Sprout Dehuller
This is a great sprout tool! A device to help you De-Hull and dry your sprouts. This is an extremely well made salad spinner by OXO. We have used the bigger version in our house for many years, but this one is perfect for a crop of sprouts. The idea is to fill the container with water, push the hulls out and then spin the sprouts dry. Doing so will save you from having to wait for 12 hours after your final rinse/drain cycle to refrigerate your crop. This is intended for Leafy and Brassica Sprouts as well as Greens, but will work with most sprouts and Micro-Greens.
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 - 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.
De-Huller/Sprout & Salad Spinner made by OXO Its full name is Good Grips Little Salad & Herb Spinner - but to us Sproutpeople, it's a De-Huller. It is made - as are all OXO products - extremely well. It measures 8 inches in diameter, 5 inches tall. Its Capacity = 2 Quarts
FOR USE WITH THESE SEEDS/CROPS
Leafy Sprouts Brassica Sprouts Greens Micro-Greens and leafy vegetables, of course.
Why, oh why, did I wait so long to get this?!!!! I used to kind of dread the dehulling process but not anymore! This is so awesome! It’s a game changer if you’re growing sprouts. I have an old larger oxo spinner as well and have been making do with it. But it is cumbersome and clunky for dehulling a small batch of sprouts. This is SO much better, easier and it’s easy to clean. Its operation is super smooth. I love this and highly recommend it for anyone who’s growing sprouts and needs to dehull them
Why, oh why, did I wait so long to get this?!!!! I used to kind of dread the dehulling process but not anymore! This is so awesome! It’s a game changer if you’re growing sprouts. I have an old larger oxo spinner as well and have been making do with it. But it is cumbersome and clunky for dehulling a small batch of sprouts. This is SO much better, easier and it’s easy to clean. Its operation is super smooth. I love this and highly recommend it for anyone who’s growing sprouts and needs to dehull them
I like this little salad spinner, sprout de-huller a lot. It’s the perfect size to quickly remove those pesky hulls. I dump the sprouts in, fill with water, and swirl my hand around for about 30 seconds. As the hulls float to the surface, I spoon off right back into the jar they came from. After a quick spin or two I dry my sprouts on paper towels for a few minutes and then in the fridge - or my salad - they go. The design on this genius device is great for a quick wash and no worries. Here’s a quick tip to remove the few sprouts that get stuck in the plastic strainer basket. Fill halfway with soapy water, hold about an inch above the solid bowl and swirl rapidly until you have a clean basket. Back for my second one to do two crops at a time. :))
I like this little salad spinner, sprout de-huller a lot. It’s the perfect size to quickly remove those pesky hulls. I dump the sprouts in, fill with water, and swirl my hand around for about 30 seconds. As the hulls float to the surface, I spoon off right back into the jar they came from. After a quick spin or two I dry my sprouts on paper towels for a few minutes and then in the fridge - or my salad - they go. The design on this genius device is great for a quick wash and no worries. Here’s a quick tip to remove the few sprouts that get stuck in the plastic strainer basket. Fill halfway with soapy water, hold about an inch above the solid bowl and swirl rapidly until you have a clean basket. Back for my second one to do two crops at a time. :))
This is an excellent spinner and I do love it for de-hulling small seeds that have been grown to one inch plus. I can also store the grown sprouts in there in the fridge better than other methods (though you have to have the space in your refrigerator. To my surprise, I also found this spinner to result in the most success I've had with cress! It happened by accident, but I will be using it regularly now that I've discovered how it offers adequate drainage. I'm just ordering a couple more spinners. They fit in my EasyGreen, so I can really just walk away from the process and let the technology do the rest!
