Sprouting lentils?

[Valley Oak]

I'm trying to learn a good method for sprouting lentils but none of the ones I've come across on the Internet seem to work for me. What do you do? How?

I have learned that sprouted lentils have a greatly increased nutritional value as well as becoming much more digestible as a result of being sprouted.

[Suzanne]

I do this all the time with organic lentils from the bulk section at Community Market or Olivers.
(not all beans will sprout) They are on sale at Olivers for 99/lb this week.

Mason jar with a wire mesh insert (bought at Community Mkt)
1 cup dry lentils
fill jar with filtered water

Place wire mesh on top and secure with the metal lid ring.
Cover with towel and place in dark room temp location for overnight (12 hours)

Rinse well and tilt so water drips out the mesh and the lentils fall down toward the mesh.
(I place the jar in a oblong plastic container with the rear in the air and the lid on the bottom) Cover for 12 hours. Rinse well and tilt and cover for another 12 hours. Keep rinsing and covering until good size tails appear. Mine are usually sprouted in one day.
Good final rinse, put on air tight lid and keep the fridge.

Good luck.
Suzanne

[Shoshannama]

Easy... Fill a wide mouth quart canning jar about an inch or so with french green lentils (preferred) or the regular kind. Fill with water and soak in the morning for about 6 hours, or until they no longer have wrinkles. You can soak overnight, but try not to soak more than 8 hours. Drain by holding your hand over them, or buy a sprouting lid with a screen, or use a canning ring and cut screen or cheesecloth to fit. Wrap in a kitchen towel and place upside-down on the counter at an angle, so they can drain but still get some air. The towel isn't absolutely necessary, but keeping them in the dark grows longer sprouts. Rinse and invert twice a day, 3 times if it's really warm (not here!). Depending upon the temperature, they are ready to eat in about 3 days, but you can eat them anytime they have a tail. If you let them go too long they will grow some leaves, and are no longer good to eat. Eat raw on salad or rice or make into a salad with veggies and oil and vinegar. Ta da!

I'm trying to learn a good method for sprouting lentils but none of the ones I've come across on the Internet seem to work for me. What do you do? How?

I have learned that sprouted lentils have a greatly increased nutritional value as well as becoming much more digestible as a result of being sprouted.

[ShapeShifter]

I recently bought a Fresh Life Sprouter and it works fabulous for all kinds of sprouting. It has a well of water and a little pump that sends water up thru a little sprinker and waters and drains the sprouts several times a day keeping them moist and drained. I put mung and lentil together with chic pea and its a delicous mix. the bin has 4 sections and I have two (tower) so i can have 8 different kinds at once or make a mix... It's awesome, and I highly recommend if you are serious about sprouting. It takes all the hard work and guess work out and does a perfect job each time... as you know it costs several dollars for a little tray of sprouts at the store (brocolli, whatever) and only pennies for huge amounts home made. It's worth the investment. I've personally made pounds and pounds of sprouts with it, and love it... I eat them as salad every day, the most nutrient dense food next to algae... google it... Fresh life sprouter... good luck! it's worth the investment if you are serious and don't have time to shake a jar several times a day... oh, you just change the water once per day (1 minute) and in 2 days you have great sprouts, let em go longer and the tail get's longer, also good. different sprouts take more or less time, lentils are ready in 36-48 hours depending how you like them... I buy sprouts from Mums online... good diversity, good prices. https://www.freshlifesprouter.com/main.asp

I'm trying to learn a good method for sprouting lentils but none of the ones I've come across on the Internet seem to work for me. What do you do? How?

I have learned that sprouted lentils have a greatly increased nutritional value as well as becoming much more digestible as a result of being sprouted.

[Valley Oak]

What I have done is to keep the lentils completely submerged in water the whole time. Then I would pour the water out and fill it back up again to repeat the process for about three days.

Is submerging the lentils a mistake?

[Suzanne]

Is submerging the lentils a mistake?

> Do you get tails on the lentils? do they taste good raw?
> Water is not "the way". My understanding is the role of the water (after
> the first 12 hour soak) is to rinse the bacteria off the seeds and to keep
> them moist. So being submerged in water the entire time means they are
> not exposed to oxygen etc.
>
> You might try the conventional way and see what you get and then decide
> which one you prefer.
>
> Your email caused me to double check and here's the basic instructions
> from the sprouting people in San Francisco (I guess they are experts? lol)
> https://www.sproutpeople.com/seed/print/lentils.html

[Suzanne]

Raw: sprinkle on salads
blend with hummus etc. to make healthy dip

I also lightly steam them.

For some reason I love lentils with curry sauce, curry salad dressing etc.

Enjoy!
Suzanne

[Valley Oak]

Apparently, yes, you can eat them raw if you go through the procedure correctly. People use the lentils raw (properly sprouted) in salads and in other ways.

So, then what? Does one eat them raw or should they then be cooked?