In the middle of winter, it’s nice to have a little something green growing in your kitchen. Mason jar sprouts are clean and easy to grow, especially if you use a mesh “sprouting lid.” (I like the plastic ones better than steel, as the ring and screen I tested began to rust during the sprouting process.)
Some seeds are better than others for Mason jar sprouting. My current favorites are broccoli and alfalfa, but local retailers like Kris Fitzgerald at Woods Rose Market and Lynette Larson-DeSmet at FoodWorks can point you to an assortment of others.
2 tablespoons sprouting seeds
Cool water
Wide-mouth 1-quart Mason jar
Plastic sprouting lid
Add sprouting seeds to jar, pour in cool water to cover by a few inches, swirl, and let soak for 6–8 hours at room temperature. Drain the soaking water, rinse with cool water, drain again, then hold the jar horizontally and gently shake to spread the seeds evenly along one side of the jar. Let sit on your counter—I like to use a cloth napkin on a plate as home base. Rinse 2–3 times per day with cool water, each time swirling, draining, and gently shaking to spread out the seeds in the jar. In 3–6 days you should have sprouts that are ready to eat. At that point, drain off all water and keep the jar refrigerated for up to 4 days as you enjoy eating sprouts at every meal ( just kidding)!
