sprouting is a PITA

CarrieB.

So I found some afalfa seeds for sprouting at the local garden store this weekend with instructions on how to sprout them. But it's just such a PITA. I don't really know if its worth it.

Last night I sterilized the seeds with water and bleach per the instructions, rinsed them, put them in the jar, rinsed them again this morning and I'm just getting seeds all over the place. Maybe if I had the actual sprout jar top it wouldn't be so bad, but so far its just annoying and messy.

ArcticFox

I have a glass canning jar and a sprout lid, haven't had any probs at all.

I soak them the first night.

Then in the mornings I just rinse and put the jar at an angle, upside down, in the dish drying rack.  

The seeds don't come out through the strainer lid.  I got really cheap ones, a set of 3 for just a few dollars.

CarrieB.

ArcticFox:

I have a glass canning jar and a sprout lid, haven't had any probs at all.

I soak them the first night.

Then in the mornings I just rinse and put the jar at an angle, upside down, in the dish drying rack.  

The seeds don't come out through the strainer lid.  I got really cheap ones, a set of 3 for just a few dollars.

so you just rinse once a day? the instructions i have said that you needed to rinse 2-3 times a day.

wabadee1

Why are you growing alfalfa?

ArcticFox

I think the first few days you rinse 2x and then 1x towards the end?  I could be wrong, I'm so sleep deprived :P

For 2x a day, I just did it when I came downstairs in the morning, and then at night before I went upstairs to bed.  So it wasn't too bad in terms of trying to remember.

My lids are plastic, and actually come in 3 sizes, I use the smallest size.  They were very cheap.

treesapplaud

You use bleach to sprout alfalfa??

MadameFancyPants

We just use a canning jar with a few layers of cheese cloth under a ring.  First they soak in water over night .  Then I just rinse once a day and a turn the jar upside down and shake it to get the water out. 

Using bleach sounds icky.  I wonder why they would suggest that.

Mrs.A&J

I don't know why they would recommend bleach, that sounds like a bad idea. Do you have a mesh strainer? That may make it easier on you. I just got a cheap-o lid that fits a wide mouth mason jar.

uncannycanuck

Bleach is less icky than food poisoning.

Sprouts grow things like e. coli really well. I would follow the directions. And buy the fancy lid if you're into sprouts.

As to the rest of you: alfalfa sprouts, like you put on a wrap or sandwich, are in fact the sprouts of alfalfa seeds.

CarrieB.

uncannycanuck:

Bleach is less icky than food poisoning.

Sprouts grow things like e. coli really well. I would follow the directions. And buy the fancy lid if you're into sprouts.

As to the rest of you: alfalfa sprouts, like you put on a wrap or sandwich, are in fact the sprouts of alfalfa seeds.

ditto what canuck said.  to clarify, the instructions say to use the bleach to clean the seeds before you start sprouting to avoid ecoli. I'm not using it every time I rinse them. And I'm sure that the fancy lid would make this easier. I just wanted to vent bc sprouting was more complicated then I expected.