Week-end Sprouts

Here are some sprouts I either started Thursday or Friday evening (soaking) - I can't really remember. Also showcasing the two sprouting vessels I like the most right now.

My Bio-Snacky containing broccoli sprouts. These seeds only soak for two hours before starting the rinse/grow cycle.





It's made of glass, is really easy to clean. The holes in the lid are very small, which allows for sprouting very small seeds (such as the broccoli seeds). It's tightly fixed to the glass container so no accidental risk of everything ending up in the sink when rinsing/draining (it has happened to me with another vessel which was closed at the top by a mesh/rubber band). The prop-up leg is also very convenient to allow water to drain properly (I normally place the Bio-Snacky on a plate during that time).

This is the one I had for the longest time, this time I've sprouted Avian Organics Vitality Sprout mix in it. These have soaked over night before starting the rinse/grow cycle.





It's made in Quebec with safe plastic, I can't remember the exact name of the brand. It comes with two containers, one with holes in the bottom to allow drainage, one with no holes that you put the other one in to capture the water being drained out. I also sometimes use this one alone when soaking, as the plastic does have a tendency to stain so I figured there is no point of exposing both containers to the water all the time. It also comes with two lids, one with holes, one without and I tend to only use the one with holes (see no point in changing and when the sprouts are growing, it allows for better air circulation).

It's sometimes good to read instructions when they are given

Earlier this week I received my shipment of sprouting seeds and sprouting jars from mumm's Sprouting Seeds. I had initially told myself I would wait until the week-end to start a new batch because one, I had a current batch of Avian Organics Avian Vitality mix going and two, it would be best to take pictures (and be able to take them with some natural light).

Well I caved..sorta.

I decided Tuesday evening to try one kind. I grabbed one of the two smaller bags and it turned out to be broccoli. As I took one of my brand new jars out, I figured I might as well read the little insert that was in the jar. This was one of the lines:

"Sprouts like broccoli & radish have a very extensive white fuzzy root hair system. (Some people mistake this for mould.)"

Right, fuzzy hair system often mistaken as mold. Made a mental note to remind myself of that one.

But..what do you think happened?

On Wednesday morning, they didn't grow much. In fact, by the end of the day, some had started to split a bit but no significant growth was to be found. (Please note that the soaking was not to be more than two hours and I did that Tuesday evening).

Fine I thought. The actual broccoli package said they were ready in 3 to 6 days.

This morning (Thursday) as I did my morning rinse (I rinse once I come home from work as well), I saw a few tails emerging from the seeds. Ok, there was some progress.

Then something funny happened.

The Boy had worked from home so when he picked me up at work, he told me the sprouts have grown tremendously during the day. He was right. I came home and it definitively wasn't the same sight as it was in the morning before I left!

And then I saw it. The white fuzz. And my brain immediately thought "oh no, that's bad!"...until my memory kicked in and reminded me about the fuzzy root hair system.

Want to know what is even funnier? There is no longer any fuzz. They have grown so much within the last few hours, they now all, or at least almost all of them, have rather long tail, tiny leaves starting to bud and taste quite good.

A small sampling of what they look like now, shot with a macro lens so they appear much bigger than they are.

Close


Closer


I will be letting go another day or two. I'm curious to see if they'll grow much more.

mumm's sprouting supplies!

They have arrived - and with a day earlier than the estimated date of arrival (I can also point out when Canada Post does something right!)

I forgot I got so many sprouting jars! Which is great because I can sprout a bit of each of the seeds I got all at once! However, I didn't really think of logistics when it came to putting the jars away. Unless I find space in one of the cabinet, the jars will have to live on the counter. But given how much I've been sprouting lately, it's maybe not a bad thing.

So, what did I get?

The sprouting jars of course.



Sensible amount of seeds. In order, from left to right: broccoli, kamut, mung beans and green kale.



Not-so-sensible amount of seeds - 1kg worth of quinoa.



I already have some sprouted seeds from the Avian Organics Avian Vitality mix in the fridge as well as a new batch on the go since yesterday, which means I won't start the new stuff until I'm done with those (or at least until the current batch is done and ready to serve). But I can't wait to try out the new jars and different kind of seeds!

The customer service was good, the shipping was fast. The order arrived nicely shipped. Depending on how the sprouting goes, I'll definitively order again.

Sprouts

Last week I made some sprouts to go with the batch of greens I made.

I used the Avian Vitality Sprouts mix from Avian Organics.

I did have the Boy take pictures of all steps of the process (since these were done with little light available and he has a more fancy flash and other lights than myself..).

Here is the mix, before I washed them and then placed them in water with a few drops of GSE to soak for a few hours. I started them on March 20th in the evening (a Sunday).



I didn't get to them until later in the afternoon of the 21st, having not thought of them before I headed to work. I drained the water, gave them a good rinse and put them in a larger container so they would fit in one layer. I closed the container and put a cloth on it to keep it in the dark.

On the 22nd, my sprouts looked like this.



Not everything had properly sprouted yet so I decided to give them a few more hours. Do note that I continued to rinse the sprouts every morning and evening.

On the 23rd, the sprouts looked like this.



And a close up, because the boy wanted to try his macro lens and it does look kinda cool.



I was happy with the result, gave them a final rinse, drained them well and in the fridge they went. The fridge slows down the sprouting ability quite a bit so there wasn't much difference between their state on the picture above and what they were like when I ran out. The fridge also helps to keep the sprouts slightly longer. I don't bother making a batch that will last more than four days or so though, in case they would spoil.

Why feed sprouts? They are healthy. Contrary to seeds that are dry and "dead", the sprouting brings the seeds/beans back to life. That sprout could become a new plant would you allow it and therefore is jammed pack with nutrients. Unfortunately, don't try sprouting seeds from a regular seed mix - those are generally irradiated to prevent sprouting from happening.

From 5 to 7 - Days 14, 15 & 16

Not much that happened lately worth talking about, but I did promise myself that I would continue this until my parents' birds head back home.

Shade has definitively stopped wanting to go at Nemo, or at least hasn't shown any aggression towards him in the last week or so. However, Nemo seems to now want to get at Shade if I let him. Apparently, I can't have both Senegals on their best behavior. I am tempted to say it's because they are siblings (because of typical sibling rivalry) but it most likely has nothing to do with this (will not "humanize" this type of behavior).

Nemo has also started to be particularly clingy with me. In the beginning, he could handle being on my boyfriend as well, but lately, it's me or nothing. And when it's "nothing", he tries to find his way to me. And like I mentioned earlier, he is not too keen to share me with Shade or Itsy.

I also made some greens today, aka the mix of fresh food. I didn't have any for a little less than a week, I just gave them fresh foods that I prepared on the go as well as some sprouts. I also started a new batch of sprouts yesterday and finished the old one (aka 3 days old) today.