Sprout up your life!

I'm sure you've heard of sprouting or soaking, but have you ever tried it? It's so easy!
Plus, it makes the little powerhouses even more nutritious than they already are. Soaking and sprouting activates and multiplies the vitamins and minerals present in those foods. It also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors which may otherwise interfere with your absorption of nutrients.

Simply get a sprouting jar from A. Vogel or most health shops stock them as well.. or make your own. All you need is a large glass jar, a fly screen or some other sort of mesh and a rubber band. This can be used for both sprouting and soaking.

You can pretty much sprout every seed or bean you come across, be it sunflower seeds, chickpeas, quinoa, cress or radish seeds to name a few. You can even mix them to have a nice addition to your salads. Just be careful as not all the seeds take the same amount of time to be ready.

How to:

• fill your sprouting jar to one third with seeds/beans, rinse thoroughly to wash
  
• fill with water to the top
  
• leave standing over night and drain in the morning
  
• leave up side down at an angle where air can circulate during the whole sprouting period
• rinse twice daily

Depending on the seeds you're using it can take 2-5 days for the sprouts to grow. When ready, drain well and store in the fridge for up to one week.

Here is a small overview of sprouting times:

• Amaranth 1-3 days
• Black beans 3 days
• Buckwheat 2-3 days
• Chickpeas and Lentils 2-3 days
• Millet 1 day
• Pumpkin Seeds 3 days
• Sesame Seeds 2-3 days
• Sunflower Seeds 1-2 days
• Quinoa 2-3 days

The process for soaking is even easier! I mainly soak nuts or of course dried beans and pulses. For latter it shortens the cooking time and the nuts become more nutritious and digestible. Soaked nuts or beans should be used immediately as they can otherwise develop mold.
Most nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts or pistachios take up to 8 hours to soak, but some such as brazil nuts, cashews or macadamia take around 3 hours only.