The Damsel recently posted a lesson on growing your own sprouts, and would like to offer this additional safety information from the nice people at Mountain Valley Seeds.
In light of the recent E. coli outbreak in Germany, we thought we would take this opportunity to remind you of the basics of sprouting. Sprouts are tasty and extremely wholesome but, like any raw food, safety precautions should be taken. Below are some helpful and specific instructions so you can sprout safely!
Basic Safety Steps:
- The first step is to ensure that your supplies are clean; water, sprouting vessel and seeds. The quality of water you use should be just as sanitary as the quality of water you drink. As far as your sprouting vessel is concerned, you’ll want to wash it after each use, just like washing dishes after a meal. It is possible that the seeds could also be contaminated and there are a few basic steps to ensure that even your seeds are free from bacteria (for more detailed information, please click on the pdf below).
- As you sprout the seeds, straightforward procedures such as washing your hands, washing the sprouts and properly drying the sprouts before storage can greatly mitigate any bacterial risks. Most of all, use common sense. If something doesn’t smell right or look right don’t eat it!
- For more specific safety information, please click on the Mountain Valley Seed Co Sprout Safety pdf!
Thanks and happy sprouting!
As for drying sprouts, one possible way of doing it would be to place the sprouts in a paper-towel-lined salad spinner. A refrigerator is naturally drying, so sprouts could be spread out on a plate or what-have-you and set, uncovered, in the fridge for a few hours or until dry. Don’t forget them, though! Sprouts should be juicy, not crispy.
