Leafy Sprout Starter Kit
An Easy Sprout Sprouter and over 2 pounds of Sprouting Seed: 1/4 pound of 9 of our remarkable Leafy Sprout Seeds, Printed Instructions.
This kit is made up of our most popular - and personal favorite Sprouter, as well as enough seed to grow over 15 pounds of the finest Leafy Sprouts available anywhere on our little planet.
Yields approximately 4 Cups (1/2 lb.) of Sprouts
Seed Prep
Measure out 2 Tablespoons of seed* (slightly heaping) into your Sprouter or a strainer.
Rinse your seeds to remove dust and debris.
Soak
Transfer your seeds into your Sprouter (if necessary), or to a bowl.
Mix seeds up as you slowly add water to assure even water contact for all.
Add 2-3 times as much cool (70-80°F) water.
Allow seeds to Soak for 4-12 hours.
Do Not Ever Soak Again. Soaking is done only this one time.
We start counting days at this point - when the Soak is done (post-Soak is the phrase we use).
A crop of Leafy Sprouts usually takes 6 days - from This point in time to harvest.
Sprouting
Empty the seeds into your Sprouter (if necessary).
Drain off the soak water.
You can use it - it has nutrients in it. We use it on house plants.
Rinse thoroughly with cool (70-80°F) water.
Drain thoroughly.
Draining Thoroughly (Maniacally even) is the key to great crops. The smaller the seed (all Leafy Sprouts are small seeds) the more thorough you must be. Do Not skimp on Rinsing - but focus seriously on Draining.
If you need to see what we mean by Thorough Draining -Â check out our videos.
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, where the sprouter won't get knocked over by cats, dogs, kids or us. Indirect sunlight is fine, as is your regular room light - because light just does not matter much in the first couple days.
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. When leaves do appear, this will be plenty of light for them to green up. You can also use Grow Lights if you like.
Rinse and Drain again every 8-12 hours for 3 days.
Always be sure to Drain very thoroughly. The most common cause of inferior sprouts is inadequate drainage. Even the best designed Sprouting Device holds water, so pay special attention to this step.
Greening
On the 4th day (post soak) relocate your sprouts, if necessary.
If you've been keeping them away from light - move them. Avoid direct sun as it can cook your sprouts, unless you are growing in a Tray Sprouter - in which case direct sunlight is great. Indirect sunlight is best for non-tray Sprouters but grow lights work well too. Experiment - you will be amazed at how little light sprouts require to green up. Photosynthesis is a marvel!
Continue to Rinse and Drain thoroughly every 8-12 hours.
Your last Rinse and Drain will be either at the end of day 5 or the start of day 6.
Always Drain Thoroughly.
Finishing
Your sprouts will be done about the end of day 6.
The majority of sprouts will have open leaves which will be green. You'll recognize them.
De-Hulling
Hulls are the thin coat on a seed. In most cases they separate themselves from the sprout. They are only a problem when it comes to the shelf life of your finished crop. We've eaten them for years and consider them extra roughage, but the crop looks better and lasts longer without them - so removing them is good.
You may De-Hull your sprouts at any time during day 5 or 6.
If you have a Salad Spinner - De-Hulling can be your last step. You can harvest and refrigerate them immediately after you finish.
You can also remove hulls prior to harvest...
If you are growing in a Jar - using the Coarse Mesh Screen will allow some hulls to float out through the screen while Rinsing. Repeating and agitating your sprouts will allow more hulls to escape.
If you're growing in an Easy Sprout Sprouter - transfer your sprouts to the Solid Base, fill with water, and agitate with a fork. This will help hulls get to the surface - where you can skim them off. When you've gotten all you can - move your sprouts back to the Growing Vessel, Rinse again, and Drain Thoroughly.
If you're growing in our Stainless Steel Sprouter you can get rid of most of the hulls by Rinsing Upside Down. Instead of writing words - let us direct you to our short video on the subject: Rinsing Leafy Sprouts Upside Down
Here is our video on De-Hulling.
Harvest
If you De-hulled with a salad spinner - you can go right to refrigeration. If not... Your sprouts are done 8-12 hours after your final Rinse and Very Thorough Draining. If we minimize the surface moisture of our sprouts they store much better in refrigeration, so we let them sit for 8-12 hours after that final Maniacal Draining.
Storing Your Crop
Transfer your sprout crop to a plastic bag or the sealed container of your choice. We have Produce Storage Bags that can extend shelf life substantially.
Leafy Sprouts are best within a week of harvest, but we've had some crops last for over a month in the fridge.
Great work sprout farmer!
*Amount of Seed to Use
* If using Sproutpeople's Single Harvest Pack - use the whole bag (for a one-quart Sprouter). It will produce a crop of approximately 8 ounces.
These seeds yield approximately 7:1 - which means the sprouts will weigh 7 times as much as the seed you start with, but, they will increase even more in volume - so don't start with more than 2 (heaping) Tablespoons per quart/litre of sprouter capacity.
Try them all.... We are by nature modest people, but we have to say that we have the best sprouting seeds on our planet. That we call our Leafy Sprouts gourmet, is a result of how many diverse seeds, with many different and exceptional flavors we use to make them. That we use so many great seeds is due to my (Gil) need to make sprouts tasty enough for me to want to eat them. As you will read further down the page - I once loathed sprouts. That I am nuts (in a good way - I think) for seeds kept me interested long enough to help Lori make up the truly flavor rich mixes on this page. When it comes down to it - if I can love sprouts; anyone can, and these seeds are some of the best examples we have of how different sprouts can be, and why we fling the word gourmet around as we do.
For Sprouting Instructions and to learn more about a seed/mix, click the name of the Seed or Mix you want to grow. To learn about the Sprouter, click here: Easy Sprout Sprouter.
The Seeds
1/4 Pound each, of
Alfalfa
There isn't much to say about Alfalfa sprouts that you don't already know, but you know me - talk, talk, talk. Here in the U.S. everyone who has eaten sprouts has had Alfalfa sprouts. For folks with a natural love of sprouts they are fine and dandy, but for others - they have been THE reason that people get to hating sprouts. Stuffed in sandwiches, strewn across salads or just garnishing a plate, these ubiquitous Leafy Sprouts are often texturally unpleasing and just plain bland. Though we prefer our gourmet mixes, we can say that homegrown Alfalfa Sprouts are something quite different than the usual fare. Their flavor is mild at most, but their texture is great when harvested fresh from your sprouter.
Clover
Clover is so much like Alfalfa that most people wouldn't know the difference. Clover's leaves are a different shade of green, but flavor wise they are as close to identical as possible. The biggest difference is how much more easily Clover sheds its hulls. That alone is reason to choose it over Alfalfa - in our opinion, but that really is the only noticeable difference between the 2 crops.
French Garden
Clover, Arugula, Cress, Radish, Fenugreek, and Dill
Our most popular Leafy Sprout blend. Period. The inclusion of Arugula - an amazingly tasty sprout - is what has made French Garden - by far - our most popular Leafy sprout blend of all time! This is as gourmet as sprouts get! A delectable blend of mildly sweet, tangy, bitter and peppery. French Garden is just plain perfect!
Italian Blend
Clover, Garlic, Cress
The inclusion of Garlic and Cress - two amazingly tasty sprouts has made Italian Blend our 2nd most popular Leafy Sprout blend of all time! Only French Garden is more popular. Italian Blend is a great way to enjoy Garlic Sprouts (which cost so darn much solo) along with other tasty nutritious sprouts. We include a lot of Garlic in this mix because it is slower to sprout than the rest of the seeds. The volume of Garlic seed provides the flavor we are after, but when we sprouted this for our farmers market, we sprouted the Garlic for several days and then mixed the sprouts in with the other seeds after they had sprouted for a day. That method uses less Garlic, and the texture is somewhat improved, but over the years we have found that mixes that require 2 steps often scare folks away - that's why we sell this as a one-step mix, but we may add a 2-step option in the future for those of you who don't mind the challenge and want to experience Italian Blend at its absolute finest. In the meantime, you can always pump it up by buying some Garlic straight and sprouting it for 5-7 days before soaking the mixed seeds.
Moo Mix
Alfalfa + Clover
A mild Leafy Mix of America's favorite sprouts.
Nick's Hot Sprout Salad
Clover, Radish, Fenugreek, Mustard, Dill, Cress and Celery
Our spiciest mix (named after our 3rd, now departed, mild mannered cat), Nick's has a fantastic aroma. All of our spicy seeds are in here and the addition of Celery makes for a unique and full aromatic quality. Very tasty - as long as you like some heat.
Oriental Greens
Alfalfa, Clover, Oriental Mustard, Mizuna and Tatsoi
Yet another in our geographic theme sprout mixes. We started naming mixes this way because we never went anywhere (We spent every day rinsing sprouts.) and we thought we might derive some vicarious travel pleasure. This is flavored with multiple mild mustards.
Russian Mix
Clover, Fenugreek, Mustard, Onion and Dill
Our personal favorite among the Leafy Sprouts and also the most senior of those mixes. It is the perfect accompaniment to a bagel. Oddly, I used to hate sprouts (I mean Hate!) at age 19, when I (Gil) moved to San Francisco, (from Chicago), they put sprouts on everything - including bagels. It really infuriated me. It was that loathing that eventually moved us to make this, and then other mixes. I had to find a way to like sprouts, so we found seeds with flavor and well - one thing led to another - and now we are where we are - Sproutpeople, purveyors of Earth's Finest Sprouting Seeds @:-}. And hey - now I eat Russian Mix topped bagels at an alarming rate - have for years - sometimes without anything else - just a toasted bagel with Russian Mix. Moral: Never say never. =:-D
Spicy Mix
Clover, Alfalfa, Daikon + China Rose Radish & Fenugreek
Mildly spicy. A great addition - as are all Leafy Sprouts - to sandwiches, salads, tacos,.....
The Sprouter
One Easy Sprout Sprouter
Overwhelmingly our most popular sprouter, Easy Sprout is also our personal favorite. We have well over a dozen in our house. It offers great drainage and the best air-circulation of any sprouter.
Easy Sprout is made up of a 1 Quart (litre) Growing Vessel, a Solid container/Base that catches excess Rinse water, a Small Seed Insert that snaps in when sprouting small seeds, two Growing Lids (1 for home (Domed) and 1 for the road (Flat)), and a Solid Lid for refrigerator storage of your sprout crop.
Easy Sprout is the best all-around sprouter. Period. It is the mandatory choice for high humidity sproutpeople everywhere and great for travel sprouting! Very versatile - Easy Sprout can sprout virtually any seed, anywhere!
Easy Sprout is part of many of our Kits.
Though this Kit does come with printed sprouting instructions, you will always find the most information by visiting each seed's detailed page. On those pages you will find everything you will ever want to know about each seed/mix, and how to sprout it.
Fool proof Sprout making! Love it! Easy peasy and makes delicious sprouts.
I got this sprouting kit as a gift for a friend, who had been thinking about trying sprouting. Since I have been more than happy with the great seeds I have purchased from Sprout People in the past, and I had given my son the kit this past Christmas, I knew it was a great starter package. I was shipping it directly to her, and I made an error or the shipping address. I sent an email to Sprout People in the evening,right after placing the order. Gil emailed me the next morning, saying no problem, he'd already taken care of it! He even said he'd be happy to write "good luck!" on the box in Spanish on the shipping box, as I had requested. The kit quickly made it to it's destination in great shape, and my friend said it was so fun looking at all the variety. If you are looking for excellent quality seeds, great selection, wonderful customer service, that is hard to come by now days, DO give this family run company a try. You won't be disappointed. :)
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I love alfalfa sprouts but when I got this kit it expanded my idea of what sprouts can be. The french mix is out of this world. It's not spicy but it's like a living gourmet salad of flavors. I like them all, but I love the french, russian, italian, and nick's the most. The nick's is flavorful and pretty spicy too. Oh - the easy sprout is really great and EASY!
