If you prefer just the instructions section we have that here
The most basic and least expensive sprouting device, Jars come in many sizes. We sell wide-mouth mason jars:
1 Quart and 2 Quart
and we sell both plastic and stainless steel screen lids.
Though you can make your own "screen" lid, with cheesecloth, hardware cloth, a nylon stocking and a rubberband or string, we strongly advise that you use actual screw on Screen Lids. They make the Jar as good as it can be, and because Jars require extra work (they have poor air-circulation and draining is relatively difficult), we think you will be very well served by adding these inexpensive attachments.
You can grow, per Quart:
Up to 1 pound of Leafy Sprouts or 2 pounds of Bean or Grain Sprouts.
Growing Capacity: 1 Quart or 2 Quart
Eat More Sprouts + Grow More Often - Easily!
Jars can be used to sprout or pre-sprout just about any seed.
These seeds are a Perfect match for the Jar:
Beans - All (see Mung Note below)
Mung Beans - Jars should be used only to grow small (1/8-1/4 inch) Mung Sprouts - which they do quite nicely! The 3 big issues with growing big thick Mungs in Jars are the inability to keep them dark while growing, the inability to apply weight to the growing sprouts and the almost impossible task of removing the sprouts when they're done. Don't even try big thick Mungs. Even if you succeed you'll have to break the Jar to remove them - or damage the sprouts so much that they'll be ruined.
Grains - All
Nuts and Seeds - Almonds, Pumpkins, Peanuts, Sunflower, etc.
Leafy Sprouts: Alfalfa/Clover and Mixes - All
Alliums - Garlic, Leek and Onion
Brassicas - Broccoli, Radish, Mustard, Cabbage, etc.
Jars with Screen Lids are a great Pre-Sprouter for these items, but are not designed to grow these crops to completion:
Grass, Greens and Micro-Greens
Specific Sprouting Instructions are found on
the page devoted to the Seed or Mix you are interested in.
Below are the specifics Jar Sprouting.
Lids
Plastic Lids come in different mesh sizes. You should always use the widest mesh you can. Wider mesh allows the water to flow in and out more easily and improves air-flow as well. In some cases (when growing Leafy or Brassicas Sprouts) you change the screen lids (from narrow to wider and then to widest) as your sprouts grow. The widest mesh screen allows some hulls to pour out along with water during your last few Rinses.
You can grow all the way with a narrow mesh screen, whether plastic or stainless steel. Though your hulls won't pour off and air won't move as much, they still work fine. If you are looking for a suggestion ours is to have one of each. We sell the 3 colored lids in a set and the stainless steel screen on its own. They are all relatively inexpensive and they give you as every option.
Not all seeds require this step. See the seed information page to see if you need to do this for the seed you are sprouting.
Fill the Jar with water. Twirl and twirl and twirl the water around in the Jar. Pour water out and repeat the fill and twirl and pour until the water runs clear.
Fill with cool (60 - 70°) water unless instructed otherwise by your seed supplier (us we hope =;-) and leave to soak for 8 - 12 hours or for the time noted for the seed you are sprouting.
Fill Jar with cool (60 - 70°) water (unless instructed otherwise by your seed supplier). Twirl and twirl the Jar. Pour water off and repeat once or twice more. As a rule we do it 2-3 times every time we Rinse.
This is the hardest part of Jar sprouting. It is also the best reason to have screw on Screen Lids. When you are done Rinsing you need to get as much of the water out of the Jar as possible. With a Jar all you can really do is use gravity, so turn it Screen down and shake it up and down over and over and over again until no more water comes out through the Screen. When you are growing big seeds it is easy enough to get most of the water out, but when they are small seeds, there will always be some water left, so shake more than you think is necessary. It can't hurt!
Sprouting
We always put our Jars face down - at an angle - between Rinsing and Draining. We will use our dish rack in the rare event that it isn't full of dishes, or more often, we use high rimmed bowls which the Jar will rest on and which will capture the excess water that inevitably drains off after our thorough Draining. You can get away with leaving the Jar upright if you are growing big seeds, but when you grow small seeds (those listed above a Good Matches) they end up sitting in water (that water which we can't believe is even there, because we drained so thoroughly after Rinsing). Actually it is only the very bottom seeds/sprouts that are sitting in water, but they don't much like it and they can spoil your whole crop sometimes. So, set the Jar - at an angle - face down between Rinsing and Draining! It also improves air-circulation.
We always suggest a low-light, 70° location for your sprouter, until it is time for Greening (if you are growing sprouts that green). At that point we often say: Move your sprouter to a brighter location (or words to that effect), and though we always say to avoid direct sunlight, we will tell you again: Never put a Jar in direct sunlight - unless you wish to cook your sprouts! The lack of air-circulation built into Jars makes them the most vulnerable to heat build-up, so if you are Greening sprouts in a jar, don't move them to a too bright or well-lit location, but rather, concentrate on that other thing we say: You'll be amazed at how little light it takes to turn your sprouts green!
Seed Specific
Sprouting Instructions
If you have a particular seed type in mind,
read on to discover further details of Jar Sprouting that seed type.
Refer to the seed's main information page for detailed instructions.
Follow instructions on this page and on the seed's page for all beans.
Maximum dry seed per Quart = 2 cups.
You can't grow big thick Mungs in a Jar unless you want to break the Jar when they're done - that's the only way you'll get the sprouts out. SO, grow the sweet and tiny Mungs when using a Jar!
Maximum dry seed per Quart = 2 cups.
Broccoli, Radish, Cabbage, Mustard, etc. need to move while sprouting or they will form a root mass (beginning around day 3) which is at least unpleasant and often lessens the sprouts' quality. Solution: Break Up/Loosen the mass. Fill the Jar with water, take a fork and use it to loosen the sprout mass. If the Jar is too full, transfer them to a bigger container for the loosening. Keep breaking up the mass at every rinse or 2 after that too.
Maximum dry seed per Quart = 4 Tablespoons.
One issue folks have with these sprouts is that they expect them to be green. There are almost always - regardless of the sprouting method - some sprouts which will not turn green. Our advice is: Live with it! Most will green if you don't over-crowd the sprouter (use 2 Tbs. or less of seed) - and those that don't are still plenty delicious, nutritious and they add beauty (yellow goes well with green and white!) too. Leafy sprouts will do better if they are allowed to move freely, so break up the mass on day 4 and 5 and maybe 6. Fill the Jar with water and kinda pull the mass apart with a fork type implement. It isn't a critical issue with the Leafy Sprouts, but it doesn't hurt.
Maximum dry seed per Quart = 3.5 Tablespoons.
Garlic, Leek and Onion require no extra work - just be sure to drain the Jar well after each rinse so that the seeds/sprouts aren't sitting in water (not only will those that sit in water sprout poorly - they'll smell REALLY bad!) and remember - these all take up to 2 weeks to finish sprouting so keep rinsing and draining!
Maximum dry seed per Quart = 5 Tablespoons.
Follow Seed and Sprouter instructions.
Maximum dry seed per Quart = 2.5 cups.
Follow Seed and Sprouter instructions.
Maximum dry seed per Quart = 2.5 cups.
Pre-Sprouting Only!
Maximum dry seed per Quart = 2.5 cups.
Pre-Sprouting only!
Screw Lid on Jar.
Wait, believe it or not, there's more.......
All of our Plastic Screen Lids will fit any Wide-Mouth Mason Jar - which are the only Jars we sell.
The Stainless Steel Screen (pictured here) comes with a plastic ring which does not quite fit a Wide-Mouth Jar. It does snap on, but does not screw on! If you snap it on the only problem is getting it off. The only problem in getting it off is hurting you fingernails - so - don't use your nails - use the pads of your thumbs to push the green plastic ring up. Works like a charm.Alternatively you can use another ring to hold the Screen on the Jar. We often use standard chrome plated canning rings (which we usually send you when you order a Stainless Steel Screen) as they are the perfect fit. They will rust eventually, so go to the store and buy another dozen for $1. OR, you can use a wide mesh plastic screen lid (the red one in the picture at the top of the page) with the Stainless Steel Screen inside it. That is also a perfect fit!
Though it might sound like the Stainless Steel Screen is too much of a pain, it is worth it! Because it is Stainless Steel as opposed to Plastic, it is thin so water passes through it better - both going into and out of the Jar. If you are committed to Jar sprouting you should definitely have at least one Stainless Steel Screen in your collection!
To see how to use the different mesh sizes come back up here.
Cleaning: Scrub well between crops with soap and water. Rinse well!
Sterilize: Scrub and soak in bleach water. We do this every 3 - 4 crops because a clean sprouter produces better sprouts a sterile sprouter is a great place to begin a crop.
170 Mendell St.
San Francisco, CA 94124
Toll Free:
877/777-6887
(877/SPROUTS)
We only use the phone for emergencies.
Back in 2001 we were still using the phone. One day I was talking to a long-time customer while pushing my (then 4 year old) daughter on the swing in our backyard (this is what a mom n' pop business is like on the internet). It dawned on me that my priorities were severely messed up, so I stopped using the phone. I love to talk and I love to help, but my family would never see me if I picked up the phone again, and that's just wrong don't you think?!
The very best way to contact us is through E-mail =:-)
We are quite fast and VERY thorough. We love to help.
We have been an internet only business since 2001. We are not a big corporation. We are but 2 people, Mom n' Pop Sprout. We decided after years of juggling our family's (kids, dogs, cats and even our own) needs, and the needs of Sproutpeople, that we had to make more time for our kids, so we stopped talking on the phone. All calls go to voice mail and have since 2001.
We are very fast to fill orders and answer e-mail, and though we wish we could make the time to talk, we just can't seem to get more minutes into a each hour. We are many years older than when we started and our days are too short and made up of too few hours to do everything. This limitation in our business has not kept us from pleasing our customers, nor from growing (as we have every year since 1993). We do what we do as well as we can, and we think we do it very well indeed.
We appreciate your patronage more than we can say. We ask that you use the phone for emergencies only and that you search our site for answers before e-mailing us. This site is bigger than any 4 sprout books put together, it is always available and it is free, and we know that almost all questions are answered here.
Thanks again for your support and your many kind words.
Sproutpeople