Sprouting Seed Taxonomy
Taxonomy = a system for naming and organizing things, especially plants and animals, into groups which share similar qualities. In plants taxonomy is broken down like this: Family - Genus - Species - Cultivar.
Our list is alphabetical - starting with the Family - then the Genus, Species, and so on. We love knowing who is related to who, but our list is not as complete as it might be. We will work on it further, if time ever allows.
Some Cultivar (Variety) names may change on rare occassion - that is, we may get a different one now and then. Most are unknown. Our seeds come - for the most part - from small organic family farms. The farmers have saved their seeds for many years - in some cases generations. The seeds had - at some time - a cultivar name, but it has been lost or forgotten. The way we see it - when a farmer grows plants to seed year after year, it becomes its own cultivar in that it is acclimatized and through the selection process, develops some traits uniqe to that farm. That of course can not be strictly true or we would have an infinite number of cultivars, but it is a concept worth sharing.
|
Family
|
Genus
|
Species
|
Cultivar
|
Common Name
|
| Amaranthaceae | Amaranthus | cruentus | Amaranth | |
| Allium |
tuberosum
|
|||
| ampeloprasum | ||||
|
cepa
|
||||
| Brassica |
oleracea
|
Green Sprouting Calabrese
|
||
| Golden Acre | ||||
| rapa | Oriental | Mustard | ||
| Tatsoi | ||||
| Eruca | sativa | Arugula | ||
| Japonica | Kyona | Mizuna | ||
|
Lepidium
|
sativum
|
Pepper Grass
|
||
| Raphanus | sativus | China Rose | Radish | |
| Daikon | Radish | |||
| Chenopodiaceae | Chenopodium | quinoa | Quinoa | |
| Compositae | Helianthus | annuus | Sunflower | |
| Cucurbitaceae | Cucurbita | maxima or pepo | Pumpkin | |
| Gramineae/Poaceae | Avena | sativa | Oats | |
| Hordeum | Barley | |||
| Oryza | sativa | Rice | ||
| Sorghum | Millet | |||
| Secale | cereale | Rye | ||
| Triticum | aestivum | Wheat | ||
| spelta | Spelt | |||
| tauschii | Triticale | |||
| Zea | mays | Corn | ||
| Leguminosae | Arachis | hypogea | Peanut | |
| Cicer | arietinum | Garbanzo/Chick Pea | ||
| Glycine | max | Soy Bean | ||
| Lens | culinaris | Lentil | ||
| Medicago | sativa | Alfalfa | ||
| Phaseolus | vulgaris | Black Bean | ||
| Pinto Bean | ||||
| Pisum | sativum | Pea | ||
| Trifolium | incarnatum | Crimson Clover | ||
| pratense | Red Clover | |||
| Trigonella | foenum-graecum | Fenugreek | ||
| Vigna | angularis | Adzuki Bean | ||
| radiata | Mung Bean | |||
| Linaceae | Linum | grandiflorum | Flax | |
| Pedaliaceae | Sesamum | indicum | Sesame | |
| Polygonacea | Polygonum | fagopyrum | Buckwheat | |
| Rosaceae | Prunus | amygdalus | Almond | |
| Umbelliferae | Apium | graveolens | Celery | |
| Anethum | graveolens | Dill |
The Basics of Sprouting:
- Seed Storage: Keeping your dormant seeds happy.
- Soaking: Turning a dormant seed into a nutritional powerhouse.
- Rinsing: Water is the key ingredient in sprouts. Use it liberally.
- Draining: It is essential that sprouts be drained thoroughly after rinsing. Sitting in a puddle is the most common cause of crop failure.
- Air Circulation: If your sprouts can’t breathe while growing - they can die. Don’t put them in a closed cabinet.
- Greening: Photosynthesis is cool, and so is Chlorophyll, but not all sprouts are into it, nor is it necessary. Sprouts of all colors are packed with flavor and nutrition!
- Cleanliness: Your seed should be clean and your sprouting device should be sterile. Wash your sprouter well between crops. Sterilize when necessary.
- Storage: Properly stored, fresh sprouts will keep for up to 6 weeks in your refrigerator but fresher is better. Never refrigerate wet sprouts.
- Eat More Sprouts! Grow More Often!