Are you ready to try sprouting? You’ll need to gather a few things before we get started, but you may already have some of the supplies you need.
1. Sprouting seeds. Now is the time to get your seeds! Most people start with a mix of seeds, but you can also try individual ones. Some popular choices are alfalfa, broccoli, and radish. There are so many different places to buy sprouting seeds! Check your local healthy food store (mine are Whole Foods and Good Earth) if you have one. Sprouting seeds are really easy to find online, too. No matter where you choose to buy them, be sure they are seeds intended for sprouting. Buy organic. Don’t worry, even though they’re special, they are not expensive. You can spend anywhere from $2.50 to $15 depending on what kinds of seeds you buy and how big of a package you purchase.
2. A wide-mouth mason jar. If you don’t already have one, you can find them at Walmart (or even regular grocery stores).
3. A sprouting screen or lid. You can buy this from various suppliers online, or from a local store. I bought a sprouting lid (made of food-grade plastic); they usually cost $2-$5. Screens (about $3) are made of stainless-steel mesh and you use them with the metal ring on the mason jar.
4. Filtered water. If at all possible, you want to use water that does not contain chlorine. Chlorine is added to tap water because it kills living things, (like micro-organisms…and also living things like seeds). Chlorine is pretty bad for people, and has been linked to heart disease. If you use filtered water in your home, it will be just fine for sprouting. If not, I recommend getting a gallon of “spring water” from the grocery store. (Note that “drinking water” usually contains chlorine; it is basically the same as tap water, except not held to the same testing standards as tap water.) If you do not use filtered water, you can probably still sprout with chlorinated water, but your results will not be as good.
All right, folks, that’s everything! Just four little things. There are other methods of sprouting, too, but we’re going to start with this one. We’ll talk about the others later. Hurry and gather your supplies–next week we’ll begin sprouting!
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