Hot by virtue of Radish, sweetened by the Wheat, and made more attractive and texturally pleasing by the legumes, this is a Very Pretty, if weird mix, with quite a few devoted followers!
We used to sell 20 pounds of this every week at our farmer's market stand. Hot + Sweet requires 2 steps to complete as the Radish need grow 2-3 more days than the Lentils and Wheat. This can be done in one Sprouter
but 2 is better.
Note: US and Canadian researchers have found that many Brassicas contain antioxidants.
Radish is a Brassica
Yields approximately 3 Cups (1/2 lb.) of Sprouts
Hot + Sweet requires 2 steps.
We send this mix in 2 bags:
Wheat, Peas and Lentils in one, Radish in another.
Step 1 - Sprouting your Radish
Seed Prep
Measure out 1-2 Tablespoons of the Radish*.
More Radish means a spicier final mix.
Rinse your seeds to remove dust or debris.
Soak
Transfer your seeds into your Sprouter (if necessary), or a bowl.
Add 2-3 times as much cool (60-70 degree) water.
Mix seeds up to assure even water contact for all.
Note: These - like others in their family (Brassica) tend to float.
Try to sink those that do by knocking them down with your fingers. It isn't a big deal, but it is a good habit.
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!
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 Draining.
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!
Note: These wonderful little brassica plants have a unique root structure. Brassicas will show microscopic roots starting around day 3.
They are called root hairs and are most visible just before Rinsing when the sprouts are at their driest.
When you Rinse, the root hairs will collapse back against the main root, becoming invisible once again.
These root hairs impress many people as mold - but they are not. Now you know!
If you have a magnifying glass, use it to take a closer look. Ahhh, another of Nature's marvels. Live and Learn. Live to Learn!
Day 4
On the 4th day you will begin to Green your Radish sprouts, and start your other seeds.
Note: You will now have 2 Sprouters going at the same time. If you only have one Sprouter, you may use a colander, a large sieve, or a bowl - to sprout the mix of
Wheat, Peas and Lentils.
If using a colander or sieve; rest it in a pot between Rinsing and Draining, and cover it, or a bowl - if you are going that minimal - with a lid or plate.
Radish
Continue to Rinse and Drain your Radish every 8-12 hours for the next day or two.
Greening
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!
Wheat, Pea and Lentil Mix
Seed Prep
Measure out 1/2 cup of the Wheat, Pea, Lentil Mix*
Rinse your seeds to remove dust or debris.
Soak
Transfer your seeds into your Sprouter (if necessary), 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 6-12 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.
Continue to Rinse and Drain every 8-12 hours.
You only need to do it 2-3 more times.
Finishing
All of your sprouts will be done during day 5 or 6.
The majority of your Radish sprouts will have open leaves which will be multi-colored, assuming you exposed them to light.
At the same time, most of the seeds in the mix of Wheat, Peas and Lentils will have sprouted tiny (1/16 - 1/4 inch) roots - which is perfect.
Be certain to Drain your mix, very thoroughly after their final Rinse.
De-Hull your Radish Sprouts
Before your final Rinse; remove the seed hulls.
Brassica sprout hulls are quite large (relative to the seed and sprout) and they hold a lot of water (which can dramatically lessen the shelf life of your sprouts), so we remove them Thusly:
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....
Mix and Refrigerate
With your Radish sprouts dehulled, and your mix of Wheat, Peas and Lentils barely sprouted, and dry to the touch:
Toss them all together in a large bowl, then serve them or 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
The Wheat & Pea & Lentil Mix will yield approximately 2:1. The Radish yields approximately 4:1.
Feel free to sprout more than these instructions call for - once you are familiar with the crop. Just use your Sprouting Device's capacity as a guide.
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 Radish 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 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.
If you want to simplify the 2-step process, you can mix the seeds together in one Sprouter - at the point that you have soaked your mix of Wheat, Peas and Lentils.
If you toss the Radish on top of the soaked mix, it will remain there (mostly) through the remaining Rinse/Drain cycles, and so will have enough access to light to turn all the colors it can.
Follow links for detailed information about - and a purchase point for - each Sprouter....
