Time Taken / Energy Needed

5 minutes to set up, 2 minutes a day to rinse and check.

A low energy, indoor activity.

Safety
There are a couple of things to bear in mind before you start to ensure that your dish of sprouts is safe to eat.

1.  Safe Seeds  Only use seeds or beans that are intended for cooking and that are non-toxic: see the list below.  Some plants that produce edible vegetables have toxic seeds.  Those intended for sowing, not eating, may have been sprayed with anti-fungal chemicals.

2.  Hygiene  Wash your container well in hot, soapy water before starting, make sure your hands are clean, rinse your seeds/sprouts daily in fresh water and make sure they have good ventilation with a mesh, not solid cover.  Seeds need warm, moist conditions to germinate, just the same conditions as bacteria!  There is no reason to worry if you follow this advice.  Past outbreaks of e-coli associated with bean sprouts have been the result of poor hygiene in industrial scale production.  You will know exactly how yours have been grown and in what.

If your sprouts smell musty or have any slime, don’t eat them, compost them and try again.

Equipment
   • A large glass jar.
   • A piece of net large enough to cover the    mouth of the jar with about an inch spare  around it.  This will keep insects and dust out and the sprouts in.
   • An elastic band
   • A packet of seeds suitable for sprouting:
               • Mung beans
               • Soybeans
               • Whole green lentils
               • Peas
               • Chickpeas


Instructions
1.  Pour a thin layer of seeds into the bottom of your jar (see the picture above).  Don’t be tempted to try more as they will quickly fill the jar and become compacted, reducing the airflow and increasing the risk of them rotting.
2.  Cover your seeds with cold water
3.  Cover the jar with net and secure with a rubber band.  In summer a double layer of net will ensure you don’t get an attack of fruit flies, which are tiny brown flies with incredible radar for any available fruit or vegetable matter.
4.  Leave to stand overnight or for 8 hours.
5.  Drain the water out.  Hold the netting tight around the jar mouth while you tip the jar so you don't lose the seeds.
6.  Rinse the seeds: fill the jar with water again, swill the seeds around in it and drain the water out immediately.
7.  Stand the jar on its side and shake the wet seeds inside into as thin a layer as possible.
8.  Place the jar in a cool, airy spot, out of direct sunlight.
9.  Repeat 6, 7 and 8 daily until your sprouts are ready to eat, see the pictures above.  The time taken will depend on the temperature.  A warm kitchen will produce faster growth than a cool room.  It is also a matter of taste, try tasting one each day after the first root tip appears and see how you like them.

Once they are as you like them, rinse again before eating and place any surplus in an airtight container in the fridge.  They will keep for 2-3 days.

These are nice, chunky seeds to start with, but once you have tackled these you can also use smaller seeds like:
clover, fenugreek, oat, wheat, maize (corn), rice, barley, and rye, quinoa, amaranth,  buckwheat, sesame, sunflower, almond, hazelnut, hemp, linseed, peanut, broccoli, cabbage, watercress, mustard, mizuna, radish (these last five are part of the brassica family of vegetables and produce a spicy sprout.  Don’t let their leaves develop as these can be hairy and unpleasant).