To make a long story medium-length, then, the Chinese have
been relying heavily on sprouts ever since that ancient
Emperor wrote his book on plants and foods . . . and so
have a lot of other folks in the Eastern world and a number
of underdeveloped nations. And well they might, because
modern research is continually proving and reproving the
nutritional qualities of sprouts.
RELATED CONTENT
SPROUTING CONTAINERS AND HOW TO USE THEM
You can successfully grow sprouts in any number of common
kitchen containers if you adapt your technique to the
equipment at hand. Just keep in mind that the ideal sprout
"garden" provides a warm, dark, moist— not
wet —environment for the developing seeds. It's
also a good idea to use one jar, strainer, pan or whatever
exclusively for raising shoots (to help prevent tainting
them).
Probably the simplest container of all is a largemouthed
quart jar (use a smaller or bigger jar, depending on how
many sprouts you want to grow at a time). Most folks who
use such a jar simply dump in the seeds, stretch a piece of
cheesecloth over the top and secure the cloth with a rubber
band. Others prefer to cut a circle of wire mesh which is
clamped to the jar top by a screw-on canning ring. Either
cover allows convenient and thorough flushing of the shoots
every four to six hours as they develop. Such a sprouting
container is usually kept in a dark cupboard between
rinsings. A large bowl makes an ideal holder for the jar
during these growth periods since the container should be
held top down at about a 45° angle to insure proper
drainage of the sprouts.
An earthenware flowerpot with its bottom drain hole
partially blocked by cheesecloth or a wad of cotton also
makes a good sprout garden. Unglazed pottery is best
because it absorbs water and thus insures that the shoots
will be kept moist but not wet. Cover the pot with a saucer
and set it in a shallow pan of water. Remember, however,
that even though moisture will "wick" through the bottom of
an unglazed flowerpot, the sprouts will still need regular
rinsings of clean water to retard the development of mold.
Tea strainers, collanders and coffee percolators are
excellent sprouting containers and—several years ago,
while living in Seattle—I modified two plastic
freezing cartons, a small square of screen wire and a piece
of sponge into a "never fail" version of the tea strainer
sprouter (see illustration). The large cans and metal
mesh-covered trays used by commercial sprouters are another
variation on the same idea.
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