Easy Sprout
The Parts:
1) Growing Vessel
2) Base (solid)
3) Small Seed Insert
4) Dome Lid
5) Flat (storage) Lid
6) Flat Vented Travel Lid (not pictured)
The Easy Sprout has a 1 quart growing capacity.
It can produce up to 1 pound of Alfalfa/Clover Sprouts or 2 pounds of Bean or Grain Sprouts.
Excess water drains into the solid base (though you still need to drain thoroughly), so you can leave it anywhere without worrying about making a mess.
As of September, 2000 the Easy Sprout includes improvements and an additional part - Now you can sprout while travelling!
With the new snap on Vented Flat Lid (which looks just like #5 in the picture above, except that it has holes in it) and a simple re-design which allows great air circulation even with the Growing Vessel sitting down in the Solid Base, you can take your Easy Sprout(s) everywhere you go!
Eat More Sprouts + Grow More Often - Easily!
Seeds to Sprout
In the Easy Sprout
The Easy Sprout is able to sprout just about any seed well.
That is a big part of why we recommend it so highly.
These seeds are a Perfect match for the Easy Sprout:
Leafy Sprouts: Alfalfa/Clover and Mixes - All
Alliums - Garlic, Leek and Onion
Beans - All (see Mung Note below)
Mung Beans - It is only the inability to keep light out that is problematic, but that is outweighed by the perfection of the shape, drainage and ability to apply weight. Invert the Dome Lid (dome down into Growing Vessel) while sprouting and put weight on or in it. You should soak 1 cup of Mung Beans if you want to grow the biggest thickest roots as the mass created by the high volume of beans will aid in the root growth.
Brassicas - Broccoli, Radish, Mustard, Cabbage, etc.
Grains - All
Nuts and Seeds - Almonds, Pumpkins, Peanuts, Sunflower, etc.
Pre-Sprout
The Easy Sprout is also a great Pre-Sprouter for: Grass, Greens and certain Micro-Greens.
The Easy Sprout is a great Pre-Sprouter for these items, but it is not designed to grow these crops to completion:
Grass - Neither Grass nor Greens will grow well, in the Easy Sprout, but it can be a fun experiment.
Grass will grow without soil and can stay moist in the Easy Sprout - and get quite tall. It takes longer without soil, but in theory you can juice the entire mass (grass, grains and roots) so it may be worth a try - just for the fun of it.
These Greens can work as an experiment:
Buckwheat Lettuce
Pea Shoots
Radish Greens
Spicy Salad Greens
The depth of the device is the only issue, but they all grow well without water, so give it a try if you're looking to experiment.
Difficult to Impossible:
Other Greens and Micro-Greens will not work well - even as an experiment. Most require more horizontal freedom and some (the sunflowers especially) do much better with soil. But - don't let us stop you from trying!
Easy Sprout
Sprouting Instructions
Specific Sprouting Instructions are found on
the page devoted to the Seed or Mix you are interested in.
Below are the specifics of the Easy Sprout
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.
Since the Easy Sprout drains from the bottom it is the perfect device for cleaning your seeds prior to soaking. If you are sprouting small seeds, snap the Small Seed Insert into the bottom of the Growing Vessel. Put your seeds in the Growing Vessel and run water through them until the water runs clear.
Place the Growing Vessel - now with clean seeds - into the Solid Base. 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.
It is optimal to remove the Growing Vessel and hold it under your tap or sprayer. This allows you to use water pressure (we like our water pressure high). Make sure all of the sprouts get thoroughly wet by moving the Easy Sprout or by moving your tap or sprayer. As an average we will run water through for about 15-20 seconds at every Rinse, but there is no hard rule. Always use cool (60 - 70°) water unless instructed otherwise by your seed supplier.
Sprouting
In between Rinsing and Draining your Easy Sprout does best while set up with the Growing Vessel sitting higher than the Solid Base and with the Dome Lid resting on the Growing Vessel's lip (the Dome Lid may be dome up or dome down - it makes no difference). But, since all Easy Sprouts sold since fall of 2000 include a new design you have the option of 1. Not elevating the Growing Vessel and 2. Using the Flat Vented Lid instead of the Dome Lid (The Flat Vented Lid was designed specifically for Travel Sprouting), so do as you will.
Bounce the Growing Vessel against the side of your sink, Shake it, Spin it. You can't break this wonderful device so go for it! Get all the water out after each rinse because as we know - seeds will not germinate in standing water and sprouts that sit in water will rot - which really smells bad.
Seed Specific
Sprouting Instructions
If you have a particular seed type in mind,
read on to discover further details of Easy Sprouting that seed type.
Refer to the seed's main information page for detailed instructions.
Beans
Follow instructions on this page and on the seed's page for all beans. If you wish to grow big thick rooted Mung Bean sprouts - see below....
Maximum dry seed to Soak is 2 cups - that will fill the Easy Sprout.
Mung Bean
Mungs will grow bigger thicker roots if weight is applied to them. Invert the Dome Lid (dome facing down into Growing Vessel) while sprouting and put weight on or in it. You should soak 1.3 cups of Mung Beans if you want to grow the biggest thickest roots as the mass created by the high volume of beans will aid in the root growth. Use a plate or other object that can rest on or in the inverted Dome Lid - experiment to see what works best for you in your climate and at different times of year - but start by trying an object that weighs 1 - 2 pounds. When your sprouts are so big that the inverted Dome Lid can no longer rest on them set the lid dome up and continue sprouting - the mass of sprouts will do the rest.
The other key to Mung sprouting is to keep the seeds/sprouts in place. Rinse with a sprayer if possible and keep the water pressure low enough to keep the beans from moving. This will make the roots grow down (it's a nature thing) and because space is tight the roots will grow thicker (it's a mung thing). Mungs are the only bean sprout we do this with. Here:
After the initial rinse - following the soak period - apply weight to the beans by resting a 1 - 2 lb. object in/on the inverted Dome Lid. When you rinse 8 -12 hours later use a gentle spray - drain well but keep the seeds movement to a minimum. Re-apply the weight. 8 - 12 hours later rinse and drain again keeping the seed/sprout movement to a minimum. Keep repeating this rinse/drain/weight thing until the weight can no longer rest on the inverted Dome Lid. Discard the weight and just rinse and drain until your sprouts are done - which is usually 4 - 5 days.
Maximum dry seed to Soak is 2 cups for small swwet Mungs or
1.3 cups for big thick Mungs.
Brassicas
Broccoli, Radish, Cabbage, Mustard, etc. need to move while sprouting or they will form a root mass which is at least unpleasant and often lessens the sprouts' quality. Solution: Rinse with high water pressure. The intent is to make the sprouts "dance". Often by day 3 or 4 your sprouts will be in too tight a mass for the water pressure to dislodge them, so take a fork or use your hands to loosen them up. Alternately, you can transfer the sprouts to the Solid Base, fill it with water, use the fork or hand - it is often easier to break up the mass while they are in water. Keep breaking up the mass at every rinse.
Maximum dry seed to Soak is 4 Tablespoons.
Leafy Sprouts
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!). These also will do better if they are allowed to move freely, so break up the mass on day 4 and 5. It is not a critical issue with the Leafy Sprouts, but it does have the added benefit of allowing hulls to float away if you break them apart while submerged in water.
Maximum dry seed to Soak is 4 Tablespoons.
Alliums
Garlic, Leek and Onion require no extra work - just be sure to knock the Easy Sprout well after each rinse so that the seeds/sprouts aren't sitting in water and remember - these all take up to 2 weeks to finish sprouting so keep rinsing and draining!
Maximum dry seed to Soak is 5 Tablespoons.
Grains
Follow Seed and Sprouter instructions.
Maximum dry seed to Soak is 2.5 cups.
Nuts and Seeds
Follow Seed and Sprouter instructions.
Maximum dry seed to Soak is 2.5 cups.
Grass and Greens
If you insist on trying this, start with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of seed and allow it to form into a mass by not rinsing with high pressure water. Roots will form and plants will grow. Remember - we did not suggest this was a good idea so don't complain to us about how it comes out - speaking of which - be careful to remove the roots by cutting or you might break this un-breakable sprouter.
Pre-Sprout Maximum dry seed to Soak is 2.5 cups.
Micro-Greens
You really should not even try this - it won't be pretty!
If sprouting small seeds like Alfalfa, Clover and Broccoli
snap the Small Seed Insert into the bottom of the Growing Vessel.
For Soaking: Place Growing Vessel in recessed position inside of Solid Base.
The Growing Vessel (1) is now in a recessed position where the rim of the Base (2) is higher than the Growing Vessel.
When Rinsing: Remove the Growing Vessel and hold under your tap or sprayer.
While Sprouting:
1) Make sure the "Hangers" on the outside rim of the Growing Vessel are sitting on top of "Bumps" inside of the Solid Base. (See it up close)
The new design (all sprouters which included a vented flat lid) makes it theoretically unnecessary to elevate the Growing Vessel during sprouting, but we still think it is good practice to do so when growing at home - especially in the Summer when any extra air circulation is helpful.
2) Rest the Dome Lid - in the upright position - on the lip of the Growing Vessel.
This is how the Easy Sprout looks while you are sprouting.
The Dome Lid (4) rests on top of the Growing Vessel (1).
The Growing Vessel is in its elevated position for optimal air circulation.
Though the new design (all sprouters which included a vented flat lid) makes it theoretically unnecessary to elevate the Growing Vessel during sprouting, it is still optimal to do so.
Travelling or Not: You may set the Growing Vessel inside the Solid Base and snap the Vented Flat Lid onto the Solid Base. Though the Vented Flat Lid is specifically for Travel Sprouting, it can be used at home - if you insist.
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 and because the sprouter looks better when clean (it discolors when sprouting any pigmented seeds).
SPROUTPEOPLE®
170 Mendell St.
San Francisco, CA 94124
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