DIY Sprouter

Start with a handful of fresh seeds; then just add water. In the presence of air, and sometimes sunlight, you can fill your kitchen with more nutritious, amazingly inexpensive fresh vegetables than you ever thought possible. Packed with nutrition already, seeds are even better once sprouted, because protein, vitamin and other nutrient levels increase. You’ll find good sprouters for sale online and in many natural food stores, but you can easily make your own from common household items.

Jar Sprouter

• Make a jar sprouter by attaching a small square of cheesecloth, loose-weave natural fabric (linen or hemp) or a scrap of vinyl-coated fiberglass window screen to the top of a wide-mouth jar with a rubber band. Jars are best for sprouting most beans, or any sprout varieties that don’t need much light. These include alfalfa, broccoli, cabbage, radish and even onion and garlic sprouts.

Sprouting Tray

• Make your own mini seed-sprouting trays—the best way to grow greens, wheatgrass and other light-seeking sprouts—by reusing pint-size plastic mesh strawberry baskets. For each mini-tray, cut a small square of vinyl-coated window screen (same size as the basket base) and seat the screen in the bottom of the basket. The screen offers sprouting roots a firm attachment structure and extra support as plants grow up toward the light. Set your mini-trays on a cookie sheet or other shallow pan, drape plastic wrap across the top and set the trays near a strong but indirect light source to create a mini greenhouse—increasing sprouting temperature and preventing water loss.

Sprouting Bag

• Make a durable sprouting bag by sewing together two squares or rectangles of fabric (hemp or linen or loose-weave cotton), stitching along three sides, then turning the bag inside out. Finish with a drawstring or tie the open end shut while in use with string or twine. Sprout bags can’t break, take up no counter space—just hang them by their tie over your kitchen sink in an out-of the-way spot—and work best for grains or beans that don’t require light. Just rinse or dip the bags in fresh water as needed; the fabric retains moisture, yet plenty of air circulates around the seeds.

Sprouting Tips

• Use only untreated, pathogen-free and very fresh beans and seeds—intended for human consumption, not planting—available online and at most natural food stores.

  Use screen with wider mesh—or looser fabrics—for jars sprouters during your final rinses, to flush out seed hulls.

  Sanitize the vinyl sprouting screen by running it through a dishwasher. Sanitize reusable cheesecloth or cloth coverings by washing them thoroughly in hot water and mild soap, then boiling them in water for several minutes.

  Use your sprout bag by wetting it, adding presoaked beans or grains, dipping the bag again in rinse water (about one minute), then hanging the bag. Gently move sprouts around, inside the bag, during each subsequent rinse, to keep them from rooting.

  Follow general sprouting instructions for the specific seeds you’re sprouting. Provide all good things for your sprouts—fresh water, warmth and light—in moderation, except air and space. After presoaking, water regularly but not too much. Well-drained seeds and good air circulation are essential to prevent mold. Make sure sprouts have room to grow, too; don’t overfill sprouting jars, trays or bags.

Safety Considerations

• In response to outbreaks of food-borne illness in commercially prepared sprouts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking all sprouts before eating them (avoid all raw sprouts), especially for children, seniors and people with weakened immune systems.

  Avoid Salmonella and E. coli contamination by starting with safe seeds. According to UC Davis, most food-borne illness even in commercially produced sprouts is due to contaminated seeds. Support raw sprout safety by buying certified pathogen-free seed. UC Davis also recommends pretreating sprouting seed by soaking it for five minutes in a 3 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide heated on your stovetop to 140 degrees F (use a cooking thermometer), stirring or swirling every minute or so. Fully rinse seed under running tap water.