get sprouting

Sprouting is easy and addictive… we’ve tried to sprout all kinds of crazy things, but for a guaranteed hit you might like to try sprouting some dirt(y) kabuli chickpeas or lentils. These instructions will work for just about any (un-hulled) legume.

Sprouts are packed full of goodness and flavour; are great for adding texture and a nutty flavour to salads or a stir fry. If you've got small people at home, it's a fun activity to try with them...and hey, they might even eat the sprouts!

Start by chucking about half a cup of dirt(y) chickpeas or lentils in a couple of cups of room temperature water in a bowl and leave for a day.

The next day, drain and rinse the lentils a few times. Pop in a sprouting bag and hang in your kitchen. Now here’s our shameless, self-promoting plug….you can buy a dirt(y) hemp sprouting bag - it’s “forever reusable”.

Okay so this next bit demands a bit of commitment for the next 4 or 5 days. First up gently massage the sprout bag to “unclump” the sprouts (especially in the corners where they can get all bunched up and “unsprouty”). Then submerge the bag in plenty of cold water and leave for about half an hour. The water will go a little manky, but that’s okay. If the water looks really dirty just rinse the bag (lentils/chickpeas inside) under cold water while massaging the sprouts till the water runs clear.

Water therapy over, rehang the bag; and then do it all again for the next 3 - 4 days.

Once you've got sprouts, put them into a clean sealed container and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. (Or you can just throw the bag in the fridge.)  

Reality check: you will need to clean the sprouting bag to kill off any nasties before starting each new batch. But  all it requires is a boil for a minute or two inside out, then hang outside to get all sunny and well aired.

For a guaranteed hit, remember to use un-hulled pulses,  like our:

• baby red lentils 
• big red bolt lentils
• baby blue lentils 
• pearl white peas
• kabuli chickpeas