There’s one necessity that most people haven’t thought about for their survival kitchen. It’s the need for "fresh foods" to accompany all that canned and dried food that they’re storing. It’s not easy to stow away the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that can give you the living enzymes and vitamins that you need. That’s where sprout growing, an easy skill to learn, can be a life saver in a food shortage crisis.
As you probably appreciate, in a time of emergency, it will be extremely difficult to buy fresh produce at any price. Your own garden will be your best bet at that time. But crises don’t happen on anybody’s schedule, and that may mean months to be able to grow and harvest produce. Also, a lot of us just don’t have the garden space and skills and would have a steep learning curve to get through. That could mean hard times without fresh, nutrient-dense foods.
Well, fortunately for all of us, homemade sprouts provide vitamins, minerals and fiber, necessary for good health.
What you’ll love about sprouts
First, you don’t need a lot of space to grow them. A small space on a table or a windowsill will do fine for growing several pounds of sprouts, and they can be harvested every single week.
And sprouts are so simple to grow that you don’t have to have grown anything before – not even a house plant.
What’s more, they don’t need light to grow, mature really fast, and their growing season is any time that you plant the seeds. So, you don’t have to wait 2-3 months before you harvest – like in a garden. Amazingly enough, you can have ready-to-eat sprouts in 2-4 days! Obviously they’re 100% organic. There’s no way that pesticides or any other harmful chemicals can get into what you’re eating.
You can purchase beans, lentils, alfalfa, sunflower, and other sorts of sprouting seeds at your local health food store. These seeds can last for 2-4 years on the shelf. When you’re ready to plant them, read the instructions on the seed packet. The seeds have to be the eating kind and not the ones for planting. Some seeds used for planting have been sprayed with chemicals. Once you know what you’re doing, you’ll be able to sprout most any dried bean that you have on your pantry shelf.
Here’s the general way that sprouting’s done. You put the sprout seeds into a jar and add water to it. Let the seeds soak for a couple of hours. Then, simply drain out all excess water, turn the jar upside-down and let the sprouts grow.
Every six to eight hours, open the lid, add water, swish the seeds around, thoroughly drain the jar, and replace the lid. Keep the jar upside-down in a storage container under the sink or in a closet. Correct drainage prevents the growth of mold.
How can I eat these sprouts?
Sprouts, like all vegetables, are much more flavorful and nutritious if eaten raw. But, then again, it’s not wrong to cook sprouts, if you prefer them that way.
The best part is that you can eat sprouts with most anything. Add them to salads, sandwiches, and soups. Bake them with your bread or puree them into dips. Here’s a list of possibilities:
Garnishes
Stir fry accompaniment
Bean sprout hummus
In salads
In quesadillas
On pizza
In soup
On sandwiches
Recipe for a curried mashed potato, tomato, and sprout sandwich
Ingredients
2 slices whole wheat or any whole grain bread (best if lightly toasted)
Slightly mashed potatoes, seasoned with a bit olive oil, lemon juice, garlic salt and curry powder
Fresh or canned tomatoes, drained of liquid
Fresh or chopped green chili peppers, optional
Pinch of sea salt (Always use a minimum of salt. See related post below.)
Pinch of black pepper
Slices of red onions
1/3 cup alfalfa or lentil sprouts, rinsed and drained
Directions
- Spread a slice of bread with potato mixture and some tomato.
- Top with sprouts and onion slice.
- Top other slice with choice of chili peppers, mustard, mayonnaise, or soft tofu
- Press the top and bottom together a bit and keep the sandwich chilled until time to serve.
Related posts
TAKE POSITIVE AND PEACEFUL ACTIONS TO CONFRONT FOOD SHORTAGES
WHAT'S IN YOUR PANTRY?
GET OFF-GRID OR REDUCE YOUR DEPENDENCE ON IT
REDUCED SODIUM DIET: WORTH TAKING WITH MORE THAN A GRAIN OF SALT.
GREEN GARDENS: GOOD FOR FAMILIES AND FOR THE ENVIRONMENT COLLECT RAIN WATER FOR GARDEN USE AND WATER EMERGENCIES
WHAT WILL YOU DO IF THE JAVA STOPS FLOWING? COOKING OIL CONFLICTS.
As you probably appreciate, in a time of emergency, it will be extremely difficult to buy fresh produce at any price. Your own garden will be your best bet at that time. But crises don’t happen on anybody’s schedule, and that may mean months to be able to grow and harvest produce. Also, a lot of us just don’t have the garden space and skills and would have a steep learning curve to get through. That could mean hard times without fresh, nutrient-dense foods.
Well, fortunately for all of us, homemade sprouts provide vitamins, minerals and fiber, necessary for good health.
 |
| SPROUTS ARE SO EASY TO GROW. |
First, you don’t need a lot of space to grow them. A small space on a table or a windowsill will do fine for growing several pounds of sprouts, and they can be harvested every single week.
And sprouts are so simple to grow that you don’t have to have grown anything before – not even a house plant.
What’s more, they don’t need light to grow, mature really fast, and their growing season is any time that you plant the seeds. So, you don’t have to wait 2-3 months before you harvest – like in a garden. Amazingly enough, you can have ready-to-eat sprouts in 2-4 days! Obviously they’re 100% organic. There’s no way that pesticides or any other harmful chemicals can get into what you’re eating.
You can purchase beans, lentils, alfalfa, sunflower, and other sorts of sprouting seeds at your local health food store. These seeds can last for 2-4 years on the shelf. When you’re ready to plant them, read the instructions on the seed packet. The seeds have to be the eating kind and not the ones for planting. Some seeds used for planting have been sprayed with chemicals. Once you know what you’re doing, you’ll be able to sprout most any dried bean that you have on your pantry shelf.
Here’s the general way that sprouting’s done. You put the sprout seeds into a jar and add water to it. Let the seeds soak for a couple of hours. Then, simply drain out all excess water, turn the jar upside-down and let the sprouts grow.
Every six to eight hours, open the lid, add water, swish the seeds around, thoroughly drain the jar, and replace the lid. Keep the jar upside-down in a storage container under the sink or in a closet. Correct drainage prevents the growth of mold.
How can I eat these sprouts?
Sprouts, like all vegetables, are much more flavorful and nutritious if eaten raw. But, then again, it’s not wrong to cook sprouts, if you prefer them that way.
The best part is that you can eat sprouts with most anything. Add them to salads, sandwiches, and soups. Bake them with your bread or puree them into dips. Here’s a list of possibilities:
Garnishes
Stir fry accompaniment
Bean sprout hummus
In salads
In quesadillas
On pizza
In soup
On sandwiches
Recipe for a curried mashed potato, tomato, and sprout sandwich
Ingredients
2 slices whole wheat or any whole grain bread (best if lightly toasted)
Slightly mashed potatoes, seasoned with a bit olive oil, lemon juice, garlic salt and curry powder
Fresh or canned tomatoes, drained of liquid
Fresh or chopped green chili peppers, optional
Pinch of sea salt (Always use a minimum of salt. See related post below.)
Pinch of black pepper
Slices of red onions
1/3 cup alfalfa or lentil sprouts, rinsed and drained
Directions
- Spread a slice of bread with potato mixture and some tomato.
- Top with sprouts and onion slice.
- Top other slice with choice of chili peppers, mustard, mayonnaise, or soft tofu
- Press the top and bottom together a bit and keep the sandwich chilled until time to serve.
Related posts
TAKE POSITIVE AND PEACEFUL ACTIONS TO CONFRONT FOOD SHORTAGES
WHAT'S IN YOUR PANTRY?
GET OFF-GRID OR REDUCE YOUR DEPENDENCE ON IT
REDUCED SODIUM DIET: WORTH TAKING WITH MORE THAN A GRAIN OF SALT.
GREEN GARDENS: GOOD FOR FAMILIES AND FOR THE ENVIRONMENT COLLECT RAIN WATER FOR GARDEN USE AND WATER EMERGENCIES
WHAT WILL YOU DO IF THE JAVA STOPS FLOWING? COOKING OIL CONFLICTS.
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