Choosing a Sprouter

This article shows you what to look for when choosing a sprouter. Sprouts contain very high levels of nutrients and can be juiced (better results will be obtained from twin gear or masticating juicers). Growing sprouts at home is easy and takes less than a week.

There are many different types of sprouter which use different materials and offer different features. The number of features is normally reflected in the cost of the sprouter. When choosinG a sprouter the features you should consider will include:

• How much time is needed to maintain the sprouts each day?
• Quality of sprout crop produced
• Space available for housing the sprouter
• Availability of water and/or power supply for 'automatic' sprouters
• Initial cost and any running costs

The beauty of sprouting your own seeds, nuts and beans is that it is a simple process with just a few golden rules. As long as you follow these simple rules then you should grow healthy, nutritious sprouts. Whichever model of sprouter you choose, the basic process of sprouting remains the same and if used properly the end product sprouts should be of the same quality.

Remember that bad drainage results in the seeds or sprouts sitting in water. Seeds won't germinate in water and sprouts will rot so it is is vital to make sure your chosen sprouter has good drainage properties.

Basic sprouters

There are three forms of basic sprouter, sprouting tray, the sprouting jar and the sprouting bag.

Sprouting trays
Sprouting trays are one or more trays that you spread your seeds across. They normally have drainage holes in the bottom of the trays to allow water that rinses the sprouts to drain off freely. A tray sprouter may have drip trays built into it and may have tray lids to help retain moisture levels in the sprouting environments air. Tray sprouters often offer a 'modular' design where trays can be stacked on top and next to each other in a snug fitting modular fashion to make economical use of the room space you have allocated to sprouting.

Sprouting Jars
Sprouting Jars are probably the most well known form of sprouter and are often peoples first sprouter. You can make your own sprouting jar whereas commercial sprouting jars tend to have sprouting functionality built into them such as an angled storage and perforated lids to aid in efficient drainage. Sprouting jars don't tend to have as good air circulation as other forms of sprouter which means that you may have to rinse your sprouts more often.

Sprouting bags
Sprouting bags are sometimes chosen in preference to sprouting jars because they allow better air circulation and drainage due to their porous nature. Sprouting bags are often made of hemp fibre which is a natural fibre that drains freely. Sprouting bags also make rinsing and drainage as simple as can be as they are simply dipped and swirled for rinsing and then hung up to allow for drainage (this is however not the least messy of sprouters). Sprouting bags are the best option for those that travel a lot as you can easily pack your sprouting bag and a selection of seed packets into any travel bag. Do not be tempted to make your own sprouting bag from plastic carrier bags as the drainage and air circulation will be poor. Sprouting bags are especially popular for sprouting beans and seeds.

Automatic Sprouters

Automatic sprouters are so called because they automate some part of the sprouting process which means you have to spend less time in tending your sprouts.

Examples of automatic sprouters include

• The Easy Green
• Freshlife Automatic Sprouter
• The Automatic Sprouter
• Auto Sprout

Read more about automatic sprouters.

Sunflower seeds are an excellent addition to our diet as they contain a wide range of nutrients and are readily available. Sprouting sunflower seeds enables us to take in even greater nutritional benefits. The uses of Sunflower seeds as a food are numerous and include:

Being eaten on their own as a snack
• Garnishes / additions for salads and coleslaws
• Addition to breads
• Garnishes for soups
• Additions to smoothies recipes for texture

Sprouting method

Sunflower sprouts are popular due to their great taste. Use hulled sunflower; unhulled are for sunflower greens only. You can use any of the sprouting environments outlined in choosing a sprouter. Follow the soak and rinse cycle as outlined in grow your own sprouts. The seeds should be soaked for about 8 hours and Sunflower seeds take approximately 18 hours to sprout. Once sprouted the sprouts will store in the refrigerator for a few days. Skim off the seed skins to make the sprouts last longer without spoiling.

Nutritional benefits

Raw sunflower seeds (as opposed roasted seeds that can be found in shops) have the most nutritional benefits and are suitable for sprouting. Sunflower seeds are a good source of linoleic acid – an essential fatty acid. Sunflower seeds are also a good source of Vitamin E, amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and minerals (including magnesium, potassium, zinc and calcium).

They are also a good source of dietary fibre and contain phytosterols which can help reduce cholesterol levels.

Sunflower seeds can have a beneficial impact on our state of mind and lessen the chance of depression. Chemicals in our brain called neurotransmitters pass messages between the brains nerve cells and therefore these neurotransmitters affect our mood. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that when released gives a relaxing, content feeling that relieves tension. Sunflower seeds contain the amino acid Tryptophan that is responsible for processing serotonin.

The bright yellow Sunflower petals are poisonous so do not harvest them for addition to salads or as a garnish.

Availability

You can buy sunflower seeds in both hulled (with shell) and un-hulled (shell removed leaving just the kernel) form, roasted and raw. The kernel is the part of the seed that you eat.

Growing sunflowers for their seed

Growing sunflowers for their seed is both easy and fun. Children love to watch sunflowers grow and seeing what height they can get to and the bright colours are great for livening up your garden.

You should sow the seeds in early spring at around 1cm depth in a position that receive full / near full sun. Before sowing you can incorporate organic matter (such as garden compost or manure) into the soil. Space the sunflowers about 50cm apart. The time to harvest the crop of sunflower seeds is when the head of the sunflower starts to face downwards. Remove the whole head and hang in a dry well ventilated location. Remove the seeds from the head by hand or by using a spoon.

Storage

You can store unsprouted sunflower seeds for a number of months in a dry, airtight container in the dark. A great benefit of seeds is that you can stock up on them and so always have something available in the food cupboards, unlike many other healthy foods on a raw food diet such as fruits and vegetables that perish relatively quickly. Keeping the seeds cool will extend their shelf life.

There are two main types of sunflower seeds that are commercially used in different ways. Black husked sunflower seeds are most often used for producing sunflower oil as they have a higher fat content than striped sunflower seeds. This type of seed is often known as black oil sunflower seeds. The seeds are pressed under high pressure in order to extract the oil out of them. Sunflower oil is high in un-saturated fats and low in saturated fats.

Striped sunflower seeds have a lower oil content than the black hulled type and are the type that are normally used for food and sprouting.