"My (little) garden" - photo by Erin Collins
I'm not a health food nut, but I do enjoy some foods many consider should be reserved for Hare Krishna feasts and rabbits. One of these delicious delicacies is sprouts. I love 'em. One really simple and delicious sandwich I make is just sprouts, honey, and peanut (or almond) butter. Mmm.
There is plenty of new age hullabaloo about the benefits of eating sprouts and eating raw in general. It is true that most enzymes are denatured, ergo useless, at temperatures above around 140 degrees Farenheit.
Enzymes are, on the other hand, also denatured by pH extremes like the acid in your stomach so... what's the point? Most of what I found on the internet is ranges between the wacky and the outright delirious, but there are some good articles especially on making your own sprouts at home.
I was reading www.wisebread.com (a website for frugal living) and they had this article on making your own sprouts. It sounds really easy. I want to experiment with sprouting different things, I'll bet they each have some different nuance.
Then I also found from www.living-foods.com there is a whole plethora of spout-it-yourself information in their article here. Not only do they discuss the basics, but they go into different methods of sprouting, and have a nearly exhaustive list of specifics for each type of grain.
This list includes: amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, wheat, almonds, cabbage, fenugreek, flax, psyllium, chia, mustard, pumpkin, radish, sesame, sunflower, alfalfa, clover, garbanzo, beans (including: Anasazi, Black, Fava, Kidney, Lima, Navy, Pinto, and Soy), lentils, Mung beans, peanuts and peas.
I'm not alone with my sprout sandwiches. Here are a few more that I found:
From www.thekitchn.com - their Alternative Sprouts Sandwich
From www.milkandhoneyfarm.com - thier Easy Tomato and Sprout Sandwich (at the bottom of the page)
And from www.goodmagazine.com here is a really good looking recipe for what they call Project 009: Avocado And Sprouts Sandwich
- Dave Koch