Parsons' Prairie Farm

I have decided to grow sprouts.  As you probably already know, sprouts are rich with vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes and are a wonderful addition to your diet. Although many people grow and eat them for this very reason, I will actually be growing them for my chickens.  I think this will be a wonderful way to add those same wonderful benefits to their diet and be able to provide them fresh greens all winter long.

So, I am off on my first sprouting adventure.  All I needed to get started was a couple of quart canning jars, a piece of needlework canvas (for my jar lids) and the seeds for sprouting.  I found that there are numerous places to purchase seeds over the internet, but just to get started, chose to purchase mine at my local health food store.

To get started, I cut lids out of the needlework canvas for my wide mouth jars.  This will allow me to drain the water off the sprouts as they grow.

Then I put my seeds in the mason jars, filled them up halfway with water and let them soak overnight.  I am working on 2 jars of sprouts, one is a combo of organic alfalfa, radish & broccoli and the other a combo of organic mung bean & green pea.

This morning, I put my lids on the jars and drained the water out.

Twice, on this first day, I have poured fresh water in the jars and rinsed the seeds well.  When I pour the rinse water out of the jar, I am careful to leave the seeds spread out as much as possible.  This helps them to have air to begin their sprouting process.  I have left the jars (upside down so any remaining water can drain out) in my dish drainer over night.

I will post again tomorrow and let you know how our little sprouts are doing on Day 2.