How to sprout

[tielfan]

There are several different ways to sprout. Here's the technique that I use, and everyone is welcome to add their techniques too.

I sprout in a mason jar with plastic canvas mesh in the lid. Like this: http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/ch_tielfan/Sprouter.jpg

although I'm actually using the smaller jelly jar size now.

Mason jars can be found in large grocery stores, sold in multi-packs. Plastic canvas can be found in the needlework department of craft stores like Michaels. The standard size seems to be #7 (the size indicates the number of holes per inch), which is fine for bigger seeds. But for small seeds like millet it’s best to use a finer mesh (#10).

At night, put the seeds/grains in the jar and put the lid on. Rinse them a few times by pouring water in, swirling it around a little, and draining. Don't drain the water the last time; let the grains soak overnight. I add a little apple cider vinegar to discourage mold and bacteria.

In the morning, rinse and drain. It's recommended that you leave the jar tilted downward so it can continue draining, but I live in the desert and simply laying the jar on its side works well for me. Rinse and drain again in the middle of the day (optional) and once again at night (not optional). In the morning rinse it one last time and give it to the birds. Right before feeding you can add red palm oil, chopped veggies, or other supplemental items if you want. Total prep time: about 36 hours. Total time actually spent working on it: about three minutes.

I start a new batch every night. So I have two jars going every night: the one that was just started, and the one that was started the previous night and will be served in the morning.

I use human-quality grains from the bulk food bins at the local whole-foods grocery. Stuff like wheat, kamut, spelt, barley, rye, etc - anything that looks like a seed. Quinoa is a great addition. So is your regular birdseed. Lentils, mung beans, garbanzos, and adzuki beans are good, but other beans are best avoided unless you're willing to cook them after they've sprouted. Even the acceptable beans need to have the tails sprouted out to a length of 1/4" to 1/2" to neutralize toxins. Grains don't have this issue, and are considered to be at their nutritional peak when the root is just barely starting to stick out of the seed. For bigger birds you can include bigger items like pumpkin seeds and popcorn.

You can do the same thing with other types of equipment, like the bowl and strainer technique. The strainer (or colander, coffee filter, etc) should fit comfortably inside the bowl. Everything is the same as above, except that you put your sprouting seeds in the strainer, which is put in the water-filled bowl. When you're ready to rinse you just lift out the strainer. Several commercial sprouters are available, and the Easy Sprout seems to be the most popular.

It's possible to store sprouts in the refrigerator for a few days, although it's so easy to make a new batch that I've never attempted to store any. Other people can probably offer better advice on doing it. You can't just put them in the fridge and ignore them because it takes some vigilance to avoid problems with bacteria etc. The technique that I've seen recommended the most is to continue rinsing them daily, drain them well, then store them in the refrigerator in a covered container with a paper towel in the bottom.

Some vigilance is need after the sprouts have been served too. Like any moist food, they provide a nice environment for mold and bacteria. So you have to make sure to take them out of the cage before they go bad. The amount of time that they stay good will vary depending on the humidity and temperature in your house. It could be anywhere from a couple of hours to all day long, and the safe period will fluctuate from day to day and season to season.

[Aly]

Thank you for posting. Sprouting is very healthy and beneficial. We have done it for years, even for us humans. If you don't have all the materials available to you a simple shallow bowl, seeds and water is all you need. Rinse them with apple cider vinegar when done, then water.

[skthurley]

Sticky this, maybe?

[Bea]

Great post! :D Thanks Carolyn. I like the look of the jars with the mesh, i don't think i've seen jars like that here. It sure looks like it would make sprouting easy though.

[sweetrsue]

You can get mesh like that at the craft store for needle point and cut it to size!

[tielfan]

I like the look of the jars with the mesh, i don't think i've seen jars like that here.

The jars are probably available in Australia - they're canning jars for people who preserve their own fresh-picked vegetables. You might have a different brand though, and I don't know where they'd be sold. You have to get the mesh separately since the jar manufacturers didn't plan for sprouts!

[clawnz]

Here is my simple set up. Below that are the Nutritional details I have collected. There are more details that can be found on line.

So Rinse and Soak 4/6hrs Drain. Place in the dark,with good air flow.
Seeds need to be fresh and not treated. Mine come from Human Bulk Store.

Day 1 Rinse and Drain Put back in dark. You can start using them from now.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/clawnz/Cockateils/IMG_2194.jpg

Day 2 Rinse and Drain Put back in dark.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/clawnz/Cockateils/IMG_2201.jpg

Day 3 Rinse and Drain Put back in dark.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/clawnz/Cockateils/IMG_2201crop.jpg

Day 4 Rinse and Drain Put back in dark. As you can see 100% strike rate.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/clawnz/Cockateils/IMG_2208.jpg

I like to use sprouts fresh.
Mold is a big danger and if in doubt do not use them for your birds.

Now this is what is in the goodies. There as several References below

Good points
Low in saturated fat
No cholesterol
Low in sodium
Very high in dietary fiber
High in iron
Very high in manganese
High in magnesium
High in niacin
High in pantothenic acid
High in phosphorus
High in potassium
Very high in riboflavin
High in thiamin
High in vitamin B6
Very high in vitamin C
Bad points
Very high in sugar

Another:

Vitimins A. B1. B6. B17. C.

Zinc. Minerals. Amino Acids. Protein. Phytochemicals.

There are a few other sites that list other trace elements.

[Di_dee1]

I just use a small strainer and a bowl. Rinse well in warm water in the strainer, into the bowl of warm water overnight (warmth kicks off the process). Here there is little humidity so I loosely wrap in glad wrap. Leave overnight. Rinse and serve next day when just germinated.

[HappyWDWCampers]

I have one of these? http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Crop-Sprouter-3-Tray/dp/B000N03EK0 Does anyone see a reason this will not work with bird seed?

[Velvet]

I give my Velvet a lot of these grains, but I cook them first. If you soak them over-night, are the soft enough?
I suppose when you serve them to your bird, you can mash them up a little too, right?

[tielfan]

Yes, soaking them overnight is enough to soften them up. You don't have to mash them up, those sharp little beaks can really do a number on the grains. Sprouting is healthier than cooking because more of the nutrients are retained.

Birds that are accustomed to only dry foods may be offended by moist foods at first, although they'll learn. But if your birds are used to cooked grains they'll probably take to the soaked/sprouted kind right away. They look almost the same as the cooked.

[Velvet]

Great! I'll do this instead of cooking them fully.

Have some Adzuki beans soaking in the fridge right now :)

[tielfan]

You might be better off soaking them at room temperature. Refrigerator temperatures feel like winter and I'm not sure that the grains will germinate under those conditions.

[Velvet]

Done! Out of the fridge and onto the counter in a dark place :)

[Belinda]

wow, thanks for sharing tielfan, I will try this!

[xMissy-Rayne]

Great post!! I'll start sprouting for my tiels; never tried it before...do you just add it to their regular food on a daily basis? Or is it just a "treat"?

[tielfan]

It's a great daily food that's more nutritious than dry seed.

Sprouts are moist so they should be served in a separate dish, not mixed in with the dry food.

[shelagh]

Great info, tielfan; thanks for sharing! I have a quick question-I just ran out of apple cider vinegar, but have white vinegar on hand. Would it be harmful to use that as a mold deterrent?

[tielfan]

The more I read about vinegar, the more I get the impression that it's all pretty much the same and the claims about the special benefits of ACV are hype. I used to use ACV for sprouting but now I use white vinegar and I haven't had any problems.

[shelagh]

Sweet-thank you again for the info, tielfan! <3

[Belinda]

I use a birdie brand "water guard" but I must admit I have no idea what's in it :/ vinegar sounds much healthier to use

[xMissy-Rayne]

It's a great daily food that's more nutritious than dry seed.

Sprouts are moist so they should be served in a separate dish, not mixed in with the dry food.

Thank you :) !

Now I just have to find things to "sprout"!

:) This could very well turn out to be a new hobby for me now..haha

[shelagh]

Here are the blurry pics of my first sprout and bean "Machi Mix" (sorry my camera sucks). This has all kinds of sprouts, from mustard seed, radish seed, alfalfa seed, broccoli seed, sunflower seed, wheat berries, sweet brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, mung bean and adzuki bean, down to a 15-bean soup mix I cooked up. I mixed the sprouts and beans 50/50, reserving a week's portion in the fridge and freezing the rest to use througout the month. Now all I have to do is chop up some fresh veg to add in along with pellets!
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i12/shelagh420/026-1.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i12/shelagh420/025-2.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i12/shelagh420/024-1.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i12/shelagh420/023-1.jpg

[lordsnipe]

how long do you guys keep your sprouts available for the bird?

Considering during the sprouting process the seed/beans are rinsed every 12 hours to minimise bacteria, is 12 hours the maximum time one would leave these out for birds to eat?

Technically they are still growing in the birds food bowl right? The only difference is, instead of a dark cupboard in a jar, they are in a dish in light...

[Belinda]

I serve sprouts as distinct meals and I don't leave them in the cage. If I do leave them out it's for an hour or two max. Any longer at room temperature and they start to sour and grow bacteria. Once sprouted I leave them in the fridge in a container for up to 2 days. They start to sour if left to sprout for too long also so it really is a matter of keeping an eye on them and smelling them. If they smell sour or go gluggy, bin them. I sprout a new batch every couple of days, only a couple of tablespoons at a time so I don't waste too much.

[tielfan]

how long do you guys keep your sprouts available for the bird?
Sprouts will spoil eventually and several factors affect how long they stay safe. Warmer temperatures promote the growth of bacteria and mold more than cooler temperatures do. More humidity favors the growth of the bad stuff more than less humidity does. The pH and general quality of your water may have an influence. So you just have to be alert at first and do a sniff test several times a day to figure out how long you can leave them in the cage. This may vary with the season and weather factors.

The sprouts will keep on growing in the bowl for a while. But they will stop growing when they dry out.

[leeandkat]

Is there a list of bean that I can use for this?

[luvtiels]

sprouting sounds good and i would love to try them for my tiels too.
can you provide the list of beans for us to try?
thank you

[luvtiels]

Hi, I would like to try sprouting. But I have some questions and would be grateful if you can answer them. :)

At night, put the seeds/grains in the jar and put the lid on. Rinse them a few times by pouring water in, swirling it around a little, and draining. Don't drain the water the last time; let the grains soak overnight. I add a little apple cider vinegar to discourage mold and bacteria. <Is apple cider vinegar used only for Day 1 overnight soak only? which means no water at all but only use apple cider vinegar to soak for 6 to 8 hours long?>

In the morning, rinse and drain. It's recommended that you leave the jar tilted downward so it can continue draining, but I live in the desert and simply laying the jar on its side works well for me. Rinse and drain again in the middle of the day (optional) and once again at night (not optional). <just to clarify that only water will be used and no more apple cider vinegar?> In the morning rinse it one last time and give it to the birds.

Thank you

[Flick]

I really want to try sprouting but can I sprout their regular bird seed?

[tielfan]

Yes. In fact that's a good way to check on the quality of the seed - if less than half of it sprouts, it's no good.

[resalat_hasan]

Can I sprout with millet grains? I put some in a pot with water, nothing came out after 3 days !

[tielfan]

Yes, millet can be sprouted. When seeds/grains fail to sprout, it can be a sign that they were old and stale.

[Em&Me]

Ok I have a question, what is sprouting exactly? Do you just grow seeds to a certain point then you and your tiles can eat them?

[tielfan]

Yes, that's the idea. If you go to the first post in this thread you can read all about it!

[clawnz]

Thank you Tielfan, you have done well with all your replies.


Ok I have a question, what is sprouting exactly? Do you just grow seeds to a certain point then you and your tiles can eat them?

Sprouting is germinating a seed.
Most seed reach the maximum potential as they germinate / sprout.
When they are less than half an inch of growth.

As Tielfan says if your bird seed fails to germinate throw it away and find a new supply.
There are other reasons they could fail! Like here in New Zealand all seed imported is meant to be heat treated. needless to say this can cause seed to fail to germinate, but seed is still good as bird food.

I am glad to say we do not need to use vinegar. I have sprouted Mung Beans for the last 3yrs and only rinse in tap water, never had a problem. Just rinse and drain regular. I only leave in water the first night.
Never store sprouted beans in the fridge, use them fresh, that is when they are best.
The same goes for sprouts if you buy them already sprouted at a food store. Forget it.
Boiling or cooking also destroys some of the goodies in fresh sprouts.
Fresh is totally best.