Sprouter Review

We used to have a sprouter that we loved. It broke and we were left needing to replace it. We had used jars before to sprout seed but it just didn't work as well as our fancy schmancy sprouter. Most all sprouters seem to follow the same basic design, some kind of plastic tray with holes in the bottom. However, it didn't end up being so easy to find a replacement. We bought two sprouters that we didn't like. The seeds seem to either mold in them or just didn't sprout very well.

Last month while at our local health food store, we decided to give it another try. The name of the sprouter we bought is the Sprout Garden. It cost about $25 retail and came with a small bag of alfalfa seeds to sprout. The sprout garden consists of 3 pretty large size round trays (7" in diameter), with four covers/drainers. The trays are stackable, which is nice. All in all, you can use this sprouter to grow a good amount of sprouts without taking up a lot of counter space. The box claims that you can grow four pounds of sprouts in it but we haven't tried that large of an amount so far.

So far, we've been extremely happy with this sprouter. The trays drain well and the pieces seem pretty durable. We've started numerous sprouts in it in an assortment of sizes, from small alfalfa seeds to large bean seeds and have not had any problems.

A quick refresher for those that it's been a while since you've sprouted your own seeds. We soak ours overnight first. Then basically it's a cycle of rinse and drain. Sprouts take from 3-5 days depending on the seed. A good rule of thumb is the bean seeds are ready in about 3 days, you don't want the root to get too long on them and the smaller leafy sprouts like alfalfa and broccoli take about 5 days. Keep the sprouts covered for the first couple of days and then take the covers off and allow sprouts to green up in a sunny location the last day or so. This sprouter came with a basic instruction sheet and a chart to give the amount of days until ready.

You can buy this sprouter online, if it's not carried in your local health food store. Wheatgrasskits.com carries them along with the website The Canning Pantry. I've never bought from either of these places, so, I'm not endorsing them. I'm just letting you know they carry this product.

Our current favorite place to buy seed online is the Sprout People. They have some great mixes.