Broccoli Sprouts

Grow your own nutrient-dense sprouts all year-round using just a mason jar, organic seeds & a piece of mesh/screen! Don't let their size fool you, these tiny sprouts are small but mighty!

DIY Sprouts are likely the the "best nutrition bang for your buck"! Broccoli sprouts in particular can give you the best return on your "investment". For just a few cents a day & a sprouting time period of 3-5 days, you can reap the benefits of liver detoxification, cellular repair/protection & overall enhanced nutrition.

Broccoli sprouts in particular are one of the healthiest sprouts, likely due to their sulforaphane content. It is well known that cruciferous vegetables such as kale and broccoli are linked to reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer. That's most likely due to the glucosinolate compounds in cruciferous vegetables that have anti-inflammatory, anti-aging & anti-cancer effects. Although a 3-day old broccoli sprout is merely a "young" broccoli plant in its early stage of growth, the sprout contains ~ 10-100x more glucosinolate compounds than a mature broccoli plant! The sulforaphane is a specific type of glucosinate compound found in broccoli that is especially potent in terms of reducing the risk of cancer, detoxifying the liver and reducing inflammation.

In order to reap all of the nutritional benefits, consume your sprouts raw**/cold & chew them thoroughly. Heating the sprouts will deactivate the enzyme that converts the glucosinate to its bioavailable form. Based on the available studies summarized by Dr. Michael Greger, about 2 cups of sprouts per day is the ideal quantity to consume for optimum cancer-fighting benefits. But don't get hung-up on the quantity. Just try to find fun ways to add sprouts to your daily detox routine or make them the star of your salad instead of the salad-topper. They add a slightly crunchy texture/bite and have a mild grassy, peppery flavor.

If you don't like the slightly bitter/spicy flavor of broccoli sprouts, try sprouting milder-flavored sprouts like organic red clover. The key to a balanced diet is variety in order to meet all of your nutrient targets. So broaden your horizon and try all kinds of sprouts! They each have a unique nutrient bundle and sensory profile, so go ahead and get your sprout-on! Once you get the hang of it, have a few jars going on a rotation so that you have sprouts available daily. 1 TB of broccoli seeds makes about 2 cups of sprouts. I like them as a salad or as a topping for pretty much everything savory such as salad, soup, beans, grains, sandwiches etc.

Be sure to source your sprouting seeds from a trusted source. I recommend The Sprout House for their Certified-Organic sprouting seeds.

As I often do, I recommend visiting Dr. Michael Greger's website nutritionfacts.org if you are interested in learning more about the nutritional science of sprouting/sprouts. His free video clips and blog posts summarize the most current, published, peer-reviewed, scientific data available. NutritionFacts.org is a non-profit public-service website provided by Dr. Greger with no ads/commercials and is donor-funded.

Related video clips and blog postings from Dr. Greger at NutritionFacts.org

"The Best Detox"

"Biggest Nutrition Bang For Your Buck"

"From Broccoli to Breast"

"Fighting Inflammation with Food Synergy"

**Note: Raw foods, such as sprouts, not recommended for pregnant women, children, elderly or immuno-compromised individuals. Sprouts may support the growth of illness-causing food-born pathogens such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, Listeria, & Staphococcus aureus (staph).

Supplies/Ingredients:

24-oz. Mason Jar with threaded lid band (or rubber-band)

Screen/Mesh

2 TB Broccoli Seeds* (or other variety of sprouting seeds)

2 TB cider vinegar (for disinfecting seeds)

Purified/Filtered water

Instructions:

1) Rinse seeds in clean water & soak 10-15 min in a disinfectant solution to minimize risk of food-borne pathogen growth. Disinfectant solution suggestion: 2 TB. cider vinegar + 1 cup water.

2) Rinse seeds until they no longer smell like vinegar, then soak in fresh, clean water inside a clean, sanitized mason jar for ~ 8 hours. Affix a clean & sanitized piece of screen/mesh to the top of the jar using a threaded lid band or rubber-band. Be sure sprouting jar is placed in a clean, cool area, away from pets, children, wind and heat/direct sunlight,. In order to maintain safety & quality of your sprouts, do not place sprouting jar where it could be exposed to contaminants &/or heat.

3) Once seeds have soaked for ~ 8 hours, drain the water, allowing the water the pass through the mesh screen affixed to the sprouting jar. You can water a plant using the water you're discarding. The seeds should have swelled and should remain in the jar as the water passes through the screen/mesh.

4) Add fresh water to the soaked seeds in the jar, swish around, let stand for 2-3 minutes & drain the water. Again, try to water a thirsty plant with the water you discard 2x/day! :)

5) Once water is drained, keep the jar inverted in a diagonal position (mesh-side facing down) in a shallow bowl to continue draining for ~ 12 hours. The bowl will collect residual water so that the seeds are not overly wet and prone to unfavorable microbiological growth (mold & pathogenic microorganisms). Be sure to place the inverted jar & bowl in a clean, cool, shady location with adequate air circulation.

6) After ~ 12 hours of draining, repeat steps 4 & 5 approximately every 12 hours for 3-5 days or until sprouts have developed. You'll be rinsing & draining your seeds/sprouts at least 2x/day (I time it so I do it each morning and each evening). But if you are able, it's even better if you can rinse & drain 3x/day. How long it takes for your sprouts to grow will depend on the type of sprout seed(s), sprouting conditions in your home & age of the sprouts.

7) For the first few days of sprouting, a cool, shady area in your kitchen is ideal so the sprouts develop delicate texture & avoid illness-causing pathogens . For the last day of sprouting, you may place the jar in indirect sunlight so photosynthesis can take place which will turn the sprouts green with chlorophyll. While exposing to indirect sunlight on the last day, be sure that the sprouts remain cool so they don't become a breeding-ground for dangerous pathogens!

8) Once sprouts have formed and have turned green (2 TB. broccoli seeds yields about 4 cups sprouts), lay the sprouts out on a paper towel to dry in a cool, clean location for ~ 10 min. Then store refrigerated for ~ 5-7 days in a sealed glass container lined with a dry paper towel. Keep sprouts refrigerated & as dry as possible to prevent microbiological growth.

* Organic