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Prep 4 Tablespoons of seed* then transfer (if necessary) into a bowl or into your Sprouter. Notes: Alliums tend to float. Try to sink those that do by knocking them down with your fingers. Most of those floating seeds will sink during the hours they are soaking, but it is a good habit to pay attention to your seed's needs, and this is the perfect place to start! There tends to be some plant matter in with the seeds of Alliums. This plant matter is nothing but small pieces of the plants which the seeds grew on. This plant matter has so far eluded the massive seed cleaning methods used on sprouting seed. They will not elude you! These dry plant bits usually float, so the perfect time to get rid of them is before you soak - during seed Prep and/or after the seeds have soaked for 8 - 12 hours - pour off the floating stuff. You can help by stirring the seeds up - thus helping any non-floating bits to surface from below. Easy isn't it? Allow seeds to Soak for 8-12 hours. Note: Now is a good time to discard floating plant bits. Empty the seeds into your sprouter (if necessary). Set your Sprouter anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal) between Rinses. Rinse and Drain every 8-12 hours. You should see some sprouting action in between 4 and 7 days. Don't give up - EVER - they will sprout! Note: Alliums are unique in that the sprout they produce is actually the plant - as opposed to the root - which is what almost all other seeds produce during the sprouting process. These plants look like - and are - tiny little Greens - like micro-scallions! As soon as these micro-scallions emerge from the seed they are able to take up light - because they are the leaf! You don't have to do anything drastic but you can move on to...... Greening Continue to Rinse and Drain every 8-12 hours. Finishing Note: The seed of an Allium is pretty intense. If you grow for a long enough time, many will fall away from the sprout, but we've never gone that long. They just taste toooooo good and we don't mind the seed enough to wait. Harvest OR We can use a salad spinner to dry the sprouts after their final Rinse and skip the final 8-12 hour wait, instead going directly to Refrigeration. Refrigerate Notes: When conditions are warmer your sprouts will likely grow faster. Likewise they may grow slower if conditions are very cool. As always 70° is optimal. Depending on your sprouting device, not all of your sprouts will have access to light and so some will not green. This is not only OK - it is good. The yellow sprouts will be equally nutritious (they have everything but chlorophyll) and many think them more delicious (in Europe vegetables are often grown "blanched" by avoiding light). We think they are prettier when there is a mix of green and yellow to go with the white roots. So don't sweat it - just eat more sprouts! You can help your crop by "breaking up" your sprouts when they clump up - around day 5-10 and daily thereafter. We use high water pressure when Rinsing to keep our sprouts loose, but this only works for so long - so - when water isn't enough, break the clump of sprouts up using a fork, or your fingers (wash your hands first please, if they need it). If you are using a sprouter that can hold water, fill it mostly full then use a fork to loosen the mass of sprouts. You can also dump your sprouts onto or into something and just shake them apart. This is by no means mandatory - this loosening - but it can help more of them green. Don't ever be afraid*** of touching your sprouts. They are much stronger then they appear - just be reasonably gentle. *** The only thing to fear is fear itself! Seed Storage Alliums have the shortest shelf life of any sprouting seed. Since they are also so painfully expensive we suggest that you freeze your seed. Keep them in any sealed container. The only concern is condensation and all you need to do to avoid it is, return the seed to the freezer within a few minutes, after you've removed what you need to sprout. You do not have to wait to soak the seeds. * If using Single Harvest Pack - use the whole bag. Alliums yield approximately 4.5:1, so in theory you can start with as much as 1/5 as much dry seed as your Sprouter has capacity. | Description A Leek is a lot like a giant scallion, when fully grown in the garden it will be about 5 times the size of a scallion, quite sweet and can be used in a multitude of recipes! As a sprout Leek is pretty much identical to Onion - perhaps a bit milder. Leek is a very rare sprouting seed so it is in short supply always and therefore quite expensive. We are out of stock and have no real expectation of getting any soon =:-( Italian Leek | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sprouting Devices
for
Leek
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| Easy Sprout | | |
| SproutMaster | ||
| Tube with Lids | ||
| Jar and Lid | Visit Jar & Lid page for information and purchase |
Sprout Cookery
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Raw
Eating Ideas for Leafy Sprouts
Sprouts and Salads
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Awesome Potato Salad
Sprout Omelette
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