How To Grow Alfalfa Sprouts at Home

Aug 23, 2020 · 80 Comments

I've spent so much money buying alfalfa sprouts from the grocery stores without realizing How Easy It Is To Grow Alfafa Sprouts in a jar at home in a matter of days! Growing sprouts and microgreens at home are just as easy! All you need is alfalfa or radish sprouting seeds, glass mason jars, a rubber band and a cheesecloth!

How To Grow Alfalfa & Radish Sprouts at Home

In This Post: Everything You'll Need For How To Grow Alfalfa Sprouts At Home

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In This Post: Everything You'll Need For How To Grow Alfalfa Sprouts At Home
How To Grow Alfalfa Sprouts
Health Benefits of Alfalfa Sprouts Nutrition
How to Grow Organic Sprouts Safely at Home
Sprouting Equipment Required
How to Soak & Sprout Nuts, Seeds, Grains, & Beans
Alfalfa Sprouts Danger
How To Grow Alfalfa & Radish Sprouts at Home

How To Grow Alfalfa Sprouts

During this time, we spent more at home. We've started growing our own food in our little backyard garden and cooking more. We've limited our trips to the grocery store with high-quality contactless food deliveries.

Nonetheless, we were still growing our own alfalfa sprouts and learning how to eat radish sprouts because we loved the taste of fresh crunchy sprouts in our salads and sandwiches - like this smoked salmon sandwich with dill cream cheese!

smoked salmon sandwich with alfalfa sprouts

Each little package of local health food store bought alfalfa sprouts costs around C$8 - it is really, really expensive!

Sprouting your own seeds at home is very simple and economical! It is not complicated at all!

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In fact, a half-pound bag of organic alfalfa sprouting seeds only costs around C$18 to $20. All you need for each use is around a tablespoon of seeds like alfalfa sprouting seeds or organic radish sprouting seeds!

This is much more economical and tastes just as delicious! Now I know exactly what I put in growing my sprouts - organic sprouting seeds and water! That's it! No pesticides or harmful chemicals!

Health Benefits of Alfalfa Sprouts Nutrition

Sprouts are also a nutrient-dense food
Lower cholesterol and blood sugar control
A high content of antioxidants
Vitamin C and K, copper, folate and magnesium
Aids digestion and bowel movements
Fresh sprouts are an excellent immune system booster.
High in amino acids

Have you tried alfalfa supplements? I find this one to be the best alfalfa supplement!

day 2 organic radish sprouts — day 2 organic radish microgreen sprouts

How to Grow Organic Sprouts Safely at Home

Are sprouting seeds at home safe? Growing organic sprouting seeds at home is easy. Alfalfa seeds are one of the fastest and easiest seeds to sprout.

If you are a first-timer, I recommend you start with alfalfa seeds or radish seeds - they are the best seeds for sprouting! Of course, you can try other microgreen non-GMO seeds like Mumm's organic spring mix, broccoli sprouting seeds, clover sprouting seeds, mustard sprouting seeds, and daikon sprouting seeds, etc.- these are the best sprouts to eat raw. Try sprouting other seeds and turn it into a salad like this Sprouted Lentil Salad!

There are loads of other seeds you can grow aside from alfalfa microgreens. Different types of sprouts seeds taste differently and have different nutritional benefits! I have a few bags of different sprouting seeds that I like to mix my own sprouts blend. You can also buy bulk sprouting seeds from Canada Amazon and deliver them straight to your door!

Sprouting Equipment Required

You don't need fancy equipment or a sprouting kit to sprout at home. You can grow sprouts with just a large mason glass jar, muslin cloth and an elastic band. Personally, I prefer to use a wide mouth mason jar sprouting lid.

You can also use a tiered seed sprouter tray to get really serious! However, growing great nutritious sprouts only requires just a mason jar!

How to Soak & Sprout Nuts, Seeds, Grains, & Beans

Soaking and sprouting are very easy. The method also applies to nuts, seeds, grains and mung beans - the only difference is the time required for full germination changes.

Soak one to two tablespoons of alfalfa seeds overnight in a dark place for the best results. It makes the sprouting process much quicker!

Adding a pinch of sea salt (approximately ½ tsp) will help prevent harmful bacteria from growing on the sprouts!

Add enough water (cool water, not hot water) to the jar. Cover the mouth of the jar with a cheese cloth. Secure the top of the jar with a rubber band. You can also opt to use a sprouting lid or mesh cover.

Please the jar upside facing in a dark location, ex. Underneath the kitchen counter and away from direct or indirect sunlight for the first day. This will jumpstart the sprouting process.

Drain and rinse the alfalfa seeds twice daily - once in the morning and at the end of the day.

After rinsing, drain the excess water from the mason jars through the muslin cloth or sprouting lid while keeping the sprouting tablespoon of alfalfa seeds inside. Do not let the fresh alfalfa sprouts set in inches of cold water. This will spoil it and cause it to mould.

Set it on the side of the jar with indirect sunlight on the kitchen counter or a windowsill.

Repeat this process for a couple of days until it reaches your desired length for harvest.

Give your fresh alfalfa microgreens a final rinse before enjoying them with salads or sandwiches!

Always consume sprouts within a few days. Keep them fresh and store them in the fridge. The shelf life of homegrown sprouts is short.

Sprouts can be subject to contamination and bacterial growth, such as E.coli. If you see any signs of rot, quickly discard them and do not ingest them!

Alfalfa Sprouts Danger

Keep in mind that any fresh produce consumed raw may contain foodborne illness if contaminated.

Moist conditions required to grow sprouts are ideal for bacteria growth. Keep a close eye.

Drain and rinse the sprouts with fresh, cold water twice daily and watch for signs of bacteria growth.

Did you try to grow your own alfalfa sprouts at home? I'd love to see how you went with my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS

How To Grow Alfalfa & Radish Sprouts at Home

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I've spent so much money buying alfalfa sprouts from the grocery stores without realizing how easy it is to grow them in a jar at home in a matter of days! Growing sprouts and microgreens at home are just as easy! All you need is alfalfa or radish sprouting seeds, glass mason jars, a rubber band and a cheesecloth!

Author: Nancy Wu
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 5 days
Total Time: 120 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 1 mason jar 1x
Category: appetizer, salad
Method: Sprouting
Cuisine: raw, vegan, healthy, gluten-free
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

2 tbsp alfalfa sprouting seeds
sea salt
water

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Instructions

Prep

Place the alfalfa sprouting seeds in a large mason jar, a pinch of sea salt and cover with 250ml of water.
Cover the glass jar with a piece of cheesecloth and secure it with an elastic band or use a wide mouth mason jar sprouting lid. Let soak overnight on the countertop.

Every morning and night for about 4 to 5 days

Drain the water thoroughly out of the mason jar directly thru the cheesecloth or sprouting lid.
Add about 500ml of fresh water into the jar again and swirl it around.
Tilt the mason jar and drain the water out as much as possible.
Leave the mason jar on its side and spread the seeds out as much as possible on the insider surface of the jar.
Repeat this process every morning and night for the next 4 to 5 days until the sprouts are around 5cm in length.

Remove the sprouts from the jar and rise thoroughly.
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.

Notes

sea salt will help to prevent harmful bacteria from growing on the sprouts

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 mason jar
Calories: 4
Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 1 mg
Fat: 0.1 g
Carbohydrates: 0.4 g
Protein: 0.7 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

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