How to make lentil sprouts
Hi, it’s me again, Charmaine.
I would like to show you step-by-step how to make lentil sprouts on the cheap. Either the brown lentils or the black lentils will do.
In South Africa, a packet of 250g sprouts normally cost around R16 to R18 in the local retail shops. For this article, I’m going to round the amount off to R20.
Say for example I grow sprouts 13 times from one 250g packet and the packet cost R20. This will mean that the cost of the sprouted seeds would be more or less R1,50. I haven’t weighed it yet, but I estimate that it is approximately the same volume as a punnet of sprouts you would buy at a chain store, and the last time I checked the price for such a punnet of sprouts were in the region of R15 per punnet. Now that is a whopping 1000% difference!
Growing lentil sprouts is very easy and you do not have to buy anything – in fact, you can make use of what you have at home.
What you will need:
Firstly, the glass bottle could be any wide-mouthed jar (a mayonnaise or peanut butter bottle work for me). I usually make smaller quantities, but you can adapt the amount you wish to make accordingly and hence increase the jar size.
I had a fairly old lace curtain lying around and cut a few square pieces from it to use it as a mesh. The small bowl is to invert the bottle at an angle so that the lentils will drain while still allowing air to circulate.
The container is for the finished sprouts. I do not use my sprouts all at once and keep it in the fridge for a day or two or until used up.
Let’s make our sprouts!
Step 1
I pour the seeds in my hand – for my own use, I add 2 to 2½ handfuls to the glass jar.
Step 2
Now you need to cover the seeds with a bit of water.
Step 3
Place the mesh over the mouth of the jar and fasten the mesh with the elastic. (Leave the bottle upright overnight.)
This is what it will look like the next morning:
Step 4
i) Discard the water – this is where the mesh comes in handy by keeping the small seeds inside the bottle.
ii) Pour a bit of water into the bottle (I do not take the mesh off till the final step), swirl around and discard the water once again. From now on your seeds should only be moist.
Step 5
Place the jar into the small bowl in a tilted position where any excess water can drain out. Once again the mesh helps to keep all the seeds in the jar and avoid spilling.
Step 6
Repeat Step 4 once a day (I usually rinse my seeds in the morning, it only takes a few seconds). I found that the sprouts grow a bit slower in winter than in summer but on average you can eat the sprouts as soon as you see the little white roots (about 3 or 4 days) or you can grow it until small green stalks are appearing. After a few days, you can even taste the sprouts until you find the flavour you fancy most.
Step 7
This is how the finished product looks like! Use as needed. I usually add my sprouts to salads. It's about this much of sprouts that cost more or less R1,50 if made at home. Upon measuring these specific sprouts in the image it turned out to be 300ml.
Nutritional value:
Sprouted lentils provide you with all three major macronutrients – protein, fat, and carbohydrate. A half-cup of the sprouts contains 3.5 grams of protein, which your body can use to maintain healthy tissues, including your bones, skin, and hair. A serving of sprouted lentils also provides you with 7.5 grams of carbohydrates and slightly under 0.25 gram of total fat. Fats and carbohydrates serve as primary sources of energy for your cells.
Sprouts also contain Zinc, Copper, Vitamins A & C, Calcium and Iron.
I would like to show you step-by-step how to make lentil sprouts on the cheap. Either the brown lentils or the black lentils will do.
In South Africa, a packet of 250g sprouts normally cost around R16 to R18 in the local retail shops. For this article, I’m going to round the amount off to R20.
Say for example I grow sprouts 13 times from one 250g packet and the packet cost R20. This will mean that the cost of the sprouted seeds would be more or less R1,50. I haven’t weighed it yet, but I estimate that it is approximately the same volume as a punnet of sprouts you would buy at a chain store, and the last time I checked the price for such a punnet of sprouts were in the region of R15 per punnet. Now that is a whopping 1000% difference!
Growing lentil sprouts is very easy and you do not have to buy anything – in fact, you can make use of what you have at home.
What you will need:
- Glass bottle
- Mesh
- Elastic
- Lentil seeds
- Small bowl
- Container
Firstly, the glass bottle could be any wide-mouthed jar (a mayonnaise or peanut butter bottle work for me). I usually make smaller quantities, but you can adapt the amount you wish to make accordingly and hence increase the jar size.
I had a fairly old lace curtain lying around and cut a few square pieces from it to use it as a mesh. The small bowl is to invert the bottle at an angle so that the lentils will drain while still allowing air to circulate.
The container is for the finished sprouts. I do not use my sprouts all at once and keep it in the fridge for a day or two or until used up.
Let’s make our sprouts!
Step 1
I pour the seeds in my hand – for my own use, I add 2 to 2½ handfuls to the glass jar.
Step 2
Now you need to cover the seeds with a bit of water.
Step 3
Place the mesh over the mouth of the jar and fasten the mesh with the elastic. (Leave the bottle upright overnight.)
This is what it will look like the next morning:
Step 4
i) Discard the water – this is where the mesh comes in handy by keeping the small seeds inside the bottle.
ii) Pour a bit of water into the bottle (I do not take the mesh off till the final step), swirl around and discard the water once again. From now on your seeds should only be moist.
Step 5
Place the jar into the small bowl in a tilted position where any excess water can drain out. Once again the mesh helps to keep all the seeds in the jar and avoid spilling.
Step 6
Repeat Step 4 once a day (I usually rinse my seeds in the morning, it only takes a few seconds). I found that the sprouts grow a bit slower in winter than in summer but on average you can eat the sprouts as soon as you see the little white roots (about 3 or 4 days) or you can grow it until small green stalks are appearing. After a few days, you can even taste the sprouts until you find the flavour you fancy most.
Step 7
This is how the finished product looks like! Use as needed. I usually add my sprouts to salads. It's about this much of sprouts that cost more or less R1,50 if made at home. Upon measuring these specific sprouts in the image it turned out to be 300ml.
Nutritional value:
Sprouted lentils provide you with all three major macronutrients – protein, fat, and carbohydrate. A half-cup of the sprouts contains 3.5 grams of protein, which your body can use to maintain healthy tissues, including your bones, skin, and hair. A serving of sprouted lentils also provides you with 7.5 grams of carbohydrates and slightly under 0.25 gram of total fat. Fats and carbohydrates serve as primary sources of energy for your cells.
Sprouts also contain Zinc, Copper, Vitamins A & C, Calcium and Iron.