“As I decided to eat more healthy foods I tried my hand at sprouting,” says graphic designer Kyle Shoesmith. “I used three different types: mung bean, chickpea and, my personal favourite, alfalfa seeds. The latter has a delicate yet crisp texture that complements salads very well.” Follow Kyle’s advice on growing your own sprouts
While quite easy to prepare, bean and pea sprouts take a few days to sprout. They’re packed with protein, vitamins, amino acids and minerals, so they’re well worth the wait.
![three-kind-of-sprouts](/img/uploads/three-kind-of-sprouts.jpg)
The first step is to soak them in bowl. This should be done overnight or for eight to 12 hours.
I bought beans, peas and seeds from Dis-Chem, but they’re readily available at most health stores and some supermarkets. The kit used for sprouting them is from Dis-Chem as well.
![Sprouting-kit](/img/uploads/Sprouting-kit.jpg)
Once the seeds have soaked rinse them well in the kit. Its designed so water flows through three different levels to a catch tray at the bottom. After that, rinse them at least twice a day until they germinate.
![Sprouting-kit](/img/uploads/Sprouting-kit-2.jpg)
After three days the mung beans were ready but the other two needed another day or two.
![sprouts in a salad](/img/uploads/Salad.jpg)
![Sprouts](/img/uploads/Sprouts.jpg)
Send us pics of your sprouts via Facebook or Twitter, we’d love to know how you’re getting on.