Broccoli Sprouts

How to sprout broccoli seeds:

Food grade seeds may be sprouted in a 1 quart sterilized Mason jar and screen that has been sterilized by placing upside down in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Once the jar is cool, 4 tablespoons of seeds should be placed in the jar. The screen should allows water to freely flow out but the seeds to remain in the jar. The screen should be secured by the outside ring of the lid with the seeds open to air. Use fresh cold tap water to soak the seeds for 4 to 8 hours in a dark location, then drain. Rinse the seeds by filling the jar with the water and then drain twice in a row every 12 hours from start to finish. Other than the double rinse every 12 hours the jar should be kept inverted with open side downward inside a bowel at a 45 degree angle  in the dark as seen above.  You may need to test different bowls so the jar stays at that angle. When the sprouts are larger it takes 2 minutes to fully drain the jar. You can leave the jar in the bowl after draining most of the water but then remove the remaining water after the jar sits in the bowl after 2-5 minutes. It is OK if there is a layer of water up to 1/4 inch in the bottom of the bowl at all times but the seeds or sprouts should not stay sitting in water. A glass bowl is best to allow more indirect light to hit the sprouts. For the next 3 to 4 days, leave them 2 feet from a window in indirect light. Direct light will ruin them. Again, a glass bowel is best to allow indirect light to permeate to the seeds. If the jar is not rinsed for over 18 hours or if the seeds or sprouts are left in bright direct sunlight, the sprouts may die and grow bacteria. In this case, the entire jar should be discarded. If left in direct light, the sprouts will die, become malodorous and will turn gray in which case they should also be discarded. The sprouts can be eaten day 3 through day 6 since the seeds were placed in the jar. The best time to eat them is on day 5 or day 6. On day 5 or 6, after rinsing thoroughly, the sprouts should be teased out of the jar with a fork then placed in the fridge open to air for 24 hours then a lid should be placed over them loosely to allow some air exchange. The moisture should be allowed to dry out. A 2 inch layer of sprouts in a container inside the fridge is ideal to allow them to dry. They can be eaten over the course of a week. It is important to follow the procedure properly and make sure the seed supplier is providing food grade seeds, or the sprouts from non-food grade seeds for garden can make a person quite ill. There have been reports of the seeds being contaminated with E. coli from the supplier or by the person preparing the seeds. The sulforaphane in one sprout is equivalent to the entire amount in an entire broccoli plant, therefore the sprouts are quite strong in flavor and may cause mild indigestion at first for even small amounts, therefore increase the amount slowly as tolerated. Take small amounts at first, and mix with salad or other foods, and increase the amount slowly as desired.