So here are the things I acquired to get started. At the second-hand store I picked up some inexpensive canning jars. Sometimes they are called "Mason Jars". I made sure to get the screw lids for each jar and disposed the sealer part. I also picked up some unbleached cheesecloth from Whole Foods Market (the only place I could find it) and three kinds of seeds/beans:
1. Mung
2. Flax
3. Adzuki
Why did I choose these? Again, they were the only ones I could find. I decided to start with the Mung bean in my first sprouting effort. I put 1/4 cup of Mung beans into one of the jars and filled it halfway with water at about 7 p.m. In the morning, I noticed that the beans doubled in size due to this overnight hydration. I then cut out a piece of the cheesecloth and affixed it to the top of the jar with the screw lid.
As you can see, I didn't focus on neatness. My goal in cutting the cheesecloth was to ensure that the screw lid could hold it in place. Then I drained the water, which smelled fantastic for some reason, and placed the jar with the moist Mung beans on the rack upside down to provide some air flow. I also placed a paper towel beneath the rack to catch any water I didn't drain. Turns out I didn't need it.
I will fill the jar up to about half way twice today to rinse the beans. Normally I would do this 3 or 4 times each day as I live in the desert and there is little humidity here but it has been raining and overcast for 4 days now (which I really enjoy).
So stay tuned to follow my progress and hopefully you will overcome any fears or concerns you have about growing your own sprouts at home. For me, this was something I spent a few days thinking about and planning. Mostly, I didn't want to do anything wrong which makes almost no logical sense as what is the worst thing I could do? Dry out the sprouts?
Insecurities are largely unfounded, that is, not needed, justified and very useless. I have acquired many insecurities growing up in the household I lived in and more as I aged. I must tell you, the acquisition of fear is anti-life. It is anti-progress. And it is mostly a tool used by those who wish to control you. Religion and some governments use fear to induce people to follow blindly. After all, fear usually paralyzes us and restricts movement and especially action. Growth and development into the fullness of who we are can only happen once we drop our fears.
I was raised to fear many things and this was reinforced with religions I was exposed to. The fact is, as the Bible says, love throws fear out the window. Well, when fear is gone, life begins. And I intend to share the life in these sprouts. Here is what the great "Sprouter", Ann Wigmore says in the Preface to her book, "The Sprouting Book":
"Sprouts, while inexpensive and easy to grow, afford one of the most
concentrated but truly natural sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes,
and amino acids (proteins) known. They are also biogenic - alive - and
capable of transferring their life energy to your body.
Biogenic foods are foods that when planted will create new life. All raw,
unsprouted seeds, beans, grains, and nuts are biogenic. When they are
sprouted and eaten, they provide the body with the form of living energy
- a composite of vital food factors not yet isolated by scientists, but
proven to be of value in nature's laboratory of day-to-day life."
What a fantastic endorsement! And even though Ann Wigmore has passed on, there are many institutions that copy her diet plans to cure the sick and vitalize the weary. Here are a few links:
The Ann Wigmore Foundation - P.O. Box 398, San Fidel, NM 87049
http://www.wigmore.org
Ann Wigmore Natural Health Institute - P.O. Box 429, Rincon, Puerto Rico 00677
http://www.annwigmore.org/
Wouldn't it be amazing if food was the best medicine available?
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