Subject: Re: Sprouting for health

From: [email-masked] (BONVICINI,GIOV./EP)
Date: Thu, 9 Mar 1995 08:52:00 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Charsky) writes...
> 
>First, put together a small mixture of grain/seed/legumes (about 1 tbsp of 
>your chosen variety) put in a contain and soak for about 12 hours.

This is not quite right IMO. Some seeds are ready in 2 days (radish, for
example), other take a full 5 days (alfalfa, adzuki, and cress, for example).
Second, cress/flax seeds need water once every 2 days (they make a jelly 
substance that keeps them moist), whereas chickpeas could use water 3 times 
a day.

IMO it is best, as you say, to soak them overnight, while keeping them 
unmixed. Soaking them will improve the uniformity of the sprouts
(if you have a sprouter, they will be in water only a minute or so every
time, and some seeds will start sprouting earlier than others).

Another reason to keep them unmixed is that several types of sprouts,
when swirled in water, will separate from their shells (sprouts float, 
shells sink, though in case of mung it is the other way). If you keep them 
all together you cannot clean them this way. Once they are all sprouted, yes,
sprout mixtures are just irresistible and there is no going back if you have
tried them. Try self-dressing them by adding radish or mustard sprouts,
which are both very good looking (the radish red and green, the mustard
deep purple and green) and spicy (mustard very much so).

G.B.