Sprouts

Sprouts are very young plants, one stage up from seed, emerging a few days after seeds germinate.

Seeds are a storehouse of energy and nutrients, containing everything that is needed for the early stages of a plant’s growth. When a seed starts to sprout, nutrients (vitamins, minerals and enzymes) contained in it become available in a living form.

Sprouts can be eaten raw or cooked. Many people will be familiar with bean sprouts used in Chinese cooking. However, other types of sprouts are also popular in countries such as Switzerland where, for example, alfalfa sprouts are often seen in salads.

Some sprouts (e.g. bean sprouts and cress) may be found easily in many stores. Other types of sprouts however, are more difficult to obtain and you will have to go to specialist delicatessens or health food stores to find them.

An alternative to ready sprouted seeds is to sprout the seeds yourself. You can do this quite simply by placing seeds in a jam jar covered by a piece of muslin cloth. Alternatively, specially designed seed sprouting systems such as BioSnacky are also available.

BioSnacky is a specially designed and convenient way to sprout seeds, giving you a mini-greenhouse in your kitchen. It is fun to use and with a bit of planning, you can have a consistent supply of fresh, crunchy sprouts, full of vitamins and minerals every meal-time.

BioSnacky consists of:

• Two types of seed sprouters or germinators
• A range of organically produced sprouting seeds – either as single varieties or mixes

Many types of seeds are suitable for sprouting:

• Pulses (eg. lentil, alfalfa)
• Cereals (eg. wheat, quinoa)
• Oilseeds (sunflower, sesame)
• Vegetables (radish, watercress)

This variety gives sprouts a wide range of tastes and flavour. For example, sprouted radish seeds are ‘spicy’ in the same way as radishes are and red clover sprouts have a mild, sweet flavour.

The range of BioSnacky seeds for sprouting includes alfalfa, mung bean, quinoa and lentils. Click on the link to see our full range of sprouting seeds.