Grow sprouts in winter and make sure they germinate correctly

Letting seeds and legumes germinate is a great way to get fresh nutrients during winter. This is the time of year when plants rest and growing plants in winter may sound strange. But you know that vegetables sold in stores cannot compete with the quality of plants grown in gardens. And they are rather expensive too! This is why more and more people grow sprouts at home. Sprouts are a great source of nutrients, and you do not need any special tools or devices to grow them. All you need is time.

Better digestibility

The natural task of seeds is to help plants propagate and spread. Some seeds spread by wind. Unfortunately, many of those are not easily digestible. Some types even pass through the digestive system of humans and even animals unaffected, but people learned how to get nutrients from seeds. The easiest way is by consuming sprouts. Sprouting “opens” seeds and makes them more digestible. Sprouts of legumes for example, do not give you the unpleasant flatulence.

Photo: Pixabay

Increased availability of nutrients

Some foods contain plenty of nutrients but unfortunately our bodies cannot utilize them well because they contain antinutritional substances, which prevent absorption of nutrients in the body. You can get rid of them by preparing foods in a certain way before consumption. One of the most powerful methods is sprouting, and the other one is fermentation. Sprouting increases bioavailability of zinc, iron, and calcium and reduces phenol and tannin in some foods. The success of these processes mainly depends on the pH of water where you soak seeds and on sprouting time.

How to germinate seeds properly

The procedure is the same for all seeds. It does not matter whether you germinate vegetables, grains or legumes but the sprouting time vary of course.

1. 1. Place seeds in a bowl and pour in water. Let seeds soak for 8 to 12 hours.
   2. Drain seeds and place them in a jar with a lid or other sealable container. Seal and store in a dark place.
   3. Rinse seeds under running water (use a sieve) two to three times a day.
   4. Once sprouts are about 0.6 cm (0.25 in), they are ready to eat. Place them in a refrigerator to end the sprouting process. Sprouts should last fresh for about 3 days.

Source: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-sprouting

Preview photo: Pixabay