From Seed to Soup!
The Kitchen Crop 4-Tray Sprouter is a convenient way to eat fresh, free sprouts any time. I recently found the product online and am now enjoying my homegrown sprouts! According to “Healthline:”
“Sprouts are very nutritious. They may also offer a variety of health benefits, including easier digestion, improved blood sugar levels and a lower risk of heart disease. However, keep in mind that they are also associated with a risk of food poisoning. That said, for the majority of healthy people, the benefits of eating raw or lightly cooked sprouts likely outweigh the risks.”
I am not an expert, but if you handle the sprouts properly and keep the trays clean (they are fine in the dishwasher-wash them once per week, even if that requires temporarily removing the sprouts), I don’t think bacteria or mold should be an issue. Read instructions and keep out of direct sunlight.
This product is also great fun for kids and a sustainability learning experience…
I used only two trays to grow alfalfa (the kit came with those seeds) and beet sprouts. In one week, the beet seeds did not do much, but the alfalfa seeds grew to perfection…
When the sprouts are mature, rinse them in water and the hulls mostly sink to the bottom. Unused sprouts may be refrigerated.
Sprouts are great for salads, sandwiches, soups and as an elegant garnish. I added mine to a simple chicken soup. The aroma and flavor was wonderful and gave it an exotic flair-it’s an easy way to impress your friends!
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VKP Brands
This sprouter is made by “VKP Brands,” which produces many food and preparedness/sustainability products. Here is a video on this product. They also sell a “Deluxe Sprouter,” which doesn’t seem much different. You can also turn wide-mouth mason jars into sprouters with the Sprouting Jar Lid. Common sprouting seeds such as sunflower, radish, beans, broccoli and alfalfa are also available.
“VKP Brands” can help you do almost anything to food that you want…
canning, dehydrating, milling or juicing!
They also have various kitchen supplies, travel slow cookers and water distillers.
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Check out the Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening 101 webinar next week*…I also recommend their Garden Planner, which is a year-long subscription that allows you to design your own garden and receive all kinds of incredible help and resources…well worth the money if you really will use it-both of these things will well-prepare you to grow an amazing garden this year…Spring is around the corner…get started now!
* Why bother paying $39.99 for this when I could just watch a few YouTube videos? Yes, you could watch videos and there’s a lot of great content out there, but you always have to evaluate the source. The Almanac is a trusted source and you’ll get a good overview here of the basic concepts of gardening. They also give an opportunity to ask questions.