How To Sprout Seeds by Pat Reeves

An excerpt from the book A Living Miracle

First acquire large glass jars – Kilner jars work well – with necks wide enough to allow you to put your hand inside. The top of the jar can be covered with some muslin cloth or nylon mesh secured with a rubber band or piece of string. A draining rack will be required to allow the jars to drain at an angle of 45 degrees. Alternatively, sprouting jars are available in health food shops making the whole process much easier and does ensure better results. Special sprouting trays – usually a series of round or square tiers that fit neatly into one another are also obtainable – normal seed trays also work. The Easygreen electric sprouter is also now available in the UK and simplifies everything even more. I use this exclusively for my personal needs.

Place the required amount of seeds, beans, grains, etc in a container, allowing the water you will be soaking them in to generously cover them by two or three inches and soak for approximately eight hours, usually overnight as a little longer won’t hurt. Drain and rinse under running water, rinsing thoroughly so that the seeds are churned around by the water’s action. This will remove any wild yeasts that may be present in the soak water.

(Adding a half teaspoon of kelp powder to this soak water enhances their nutrition). Drain off all water residue by placing at a 45 degree angle. Place sprouts somewhere pleasant for them to grow. Sunny windowsills, radiators and hot water heaters should be avoided as these will dry the sprouts out and put them under stress. In the winter time cold draughts and frosts should be avoided. Sprouts do best in temperatures and humidity that feel best for us. The worktop of most warm, sufficiently ventilated kitchens is best for successful sprouting.

Rinse and drain sprouts once each day for the next two to five days or until they are ready to eat. In hot weather it will be necessary to rinse them twice each day.

Seeds and beans are tiny powerhouses of nutrients – when water is added – the magic begins!

Sprouted foods are one of the key constituents of a raw food eating regime because of the available vital substances and also because of the texture and flavour they lend to a meal. Just soaking seeds and allowing them to germinate has a radical effect on the bioavailability of the nutrients they contain. They are easier to digest when sprouted, as their starch breaks down – and their overall nutritional value increases up to ten-fold.

Apart from plentiful vitamin C, iron, calcium and magnesium, they contain the B group of vitamins, essential fatty acids and vegetable protein. They are very alkalinising, which helps the body restore its acid-alkaline balance. Even more! – they are such fun to work with!

You will be entranced each day as you watch them grow and their character changes. Do experiment with any organic seeds sold in gardening centers. It is not vital that you only use seeds sold specifically for sprouting, such as spelt, rice, buckwheat, barley, quinoa, amaranth, chickpeas, lentils, aduki, mung black eye peas, mustard, basil, broccoli, all the cabbages, onions, leeks, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame – this is not an exhaustive list!

Basically then, the value of sprouts is three-fold – the seeds themselves are easily transported from the shop to the home, the preparation required to turn the seeds into sprouts is absolutely minimal, the sprouts themselves provide fresh shoots, which are extremely rich in vitamin C and frequently in carotenes and the B complex, with a much increased amino-acid (protein) balance, together with valuable trace elements and minerals.

As has already been said, they are easily incorporated into the body to provide the vitamin and mineral needs of our bodies. Sprouts prepared at home in this way are eaten as required and do not have a chance to lose their nutritional value – you just grow them on a scale and at a rate to suit your own particular requirements. To obtain the full benefit of the nutrients, the seeds should be freshly sprouted, so that they are eaten at the very moment when they are at the peak of their nutritional value. The vital food factors in sprouts and other living foods are released from plant cells during the process of chewing and digestion, and become usable for the regeneration of the human body.

Sprouts are biogenic – they are alive. I am utterly convinced that a carload of cooked food cannot do for healing and regeneration of the human body what a single sprouted seed will do. Imagine a farmer cooking seeds before sowing them! For that matter – can you picture in your mind any food in your present diet that, when planted, will sprout and grow up to create a new life? Cooked grains, beans and vegetables won’t. Neither will animal foods such as meat, eggs and cheese. Only uncooked germinated seeds, grains, nuts and beans can give us their living energy.

Copyright 2008 Pat Reeves. An excerpt from Pat's Book A Living Miracle www.foodalive.org