Friday Foods: Sprouts

Sprouts offer so many benefits and are so simple to make they are a great addition to any family's meals. Besides, they taste delicious! When you add water to beans it activates them to grow. All the nutrition in the plant is released and is easily digested. I started with lentils because I happened to have a small amount in the pantry.

Soaking sprouts breaks down the anti-nutrients, called phytates, which make it a lot easier on your stomach. These phytates prevent the seed from sprouting prematurely and are enzyme inhibitors inside humans which may make it difficult to absorb all the nutrients. Add them to salads, sandwiches, or just eat them out of the jar. They are a tasty snack that most people enjoy.

To grow sprouts all you need is:

1 qt. jar
cheesecloth
rubber band
and 1/2 cup beans or seeds

Rinse and drain the beans. Pour beans into jar and fill jar with water. Cover top of jar with cheesecloth and use rubber band to fasten it. Let beans soak overnight. In the morning, rinse and drain sprouts. Rinse and drain them at least twice a day. I did it in the morning and after dinner. In a couple days you will see roots and shortly after that you will see a stem and little tiny leaves, called cotyledons. The sprouts will quadruple in size so make sure your container is big enough and drains well. For more detailed information on sprouting click here.

Quick Quote and an Intro: Adelle Davis

We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are. —-Adelle Davis

Having a family, and the responsibility that comes along with it, sometimes may seem like a lot to fathom. Sometimes while glancing over my growing list of things to "accomplish" I break into a sweat and waste 2 days in recovery. Amidst everything going on, my one true wish is to make my home a healthy environment for a family to thrive and flourish. With a full day of plans we need sustenance. We are a family of 9 (including 1 doggy, 2 kitties, 3 kiddos, 1 sister-in-law, 1 husband, and yours truly). Homey Sprouts is a place to document our journey to self-sufficiency while also living in a modern world.

Welcome!

What first attracted us to preserving and storing our food was one simple desire: to know where our food comes from. Many studies show that our country has [even more] increasing rates of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and a slew of other medical issues. The importance of a wholesome diet is pushed under the bus too often, and here at Homey Sprouts we're strong believers that the quality of your diet directly affects the quality of your life. Laci has young kids, and that's another huge motivation for her-- the lifelong well-being of her precious children. Although I don't have children of my own, I believe it's unnecessarily harmful to expose children to the negative effects of negligence concerning their diet. Lets face it, kids can't control what they eat. It's up to the adults in their life to ensure they create good habits early so their life is more rewarding later. Good nutrition is vital to a long, happy life.

This blog is a way for us to share what we learn and keep us motivated to keep learning. To be perfectly honest, we were terrified to take up this project; We had never canned anything before in our life! Or blogged! We make mistakes but the time it takes to learn the trade is definitely worth it.

As with any big project, you need to prepare before you can dive in. The right supplies and equipment are important for the outcome and make the process so much easier. Trust us, we know. The first time we decided to make our own jelly we didn't have a rack for the bottom of the pot. That didn't work out so well. It took us double what it should have to finish. The next day we went out and got what we needed. Everything has been so much smoother since!

Preserving food yourself has it's benefits besides knowing where your food comes from. It's an incredibly useful skill to have and we think it builds stronger family ties when everyone is helping. Plus, keeping a supply of food storage helps keep a balanced diet year round. In colder climates, like in Idaho where we live, this is especially important. Fresh, local produce is hard to come by in the middle of snowy January. Extra work during the warmer months of the year means that we can have our favorite summer treats in the winter, and get an extra boost of nutrients. Naturally, it cuts back costs at the grocery store because we're not buying a bunch of junk since there are tasty, healthy treats at home.

I know it sounds apocalyptic, but it's a nice safe guard against emergencies. Especially if you already have pre-packaged, add water meals [we're working on this ourselves]. Even if it's not the end of the world, a snowstorm might be enough to block the roads on grocery day. Food storage saves the day, again.

So there it is-- why we choose to preserve our foods. We'll be sharing our discoveries, mishaps, and exploring the blogsphere! Exciting things are coming our way.