Sprouting

How to make your grains into your vegetables. 

picture credit:Adirondack Jersey Girl

Needed:  Moisture, warmth, air and the dormant kernels.

Grains you can sprout:

Alfalfa

Mung beans

Lentils

Peas

Garbanzo-beans

Pinto beans

Red beans

White beans
Peas

Soybeans

Rye

Wheat

Seeds sprouting in 2 days

Rye, Rice, Oats -2 cups per quart of water

Seeds sprouting in 3-5 days

Alfalfa - 1 Tbsp per quart of water

Lentils – 2 Tbsp per qt of water

Clover  - 2 Tbsp per qt of water

Mung – 2 Tbsp per qt of water

Garbanzo beans – ½ cup per qt of water

Tray Method:

Soak seeds in a glass of warm water overnight. Seeds will double 6 – 8 X during the

the sprouting process. After soaking overnight, put the seeds in a sprouter tray and

rinse thoroughly, tilting the tray to allow the water to run down (sprouts should be moist but not wet.)

Rinse sprouts in warm water 3-4 times a day depending on the weather.  There are two methods of rinsing.

1.      Fill your sink with several inches of water and agitate the tray up and down.

2.     Hold tray under tap and allow the water to run over the seeds. Most sprouts will be ready to eat after the third day.

Bottle Method:

Put seeds and water in a wide mouthed glass jar and soak at least 8-12 hours.  After soaking, cover bottle with some kind of sieve (cheese cloth, a nylon stocking or piece of fiberglass window screen).  Secure with elastic band or jar ring, so air and water can pass through freely.  Pour off water in jar and gently shake.  Lay the jar on its side in a dark place.  2-3 times a day spray water into the jar (use your faucet on high) swish the seeds around and drain completely (this is important).  After 3 to 7 days (depending on what you are sprouting) your sprouts will be ready to use).  The are best when they are small and just starting to turn green.  Store your sprouts in a covered bowl or food storage bag with a paper towel inside to absorb excess moisture. Use the sprouts within a week.

Sprouting Hints

·         Rotate your seed storage, as fresh seeds tend to be more viable than

those stored for long periods of time.

·         Tomato seeds cannot be sprouted.

·         After rinsing beans, do not use or drink the water.

·         Store sprouts in the refrigerator for 10-15 days.

·         Sprouts can be dried by letting them dry in the sprouter, placing them in a
low oven (100 degrees), or setting them out on a warm day.

Sprouting "Do Nots"

·         Do not leave seeds in water for over 20 hours or under 10 hours, 12 hours
is best.

·         Do not let seeds set in water while sprouting. They will drown and sour.

Be sure they drain well.

·        Do not use chemically treated water. Heavy amounts of chlorine can kill
the sprouts.

·         Do not use hot or cold water - hot water will cook them, cold water will
retard the growth. Keep them between 50-80 degrees.

·         Do not let seeds or sprouts dry out. Wash them morning and night, and 2-
3 times a day. In hot weather, rinse more often. They will turn brown if
they dry out.

·         Do not buy treated seeds that have poison on them to kill insects. It could.

                do the same to you!

Suggestions for using sprouts:

Mix sprouts into casseroles, nut loaves, meat loaves, poultry dressing, vegetable salads, gelatin salads, soups, stews, egg dishes, soufflés, scrambled eggs. For bread dough, use sprouts from wheat, rye or oats.

In soups, stews and omelets, add sprouts just before serving.

Most sprouts make a-fine crisp salad or sandwich filling when served with a dressing made from cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, avocados, cooked sprouts, mashed beans or cheese spread.

Sprouting Beans: Beans require different methods of sprouting. Navy bean, soybean and pinto bean sprouts should be cooked.

Pinto beans: Fill a 2 quart pan with water and soak one pint of beans for 12 hours. After 12 hours, spread beans out on sprouter or in tray that has a towel or several sheets of cotton cloth on the bottom. Be sure to rinse them every 4-5 hours and drain. Do not sprout for more than 3 days. If sprouts are more than- 1/4 inch long, the beans become mushy and have an odor.

Soybeans: It is best if these beans have several changes of water, about 3-4 times, while soaking them in their 12 hour swelling period because they have an anti-digestant enzyme in them that must be leached out.

Mung beans: These beans have 500% more vitamin C when sprouted. They are commonly known as Chinese bean sprouts and are best when sprouted 2-3 inches long. Be sure they are fresh seeds. They taste like sweet peas and can be used as such.

Other beans: Sprout as you would pinto beans. Changing water during soaking is a good practice on all types of beans, not just soybeans. Other beans may include red, navy, lentils, lima, black-eyed or kidney.  

Nutritional facts: Sprouting enhances the nutritional value of beans and also eliminates gas problems in your system. Beans have practically no vitamin count in the dry stage, but after they are sprouted, the nutritional assets multiply

Sprouted soybeans: Sprouted for only 3 days, the vitamin count jumps up around 700 mg and the vitamin B complexes increase tremendously. Vitamin B1, niacin and pantothenic acid double; vitamin B2 and folic acid increase to 500%. When sprouted, soybeans have 8 times more vitamin C than oranges and lemons. Sprouted wheat: Though wheat has very little vitamin C, this quantity increases 5 times, 600%, during early sprouting. Vitamin C reaches its peak of potency at 50 hours of sprouting, then starts to decline. Sprouted wheat, after drying, will retain its increased nutritional values. These sprouts also freeze well.

Sprouted oats: Sprouted oats increase 600% in folic acid and 1,350% in riboflavin compared to dry oats.

Sprouted alfalfa: Chlorophyll, enzymes, minerals and vitamins found in alfalfa serve as an aid in digestion and stimulate lagging appetites.

Wheat grass: Wheat grass is known as a blood purifier. To obtain wheat grass, let sprouts grow for more than 3 days into very thin grass blade, approximately 6-7 days. Then clip the grass with scissors and utilize them with liquids.

Much of this information comes from:  Bee Prepared A Provident Living Resource

   I found a copy of this pamphlet on the Internet  with a note saying one of the authors  (Christine Van Wagenen) has agreed to let it be copied, so long as it is done neatly.  Three years ago it was also able to be purchased in Sandy Utah at Help U Mail 10271 S 1300 E in Sandy, Utah

EDIT 1/24/2013
So today I printed this out with the grand idea of giving it a try and found - I still didn't get it.   So I headed over to Sprout People  they sell seeds and have great tutorials on how to sprout.  Here's my dumbed down version, that I will be trying today with wheat.

Put 2/3 a cup of seeds in qt jar, soak in cool water for 8-12 hours, cover with mesh and secure lid.
Rinse and drain
Sit in a corner in the kitchen - good air circulation, no direct sunlight, 70 degrees
After another 8-12 hours rinse and drain again - taste - do this 1 to 3 times, pick the tastiest for future trials.
Sprouts are ready 8-12 hours after final rinse and drain.
   The will store best in the fridge if they are dry to the touch - in a sealed plastic bag or container.

Chili from dried beans

Need help cooking with dried beans?  Check out Vennesa's post on how to cook beans here.

printable recipe

Chili from dried beans

4 C. dried beans - soak overnight and cook according
to package directions

Add: 1 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1 C. salsa

1 Ib. cooked meat (ground beef, turkey)
2 pkg. taco seasoning

1 can com un-drained

Simmer for 1/2 hour. Can be cooked in crock pot

How To Cook Beans From Scratch

How to Cook Beans from Scratch

1. Sort through the dry beans Remove any stones and shriveled, broken or off-colored beans. Rinse well.

2. Presoak All dry beans (except for lentils, black-eyed peas and split peas) need to presoak before cooking.

Presoaking Options

Overnight method: Cover beans with 3 cups of water per cup of beans (or just plenty of water!) and soak overnight. Drain and rinse.

Quick method: Cover beans in pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, turn off heat and then let set 1-2 hours. Drain and rinse.

Sprouted method: Allow beans to soak for 24 hours (refrigerate after 8 hours). Drain and rinse.

Cooking Options Following Presoaking

Stove top: Add 3 cups of water per cup of dry beans to a pot. Bring to a boil then simmer gently, adding more water as needed.

Pressure cooker: A 4-quart pressure cooker can cook up to 3 cups of dry beans. Add enough water to cover the beans by 1-2 inches. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil to reduce foaming.

Slow cooker: Add 2 cups of water per cup of beans. Cook on low for indicated amount of time. Ideally, soak beans overnight, then put in crock on low in the morning. Reduce cooking time by beginning with boiling water. You can also cook on high for half the indicated amount of time.

Does this just look like too much work?

You can certainly opt to use canned beans for the sake of convenience.

You might be pleasantly surprised, however, once you begin preparing beans from dry (particularly in a pressure cooker or slow cooker) at just how easy it is. Again, it’s just a matter of starting things early- set the beans to soak the night before and then set them to cook in time for being done for meal time. When I go to the effort of making beans from dry, I make double the amount that I need and put the rest in a freezer bag and freeze for next time.

What’s the advantage of cooking beans from dry?

* More economical

* You’re in control of everything that goes into them (canned beans often contain a lot of sodium and sometimes have added preservatives as well as questionable materials in the can and lining itself).

Cooking Times for Preparing Beans from Scratch

Experiment with these times because many factors affect the cooking time

-age of beans, type of cooker, humidity, elevation, etc.

Stove top Pressure Cooker Slow Cooker

Chickpeas 1 1/2 - 2 hr. 22 min. 10 hr.

Kidney 1 1/2 - 2 hr. 15 min. 10 hr.

Pinto 1- 1 1/2 hr. 12 min. 8 1/2 hr.

Black beans 1- 1 1/2 hr. 12 min. 8 1/2 hr.

Soldier 1- 1 1/2 hr. 12 min. 8 1/2 hr.

Azuki/Aduki 1- 1 1/2 hr. 12 min. 8-10 hr.

Navy 1- 1 1/2 hr. 10 min. 6 1/2 hr.

Black-eyed peas 1- 1 1/2 hr. 10 min. 6 1/2 hr.

Lima beans 1- 1 1/2 hr. 10 min. 6 1/2 hr.

Split peas 1- 1 1/2 hr. 10 min. 4 hr.

Lentils 1- 1 1/2 hr. 8-10 min. 4 hr.

Bean Equivalents

1 can of beans = 1 1/2 - 2 cups of beans

1 lb. dry beans = 2 cups dry beans

1 cup dry beans= about 2 1/2 cups cooked beans

1 lb. dry beans = about 5 cups cooked beans

1 lb. dry beans = about 3 cans of beans

Do not add salt, lemon or vinegar to cooking beans.

It will lengthen their cooking time and make them tough.

Only add after they are fully cooked.

Kerri's White Chili

This is Patty W's prize winning chili recipe.

Kerri's White Chili

Saute in oil:

     1-2 chicken breasts (pre-cooked and cut)

     1 med. onion

     1 1/2 t. garlic powder or 3 cloves (minced)

Add:

     2   15 oz. great northern beans, rinsed and drained

     1    14 1/2 oz. can chicken broth

     2    4 oz. cans chopped green chilies

     1 t. salt

     1 t. ground cumin

     1 t. dried oregano

     1/4 t. pepper

     1/4 t. cayenne pepper

Bring to boil, reduce heat and smimmer uncovered 30 min. 

Remove from heat and stir in 8 oz. sour cream and 4 oz.

whipping cream.  Don't let come to a boil.  (If doubling

recipe, don't double garlic and onion--I 4x the recipe and

forgot I wasn't suppose to 4x the onion and garlic and it

was fine)

printable recipe

This can be a complete food storage recipe by using canned

or freeze-dried chicken, freeze-dried sour cream (which

I think is really good in recipes) and you can use  boxed

whipping cream that can be purchased from Gossner Foods

in Logan (it just sits in a box on your shelf, no refrigeration

until opened.)  You can also use dehydrated or freeze dried

onions.  Everything else is already long term storage.

Slim Jim Chili

Happy Halloween

It just seemed right to post a chili recipe today.  Enjoy your trick or treating!  Check here and here for more chili recipes.

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, undrained
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 to 3 tsp. chili powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 bay leaf
dash pepper
Brown hamburger in large skillet, draining fat and then rinsing with hot water. Add onion and celery and saute until tender, 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Simmer covered, 30-45 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

printable recipe
from: Stake Taster Table before General RS Meeting

Chili

1 ½ lbs hamburger, browned

2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans

2 (30 oz) and 1 (16 oz) can chili beans

2 (11 oz) Campbell's Tomato juice

1 (14oz) can diced petite tomatoes

1 ½ pkgs. McCormick's chili powder

combine all ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes.

printable recipe

White Chili

In a large pot combine:

2 c water

2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth

1 tsp lemon pepper

1 tsp cumin seeds

Bring to a boil and add:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken, cut into bite-size pieces and return to pot with broth.

In a small skillet over medium heat saute:

1 tsp olive oil

1 minced garlic clove

1 c finely diced onion

Add this mixture to the broth.

Add:

1 tsp cumin

3 Tbs lime juice

2 (4 oz) cans diced green chilies

Boil for 10 minutes.

Add:

2 (15 oz) cans great northern or small white beans, drained.

Heat thoroughly and serve with tortilla chips and grated Monterrey Jack cheese

printable recipe

Chocolate Bean Ice Box Cookies

3/4 cup margarine
1 cup cooked pinto or kidney beans, mashed or blended
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups brown sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp. cocoa

Cream shortening, sugar and beaten eggs.  Add salt, vanilla, cocoa, cinnamon and beans to the dry ingredients adding enough flour  to make the dough stiff enough to handle.  Chill until ready to use.  Extra flour can be added to make the dough stiff enough to be rolled out on floured surface.  Cut and decorate  or roll in small balls and dip in sugar then press on cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 8 - 10 minutes.

printable recipe

Oatmeal Bean Cookies

1 cup cooked pinto or kidney beans
1 cube margarine, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda

Blend beans, margarine, eggs and vanilla together in a blender until smooth.


Cream bean mixture together with sugar.  Add remaining dry ingredients.  Put in balls the size of walnuts and press on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.

printable recipe