Good Things from the Garden in the Closet
(Page 2 of 4)
November/December 1971
by ED ZAHNISER
Smart homesteaders and urban dwellers alike find sprouts to be ideal, low-cost, fresh winter vegetables. Furthermore, this potent produce is very kind to the resources of the planet. When grown and consumed at home, they automatically eliminate wasteful transportation to the processor, processing, canning and labeling, the processor's markup, warehousing, transportation to a wholesaler, the wholesaler's markup, transportation to the retailer and the retailer's markup. That adds up to a lot of conservation of materials and energy.
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The economics and ecologics of sprouts, however, are as nothing compared to their nutritional values. Vitamins, trace elements, protein, simple sugars . . . you name it and sprouts seem to have it, fresh and in lavish proportions. Numerous scientific experiments (see accompanying article) have verified that these mini-vegetables are indeed "the most living food on earth" and, when you dine on sprouts, you're feasting at the ground level of sensible nutrition.
Speaking of nutrition, I really became a Super-convert to home-grown shoots when I learned that research animals which show signs of malnutrition and starvation on a prolonged diet of American agribusiness vegetables are rejuvenated with—you guessed it—sprouts!
It's also interesting to note that most studies of germinated seeds in the human diet have been conducted in India, China and Europe by military doctors seeking to prevent beri-beri and scurvy in soldiers patroling one or another frontier of the white man's empire. About the only serious U.S. research on the subject was done during WWII when—in the face of severe fuel rationing, material shortages and high draft calls—our government was looking for ways to make this country's food industry more efficient. After the war, of course, vested interests neatly diverted dietary studies into more profitable channels . . . but just because funds and priorities are screwed up once again doesn't mean you have to stop enjoying the proven benefits which sprouts offer. Eat on!
I doubt that you'll soon tire of sprouts even if you make them a large part of your diet. Although many folks never graduate beyond mung beans, just about any seed imaginable can be turned into the delectable little shoots. Each has its own distinctive taste and the potential for variety is apparent. If, however, you ever do begin to find sprouts boring you can copy the Orientals by going one step further to produce soy paste (miso), soy sauce, soy "milk", bean curd and other condiments from the little beasties.
By the way, if you find you've eaten so much plastic food that you must acquire a taste for soy and some of the other stronger-flavored sprouts, simply chomp down on the crunchy critters a few times and you're halfway there . . . or gentle `em by steaming the shoots for a couple of minutes. Bear in mind, too, that some sprouts—such as wheat or sunflower—must be eaten before their length doubles or you'll find them too bitter and/or tangy. But these are the exception rather than the rule . . . most shoots taste A-OK even if harvested a little late.
