep the sprouts in the jar to take on the move with you.
Additional note:
Having these stored whole seeds around is a great idea. They can also be put through a mill and turned into flour. The nutritional value of the flour will not be as good as eating the spouts but may come in handy for making traveling cakes.
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