Mason Jar Sprouts

I am so excited that I finally started my sprout experiment. I remember my mom growing sprouts in a mason jar when I was a kid, so when the salmonella outbreak hit at the beginning of the year and I couldn't find sprouts anywhere, I took a look on Amazon for the seeds.

Before I actually purchased them, I got lucky - Living Social offered up this deal for an Amazon gift certificate. I hope you snatched yours up!

I ended up buying two 1-pound bags to use up my gift certificate. I figured even if that was more seeds than I possibly needed, I could share some with my mom!

Of course, I'm a huge procrastinator, so queue a month of not growing sprouts.

I finally got around to it this weekend. The instructions call for the seeds to be soaked for 6-8 hours first. I was worried that I was going to end up with a whole lot of ungerminated seeds unless I followed the instructions perfectly, so I waited until the weekend when I'd be home and could soak them for the perfect amount.

I found these instructions for growing sprouts. I've been rinsing them twice a day - once before work and once after. I don't have a sprouter (or cheese cloth) so I've been using a little piece of gauze fastened with the mason jar lid ring. If you put it under the tap with some good water pressure, the water goes through the gauze. Then I swirl it around a little, and then pour it out through the gauze. I don't know if cheese cloth would be easier, but it takes a little effort to get the water out. I have to really shake it, and I was worried that might affect the little seeds but...

I have sprouts! (And a really crappy camera) Can you see their little white sprout-y tails? I love these little babies! I can't believe how easy it has been to grow them. They're still in their hiding from sunlight phase. I store them upside down at a slight angle so that water can drain out of the gauze if it wants to, and keep a towel over them. I think they'll be ready for the window on Friday (I started them on Sunday). 

I think they should be delicious and green and ready for sandwiches on Monday. I'm so excited, I want to start another batch right away! I'm considering buying a proper sprouter with a draining lid if the gauze becomes too much of a hassle. I didn't want to spend the money before I experimented and found out if this was going to work, but now that it is I don't see any reason to buy sprouts from the store again! And those two pound bags are going to last forever - this is just 2 tablespoons of seeds!

Cheap, and salmonella free :)