Every summer I get green with envy over my friends who have gardens. I’ve mentioned it many times in this space, especially when my friends start gifting me their bumper crops of zucchini, basil, mint, tomatoes and peppers. I was so inspired by the bounty this year that I decided to turn this pre-war walk-up into a plant paradise! It started because a friend at work gave me an extra eggplant plant. It needed re-potting and when I did it, it looked so lonely on my bare windowsill. So after a trip to the plant store, I came back with some basil seeds, wildflower seeds and a bunch of other plants. And while I was at it, I decided to start sprouting my own lentils, chickpeas and buckwheat. Darya had mentioned doing this when she visited me last summer too! I’d been buying them at a premium to add to salads, smoothies and soccas, but when I realized how easy it was to make sprouts at home, I just had to because…well, law school loans. If I could do this without poisoning myself, you can do it too. The only trick in sprouting different legumes all in one jar is to make sure they all sprout at the same rate. These three do.
Aside from the fresh taste of sprouts, there are a lot of nutritional benefits to them along with the fact that your legumes grow little tails. Legumes contain phytic acid, which can be difficult to digest. Sprouting neutralizes the phytic acid, which means more vitamins and minerals can be absorbed by your body as they’re digested.
Sprouting starts the germination process, which changes the composition of the legumes. Sprouting increases the amounts of vitamins and minerals in the lentils, especially B vitamins and carotene. It also produces Vitamin C. Sprouting also helps break down some of the sugars in legumes that cause intestinal gas. And yes, I just used that phrase on a food blog. Best of all. It only takes about 48 hours for these to sprout and little to no effort. Put two tablespoons each of dry lentils, chickpeas and buckwheat in a large jar. Cover with water. Cover the jar with a paper towel and a rubber-band. Drain them 12 hours later, rinse 12 hours after that. Rinse, rinse, until sprouts are desired length and done.
But let’s talk about my plants. On the top left, the big one is my eggplant plant. I can’t wait to see if it actually grows eggplants. The two pots with only soil have wildflowers and basil. There’s a snow white waffle plant, dragon’s tongue and some ivy. I also got a big plant that seems to have attracted a single cute green bug that I’ll take any day over the endemic NYC bugs that are not to be named lest they come. Shudder. I potted all of these and got soil all over my bedroom floor and couldn’t be prouder. Both the plants and the sprouts are thriving and watering them all has become part of the routine. I plan to grow more herbs and get a few more plants before the summer’s end. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the farmer’s market, being outside and bringing a bit of the outdoors into the apartment. Happy Wednesday!
HOW TO SPROUT LENTILS
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons dry red lentils (any lentil will work here)
- 2 tablespoons dry chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons dry buckwheat (not roasted and not kasha)
DIRECTIONS:
Put the dry lentils, chickpeas and buckwheat in a jar. Add enough water to cove them and let sit overnight. The legumes will eventually almost triple in size so be sure your container is big enough. Don’t put an airtight lid on the jar. Use a piece of thin cloth (cheesecloth would be perfect) or a paper towel and secured it with the ring part of the jar top. You could also use a rubber-band.
Drain the water out of the jar, replace the cloth and let the jar sit on the counter, out of direct sunlight. I usually like to let it sit upside down leaning against a wall at a 45 degree angle onto a plate so the extra water can drain. Every 12 hours, add water to the jar, give it a swirl and then drain it out again.
You should start seeing little tails in 24-36 hours. After about 2 days I like to start eating them. Depending on the amount of lentils you’re sprouting, this process could take up to 4 days.
When they’re done, spread them on a paper towel to let them dry out a little bit, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. They should last about a week.
I think I’ll try this, as I have red lentils and garbanzos in the cupboard and I don’t think I’ve sprouted beans since I was about 6 years old in school. It’s well in to the English broad bean growing season (I’m a big fan) and I’ve noticed that some of the large ones are sprouting in their pods, which makes me wonder if they too neutralize the phytic acid? Probably yes and I suspect that sprouting pulses at home is probably more hygienic than buying them commercially.
I’m sure your basil will do well in the window. Mine grows through the winter as long as it gets watered daily and turned 180º.
Wow, MD. I don’t know if I ever sprouted seeds in school, at least not edible ones. I haven’t seen anything from the basil yet but its good to know it’ll last. That’s amazing. I was actually afraid my sprouts would kill me but you’re right, they probably are more sanitary. I bet the sprouted broad beans are easier to digest. I started sprouting chia seeds last night. The method is slightly different. But I’m enjoying trying my hand at all of this. Nice to see you 😉
There was a bad E coli thing in Germany due to bean sprouts a few years ago and for several months they thought it was cucumbers from Spain! In fact it came from an organic farm in Lower Saxony. So really, I think being careful at home might be better than many people handling the sprouts and distributing them in plastic at the point of sale.
Interesting. I wonder how that happened. I totally agree now that I know I can do it without poisoning myself. 😉
I think it was cross contamination from natural fertiliser – I’m sure it’s much safer in your kitchen!
Hi Amanda, I tried to comment earlier, but the form was unavailable, but now it looks like it’s working. 🙂 I really want to try sprouting my own lentils and garbanzo beans now! I didn’t realize it would make them easier to digest–that is a definite bonus! 🙂 Good luck with your indoor garden! I know it is so satisfying to have something growing and to nurture it. Basil is a great herb to have on hand (and it smells so good!). I have not had such good luck with it in the winter in indoor pots, but maybe that’s because I don’t have the right window for it, or maybe I didn’t water it enough. But I love being able to pick some basil leaves whenever I need them in the summer and fall! Enjoy!
Thanks, Jenny. Odd about the comments. Thanks for coming back. I love that you understand the pull of the garden. You should try sprouting. Its definitely worth it even just to change up your salads. I’m hoping the basil seeds sprout. There the only ones I haven’t seen yet. Otherwise I’ll just try again. I hope you’re doing well and always love hearing from you. Xo
ok, this might be a dumb question. but after they’ve sprouted, do you cook them and then eat them? or do you eat them …raw?
Not a dumb question. I wondered the same thing at first. You eat them raw! I suppose you could cook them, but that’s what makes these awesome. It’s like eating fresh lentils or fresh chickpeas! Unique.
You definitely can cook sprouted seeds as well, they still are suposed to be easier to digest than non-sprouted beans/seeds (in answer to Lan’s question). This is nice! I am not good at growing plants at all, they all end up dying on me, except for the succulents and cacti, which are all I keep indoors nowadays. I’d love to try again, but I hate that I kill all my plants. Whereas sprouting works for me. My favorite sprouts are alfalfa and mung bean, though I like others as well. I am surprised lentils and chickpeas sprout in the same amount of time; I should try sprouting various things together, see what happens! Nice post, and good look with indoor gardening, sounds like you are enjoying it!
Thanks, Darya. I knew you’d know the answers here. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen alfalfa seeds to sprout, but I’ve seen them online. I’d like to do that and broccoli and radish for a little spice. I’ve had to buy forgiving plans so I don’t kill them. It does feel bad so I’m really trying here. Looking forward to some fresh herbs! Nice to see you here. Miss you! Xo