Eat To Get High

Eat to Get High

Two issues ago I promised an article would be forthcoming about sprouts. Since that time l've been collecting information and l've gotten really turned on to the whole subject because sprouts are so nutritious and the labor involved in growing them is minimal. Many people think of bean sprouts in relation to that canned product that La Choy sells along with the rest of their plastic line of Chinese food that can be found in almost any grocery store. You can be sure that if you eat sprouts out of a can you're missing out on some valuable nutrition that you could benefit from if you grew your own at home. Sprouts, and there are many other kinds besides soybean sprouts, are delicate little plants that are alive until the moment that you either pop them in your mouth or in the pot of soup or whatever. What l'm saying though is that the process of canning sprouts would kill any nutrients there might be growing in them because the temperature is too great. It's totally contradictory to can sprouts when anyone could grow them fresh at home with about fifteen minutes of labor.

All that is needed to grow your own is about 1-3 tablespoons of any kind of grain seed or bean that you might like to grow and at the very least a small plastic bowl. Also you need fresh water, here in Ann Arbor l'd recommend spring water because some of the chemicals that the city water is treated with might either kill off or cause the sprouts to rot. To begin with use only whole beans, seed, or grain, broken pieces will not grow and make sure that the bean or whatever is not chemically treated because those chemicals will cause the bean to rot often and even if the sprout did grow who wants to eat concentrated chemicals anyway. If you use simply a small plastic bowl to grow your sprouts in, soak them overnight in a warm dark place in a cup of water and in the morning drain them well with warm water and keep them in a dark warm, not too warm though, place and every six hours or so rinse them thoroughly. After about 72 hours your sprouts should be just ripe for harvest. It's important to realize that if you use only a small plastic bowl the growing sprouts must be drained and rinsed thoroughly so that mold or fungus doesn't grow on them. Sprouts also like to be moist, not wet in order to grow properly. Other good containers to grow your sprouts in would be colanders, wide mouthed quart jars with muslin or cheesecloth spread and secured over the mouth to allow for proper ventilation and drainage or an old basket out of a coffee perculator (that thing with all the holes in it). You can rig up any number of contraptions just remember that it's important to have some ventilation and a means of draining and rinsing the sprouts every several hours. You can do the rinsing with your hands if you want so the whole deal doesn't have to be complex at all and it's totally unnecessary to buy any special device to grow your sprouts in. One artical that I read said that it was necessary only to rinse the sprouts in the morning first thing once in the middle of the day and again before going to bed. That schedule would probably be best if it was always regular. Just remember that the fresh water is food to help the sprouts grow and to prevent any mold from forming. Don't starve them or drown them - maintain a balance.

Now to talk a little more about the nutrition involved and also more specifically about different types of sprouts. A lot of people say that alfalfa sprouts are the most nutritious. They are rich in Vit. K, B8 and potassium, calcium, phosphorous and most important chlorphyll which is good for your blood. Sprouted seeds are rich in Vits. A, B-complex, C, D, E, K, and minerals such as calcium, phophorous, chlorine, potassium & sodium. One half cup of sprouts is equal in Vitamin C to six glasses of orange juice! Sprouts are also a food that can be grown in this climate during the winter and a lot of people feel that it's important to maintain a natural balance with the climate and their diets and that it is un-natural to eat oranges in Michigan in the winter! Oat sprouts are especially high n Vit. E so much so that infertile cattle were fed oat sprouts in large quantity to rejuvenate fertility. Sprouts are packed with enzymes which stimulate all kinds of healthy reactions in the body such as proper digestion. Sprouted grains and legumes are rich in complete proteins which is valuable and essential to anyone who is a vegetarían. All sprouts have a high level of simple sugars that makes them a good source of quick energy but will not exhaust you during digestion like white sugar does.

Sprouts are at their peak of nutrition after about 60-80 hours of germination. During the last few hours expose the sprouts to indirect sunlight to increase the chlorophyll content! One way to figure out when to eat them is by how long they are. Soybeans, alfalfa and garden pea sprouts are most tasty when they are about two-three inches long. Most all grain sprouts should be eaten when the sprout is about the same length as the kernal itself, otherwise they taste bitter. This also applies to sunflower seeds. Lentils are best when about an inch long, mung beans are best at about three or four inches. Experiment and find out what sprouts you like best; they all have distinct flavors of their own and the possibilities that they allow in the kitchen are enormous. Sprouts can be eaten raw in salads or sandwiches, sauteed alone or with other vegtable or meat or fish, in soups, bread or raw.

For more information about sprouts check out the latest issue of the Mother Earth News no. 12. There are two or three more complete, high energy articles in the issue that will answer any questions you might have. Next issue of the SUN I'll include some recipes using sprouts after I experiment on my own with my family here at the Rainbow House. Anyone who has any good recipes that they'd like to share please contact Jeanie Walsh at 761-1709. EAT TO STAY HIGH!!

- Jeanie Walsh RPP