We have had dogs in our home forever. Beanie's Awesome Mix is named after our first dog, Clem's Choice is named for our 2nd dog, so it seems like this mix should have been introduced ages ago. All of our dogs have eaten sprouts. We decided it was about time we put something together that was specifically good for dogs, and also easy to get them to eat. We grind the sprouts in a food processor before mixing them into the other food we are serving. We grind just before feeding, so the sprouts are still alive, and because they end up so mixed in - every morsel is consumed, even by our finicky Chihuerrier* Chester. This is great stuff!

Our original trio of girls - Jupiter, Clementine and Fagie - came to us in very lean years. We didn't have enough money to feed them high quality food until they were senior citizens. None of them lived longer than 12 years. Though they changed our lives in ways we are still discovering - that's just not enough time.

Our current dogs - boys named Dobie and Chester - eat better than we did during those lean years. We're glad we can offer these sprouts to our dogs, and to your dogs. Feed them well - they are dogs. 'Nuf said.

May Dog Be With You.

* Chihuerrier (chi-wear-e-er) is our name for a Chihuahua Terrier Mix. We've been using it for 5 years - since Mr. C came into our lives. We're surprised it hasn't caught on yet @:-D

Yields approximately 1 Cup (1/2 lb.) of Sprouts

Seed Prep
Measure out 1/2 Cup of seed*
Rinse your seeds to remove dust or plant debris.

Soak
Transfer your seeds - if necessary - into your Sprouter, or a bowl.
Add 2-3 times as much cool (60-70 degree) water.
Mix seeds up to assure even water contact for all.
Allow seeds to Soak for 8-12 hours.

Sprouting
Empty the seeds into your Sprouter (if necessary).
Drain off the soak water.
You can use it - 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. Your Bean Sprouts will never have leaves, and a plant can only perform photosynthesis when it has leaves. Until then light has little if any effect, so don't hide your sprouts. Plus, sprouts like air-circulation.

Rinse and Drain again in 8-12 hours.
And, once more...
Rinse and Drain again in 8-12 hours.
And, perhaps once more...
Rinse and Drain in 8-12 hours.

We stop no later than here. We like our sprouts small, and so do our dogs.
Typically, we sprout for just 2-4 Rinse and Drain cycles. We stop at the point when most of the seeds have sprouted tiny (1/16 - 1/4 inch) roots. That's the way we like these Sprouts, and we think the long roots that grow, if you continue sprouting, are not as pleasing to dogs.

Depending on your climate and the time of year you are sprouting and most importantly your personal preference - You may Rinse and Drain again at 8-12 hour intervals for up to 6 days. We Do Not recommend doing so, unless you're doing a science experiment. But, you can grow them for as long as you like - as long as you continue to Rinse and Drain every 8-12 hours. If you grow for a week you'll get some plants growing as well as roots. Experiment! Have Fun! It's All Good - if occasionally inedible @;-D

You can also just Soak 4 Legs of Love, for 8-12 hours, and feed them then. The soaked seeds are already alive and super nutritious - and - they are without enzyme inhibitors (a very good thing indeed!) so they'll digest themselves and nourish your dog.

Harvest
Your sprouts are done 8-12 hours after your final Rinse.
Be sure to Drain them as thoroughly as possible after that final Rinse.
The goal during the final 8-12 hours is to minimize the surface moisture of your sprouts - they will store best in your refrigerator if they are dry to the touch.

Refrigerate
Transfer your sprout crop to a plastic bag or the sealed container of your choice and put them in your refrigerator.
We offer Produce Storage Bags that will extend shelf life substantially.

*Seed to Use

* If using Sproutpeople's Single Harvest Pack - use the whole bag. It will produce a crop of approximately 8 ounces.

These seeds yield approximately 3:1 - so in theory you can start with up to 1/3 as much dry seed as your Sprouter has capacity.
If you are new to sprouting, or new to this crop; we advise that you start with no more than 1/4 of your Sprouter's capacity so that your sprouts have more room - at least until you are familiar with this crop.

Crop Notes

If there is anything special about our current mix, we'll tell you about it here.

Seed Storage

All seeds are best stored in a cool location. We suggest a freezer, but a refrigerator works well too. If you plan on storing this mix for more than 6 months, you should use one of those cool locations. Also, the Oats in the mix which are sometimes pleasing to a particular pest - the Indian Meal Moth, which can appear out of nowhere when conditions are right (hot). These are predominantly organic seeds after all, so there is no other way to keep your seeds absolutely safe from them, except to freeze them. Consider yourself educated =:~)

Learn more about feeding Raw

We are not telling you to go 100% raw. Do your own research. We will tell you; watch out for mercenary corporations and elite clubs telling you raw is just plain bad. As always - in everything - be careful who you trust, but be open-minded. Beware Dogma!

A Note To Tripods

We have known quite a few lovely 3 leggers in our day. Please accept our apology for the name of this mix. Would that there were more space available on our small labels, we would have included tripods. 3 legs or 4 - May Dog Be With You!

Serving Suggestion

We grind the mix before mixing it into our dogs' meal. We use a food processor, but a blender works OK too. Dobie (the big guy) eats the sprouts either way, but Chester (the little beige guy) - I've actually watched him pick lentil sprouts out of his food. Hysterical! Chopping the sprouts solves the problem and gets more food into the finicky little fella.

Raw
Grind it in a food-processor if you are serving finicky dogs.

Cooked
I don't think so.