How do you use your sprouts?

I’ve recently got into home sprouting, growing micro greens. This is a game changer. I now have regular supply of ‘salad’, homegrown in the depths of winter. This is entirely down to Permies and the PEA Gardening Badge. On a side not, if like me, you’ve seen the PEP gardening badge and been freaked out by a seven foot hugelkultur, then check out the PEA Gardening Badge. I have sprouted before Permies, but it was half-assed because I followed the advice by some random blogger whose site is more about being top of the search listings and selling ads.

I started with the Sprouts in a jar method and graduated to a Tray of micro greens. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the more time you spend on this site, the more often different problems coalesce? I now use Ball Jars as storage containers  and wanted better lids. Jeff Swart Recommended True Leaf Market. I went on their site and discovered that they sell sprouting supplies so beefed up my order.

Now I have a system that provides me with an abundance of micro greens. I use them as toppings on other foods, add them to spring / summer rolls, put them in sandwiches and occasionally eat them on their own with a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing.

I’m curious to know what other ‘sprouters’ do with theirs? Do you have a favourite crop? I really like the pungent radish kick from diakon but realised that a whole jar was a little too much!  

I use mine in pretty much the same ways. I mostly have a handful in a buddha bowl. My husband puts them an inch thick in sandwiches. He's got a green peppercorn mustard he likes in there with them.

If you grow a mild one, like clover or alfalfa, on its own you can blend them into smoothies. I usually have a mix with spicy stuff, so it doesn't taste very nice to me in smoothies.

I make vegetable pancakes a lot. I use chickpea flour, mix in my chopped veg, and fry. I usually just use broccoli, but sometimes I'll put some sprouts in. I chop them up so they don't end up stringy.

I don't really ever make this one, but I had it a couple times and liked it. You take mung bean sprouts (not the big long ones - you can just sprout them until they've got little tails), cook them, and make kind of a salad with diced cooked potato, onion, and tomato. Then you sprinkle over some chaat masala, which is an Indian spice mix that I can buy at most grocery stores here, so I think it should be pretty easy to find. The ingredients can vary, but I think it needs to have black salt and green mango powder. It's a little sour, a little funky, a little spicy. Finish off with a squeeze of lime juice.

Chaat masala is excellent sprinkled on avocado, by the way. Add a touch of whatever acid you like (my favourite is coconut vinegar) and it's perfect.

My favourite soil grown sprouts are sunflower. I can eat a big bowl of them plain, but they totally stain your teeth black if you eat that much 😬. If you try growing them, keep in mind they grow better if you keep a weight on the tray for the first few days. If you follow directions online, make sure they include that step.

I love sprouts since we ate in a restaurant in Ouray, Colorado years ago.

I don't quite remember if they were just on a salad or on a hamburger.

The way I use them mostly is in Chinese food like Chow Mein or Egg Foo Yung.

That is because of the kind of beans I use.

I like alfalfa seeds on salads.