Urban Survival Secrets

Sprouting for Survival

In your long term (greater than 72 hour kit) you should ensure you have a sprouting kit.  Sprouts are a nutritionally dense form of food which will help you with overall nutritional needs during an extended emergency.Sprouting is very easy.  To start the sprouting process, first make sure the containers you use are cleaned and rinsed thoroughly.  Then, soak whatever seeds you plan to use (in many sprouting kits a recommended soak time sheet is included.)  After your soaking is complete, drain the seeds and rinse two to three times a day to prevent the seeds/sprouts from going sour.  Please note that the warmer the temperatures outside, the more frequent that rinsing is required.  Store the sprouter in an area which has indirect light so as to allow the sprouts to green up.   After 3 to 7 days your sprouts are ready to eat. There are some types of seeds which should not be used for sprouting (the list is long.) However, below are a list of seeds which sprout well and can be easily stored (this list is from Wikipedia and I have retained the links as well!)  One of the most common sprouts is that of the mung bean  (Vigna radiata), often sold as ‘Chinese Bean Sprouts’; another common sprout is the alfalfa sprout and the barley sprout.  Other seeds that can be sprouted include adzuki bean, almond, amaranth, annatto seed, anise seed, arugula, basil, navy bean, pinto bean, lima bean, broccoli, buckwheat, cabbage, canola seed, caragana, cauliflower, celery, chia seed, chickpeas, chives, cilantro(coriander, dhania), clover, cress, dill, fennel, fenugreek, flax seed, garlic, hemp seed, kale, kamut, kat, leek, green lentils, lupins,pearl millet, mizuna, mustard, oats, onion, black-eyed peas, green peas, pigeon peas, snow peas, peanut, psyllium, pumpkin, quinoa, radish, rye, sesame, soybean, spelt, sunflower, tatsoi, triticale, watercress, and wheat berries.

As for containers, I have some commercial and home made ones.  For the home made containers, I used some mesh from a local fabric store which is used for cross stitching and is plastic.  It is not very good for the smaller seeds, though works well for grains.  The mesh comes in sheets and I cut it to fit inside the lid of a mason jar.  I will add links to other commercial sprouting containers out there which I have used later.