It turns out
that the “Pasta Express” is the perfect device for growing sprouts
easily and efficiently. The “Pasta Express” was brought to you on TV
infomercials. It’s a clear plastic tube with a perforated lid that was sold on
TV. With it you could make pasta in the tube by pouring in boiling water and
waiting 5 minutes or so. Well, they didn’t revolutionize the culinary world,
but they make fine sprouting equipment for small to medium batches. They’re
available for purchase on EBay and elsewhere.
Thanks to Allan MacIntire (almackable[at]gmail[dot]com) for these Sprouting Instructions and
my first Pasta Express tubes!
(Especially
for the microsprout mixes, also for difficult-to-find beans.)
You can also
look in local health-food stores and Co-ops. Some supermarkets,
also.
You start by soaking the whole seeds for 8-10 hours in warm (ca.70 degrees F) water. Then you drain, rinse (by filling the tube with warm water again), swirl, drain. Then set them down sideways (maximum seed surface area) in a warm (not cold, not hot) place with INDIRECT light only. Don’t put them in a dark cabinet, and don’t put them in direct sunlight. Leave the sealing lid off while they are sprouting out (that is, only have the perforated lid on the cylinder so that the sprouts can breathe).
2.a.
Individual instructions on particular Seeds:
Whole Adzuki Beans (red); add ½ cup seeds, fill Pasta Express with warm water, soak 8-10
hrs., drain. Rinse/Swirl/Drain in warm water, then put sideways in a corner
with air, some light (don’t put them in the dark). Rinse in warm water, swirl,
and drain 3x/day; wait for sprout-out.
Whole Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans) – Soak for 8
hrs ONLY before draining.
(2 cups dry
chick peas MAX-in container). Then Rinse in warm water, swirl, drain, then set
them sideways to sprout-out. Rinse/Swirl/Drain 3x day in warm water. Allow them
to spout-out for up to 2 days. Around the 2-day mark, Rinse/Swirl/Drain them
often; otherwise they start to ferment. See my Hummus Recipe for a great
use for them.
Whole Lentils - Soaking in warm water 8-10 hrs. Rinse in warm water, swirl, and drain
3x/day; wait for sprout-out.
Whole Mung Beans (green) – After soaking 8-10 hrs. in warm
water, they will sprout out quickly. Rinse in warm water, swirl, and drain 3x/day; wait for sprout-out. Wash the
seeds in water; the hulls tend to rise to surface and you can skim them off.
After seeds sprout-out, do a cold-water wash, then put them in the
fridge. Again, no sealing lid; they have to breathe. Wash them out in cold
water 2-3 times per day thereafter, then put them back in the fridge. They will
last about a week for daily use mixed in with your food, etc.
Micro sprouts (alfalfa, etc.): soak in water 8-10 hours, pour-off
(being careful not to lose small seeds through the perforated holes). After
they begin sprout-out, put on tray and rinse 2/day in lukewarm water for 2
days. During sprout-out they need indirect sunlight (or a natural-spectrum
light on them) during the day. When they’re done sprouting out just put the
whole tray in the fridge, covered with the plastic lid so they don’t dry out.
They’re consumable when sprouted, but peak a few days later, cold-water rinse to
slow growth & put in fridge for gradual use. Bring them out of the fridge
for a cold-water rinse 2x per day.