An absolutely gorgeous sprout from the most aromatic of seeds (Fenugreek is known more as a spice). Fenugreek is easy to grow and extremely nutritious. It does have a flavor that most consider bitter, but those who like it, love it.
Fenugreek is actually a legume, but we considered it too confusing to put it in our Bean section.
Fenugreek has gained popularity with women in recent years due to research that indicates that it increases the breast size. We kid you not. Fenugreek is actually great for general breast health, so it's not just about vanity @;-)
The Fenugreek Poem
A gorgeous sprout does fenugreek grow.
Soak it - then sprout it. It is bitter though.
New fame has it these days - with women - no jest,
Fen-U-Greek they say - does augment one's chest.
Yields approximately 3 Cups (1/2 lb.) of Sprouts
Prep 3 Tablespoons of seed* then transfer (if necessary) into a bowl or into your Sprouter.
Add 2-3 times as much cool (60°-70°) water.
Mix seeds up to assure even water contact for all.
Allow seeds to Soak for 6-12 hours.
Empty the seeds into your sprouter (if necessary).
Drain off the soak water.
You may water plants or use it in stock if you like - it has nutrients in it.
Rinse thoroughly with cool (60°-70°) water.
Drain thoroughly!
Set your Sprouter anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal) between Rinses.
This is where your sprouts do their growing. We use a counter top - in the corner of our kitchen, but where the sprouter won't get knocked over by cats, dogs, kids or us.
We don't mind the indirect sunlight or the 150 watts of incandescent light, because light just does not matter much.
A plant can only perform photosynthesis when it has leaves. Until a plant has leaves, light has little if any
effect. Sprouts also happen to like air-circulation, so don't hide your sprouts.
This will be plenty of light when the sprouts are ready for it.
Rinse and Drain again every 8-12 hours for 3 days.
As long as you grow you have to keep the sprouts happy!
Always be sure to Drain very thoroughly.
The most common cause of inferior sprouts is inadequate drainage.
Most sprouters look like they will not hold water, but even the best designed device does, so pay special attention to this step.
Note: Fenugreek is a sprout which we prefer NOT to green. We prefer them small. When we eat them, they generally don't even have leaves, but when we do grow them to the leaf stage, we prefer them yellow , so we stop as on day 3 or 4 or at the latest, as soon as they have leaves.
As always, we suggest that you taste your crop at EVERY Rinse - find out for yourself when you like them best!
If you are going to grow them like we do; at your final Rinse you need to Drain very thoroughly and let your sprouts dry a bit.
If we minimize the surface moisture of our sprouts they store much better in refrigeration, so we let them sit for 8-12 hours before refrigeration
If you wish to continue......
Greening
On the 4th day relocate your sprouts if necessary.
If you've been keeping them away from light, move them. Avoid direct sun - it can cook your sprouts. Indirect sunlight is best but virtually any light will do. Experiment - you will be amazed at how little light sprouts require to green up.
Photosynthesis is a marvel!
Continue to Rinse and Drain every 8-12 hours.
As long as you grow you have to keep the sprouts happy.
Finishing
Your sprouts will be done during day 5 or 6.
The majority of sprouts will have open leaves which will be green if you exposed them to light.
De-Hull
Before your final Rinse; remove the seed hulls if you wish.
The Method:
Transfer the sprouts to a big (at least 2 times the volume of your Sprouter) pot or bowl, fill with cool water, loosen the sprout mass and agitate with your hand. Skim the hulls off the surface and compost them.
Return the sprouts to your Sprouter for their Rinse and Drain. You can also use our Dehuller (a small salad spinner with an excellent design that minimizes the
sprouts that escape in the dehulling process). That's the short course - here is the full lesson. Better yet, here is a video on de-hulling.
Harvest
If you Dehulled with our Dehuller, or used a salad spinner after dehulling in a bowl, you can go right to refrigeration. If not...
Your sprouts are done 8-12 hours after your final Rinse.
After the De-Hulling and the final Rinse we need to Drain very thoroughly and let our sprouts dry a bit.
If we minimize the surface moisture of our sprouts they store much better in refrigeration, so we let them sit for 8-12 hours....
Refrigerate
Transfer the sprout crop to a plastic bag or the sealed container of your choice.
We have Produce Storage Bags that will extend shelf life substantially.
* If using Sproutpeople's Single Harvest Pack - use the whole bag. It will produce a crop of approximately 8 ounces.
These seeds yield approximately 5:1 - which means the sprouts will weigh 5 times as much as the seed you start with, but, they will increase even more in volume - so don't start with more than 3.5 Tablespoons per quart/litre of sprouter capacity.
Crop Notes
If there is anything unique about this year's seed, we will tell you about it here.
Sprouting
When conditions are warm your sprouts will likely grow faster. If their leaves open sooner you should green and de-hull and harvest sooner. Likewise they may grow slower if conditions are very cool. These are just tiny plants they are not difficult to understand.
The more you sprout the better you'll know them and be able to adjust to their needs. As always 70° is optimal and 70° is what our instructions are written for.
All sprouts generate heat while growing, which is a good thing, but it can get out of hand on occasion. When the weather is especially hot and humid you will do well to Rinse more frequently (every 8 hours if possible) using colder water than usual
(the coldest your tap can offer is fine), to compensate.
Depending on your Sprouting Device, not all of your sprouts will have access to light and so some will not green. This is not only OK - we think it good. The yellow sprouts will be equally nutritious (they have everything but chlorophyll) and many
think them more delicious (in Europe, it is not uncommon to find vegetables that are grown "blanched" by depriving them of light). We think they are prettier when there is a mix of green and yellow leaves to go with the white roots. So don't sweat it - just eat more sprouts!
The Fenugreek and Oriental Mustard mix should be prevented from clumping. Mix 'em up! We use high water pressure when Rinsing to keep our sprouts loose, but this only works for so long - so - when water isn't enough,
break the clump of sprouts up using a fork or your fingers (wash your hands first, please). If you are using a Sprouter that can hold water, fill it mostly full then use a fork to loosen. You can also dump your sprouts onto or into something and just shake them apart.
You should never be afraid** of touching your sprouts. They are much stronger then they appear - just be reasonably gentle.
** The only thing to fear is fear itself.
Follow links for detailed information about - and a purchase point for - each Sprouter....
