Alfalfa Sprouts | How to grow, keep fresh and eat

Alfalfa Sprouts have many wonderful health benefits and are a fun way to add pizzaz to any sandwich, salad or wrap.

I personally learned of sprouting alfalfa seeds when I was 13 while helping a family friend.

At first I wasn’t so sure about them but when I tasted a sandwich with fresh alfalfa sprouts in addition to the regular meat, cheese and Mayo….I was hooked! 

Health benefits of Alfalfa Sprouts

Alfalfa Sprouts contain many antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and add a fresh and fun crunch to many types of dishes. There are so many awesome perks to alfalfa Sprouts, if you want to learn more You can read about the health benefits of Alfalfa Sprouts in this in depth post at draxe.com here.

As with any food, You must practice good food safety when growing and eating alfalfa Sprouts. You can read what the CDC has to say on it here.

What you need to sprout alfalfa seeds in a jar

Supplies:
There are just a few things that you need to get started 

• Alfalfa seeds –  I found mine here
• A clean glass jar
• A cover ( lid, plastic wrap, or cheese cloth )
• Window seal with lots of indirect light.

How to sprout alfalfa seeds in a jar

Now that we have our supplies together let’s get get started! 

To start, pour a palm full of alfalfa seeds into your clean glass jar. I usually just “eye” it.

Next, add enough water in the jar to cover the alfalfa seeds.

Swirl the jar a few times then strain the water off. You can use a strainer or even a clean hand.

Cover the jar with cheese cloth or plastic wrap.

Place the jar in a window seal. It is best to keep in the jar in indirect light.

Each day rinse the seeds and strain the water off.

It will take two to three days for the first sprouts to appear. 

The  majority of the seeds should be sprouted between 5-6 days.

Once there are a majority of seeds that have sprouted and you can see the green baby leaves, I like to rinse them first and then transfer the sprouts from the jar to a bowl. 

Adding water to the bowl I then lightly “wash” or swish the sprouts to get what hulls I can to release. 

Scooping up the larger sprouts I’ll place them on a paper towel and lightly pat to dry them. 

Using a fresh dry paper towel, put them in a zip bag or air tight container. 

Place in the refrigerator and use them within 3-5 days.

I like to discard any remaining seeds and hulls in the jar, then start fresh again.

Keeping the Sprouts fresh

In the past I have kept the alfalfa sprouts in the jar without transferring them to the refrigerator, however rinsing them and placing them in the fridge with a paper towel to soak up any excess moisture has proved to keep my alfalfa sprouts fresh longer.

When sitting in the jar too long, the sprouts will start to go bad. It is important to always rinse the seeds well and store the sprouted seeds in the refrigerator until use.

For food safety it is important to always rinse the sprouts well, before consuming them.
Never eat alfalfa sprouts that are limp, smell weird or that are slimy.
Alfalfa seeds sprout in a warm moist environment, the same environment apt to grow bacteria, so be sure to follow up with rinsing each day and storing your sprouted seeds in the refrigerator with a towel. If you notice anything funky, it’s better to be on the cautious side just to be safe.
Some stores stopped carrying alfalfa Sprouts due to a salmonella outbreak a while back. While seeds sprouted at home does not mean they won’t contain bacteria, you can be sure that they are freshly spouted.

How do I eat alfalfa sprouts?

Here are a few ideas for inspiration on how to include alfalfa sprouts in your snacks or meals.

• Sandwiches
• Wraps
• Salads
• On crackers or pretzel 🥨 twists with meat, cheese or cream cheese. 

I like to add Sprouts to any wrap or snack I can include them in. In my opinion, alfalfa Sprouts work best in cold flinches or snacks.

For an example I added my Sprouts to a wrap that I made with homemade sourdough Naan, garlic turmeric chicken, a bit of cheese and ranch dressing. It was so yummy!

Here is a lettuce wrap with chicken, cheddar cheese, almond slices, sprouts and ranch dressing.
The almond and sprouts really made this lettuce wrap so good!

Recap on how to grow alfalfa Sprouts in a jar

• Add Alfalfa seeds to a clean glass jar
• Rinse and strain seeds each day. Recover jar.
• Once seeds have sprouted wash well. 
• Pat dry with kitchen towel or paper towel.
• Place sprouts on a clean paper towel in a zip bag or air tight container.
• Release excess air from zip bag, and seal.
• Store sprouts in the refrigerator.
• Sprouts will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• You can use Alfalfa Sprouts on most any salad, wrap or sandwich.

Key points to remember when growing alfalfa Sprouts at home

For food safety it is important to always rinse the sprouts well, before consuming them.
Never eat alfalfa sprouts that are limp, smell weird or that are slimy.

However with proper handling alfalfa Sprouts can add so many benefits to your dishes and to your diet!

THIS POST WAS ALL ABOUT HOW TO GROW ALFALFA SPROUTS AT HOME

My hope is that you will try sprouting your own alfalfa seeds, and find as much joy growing and eating them as I do.

How do you like to eat alfalfa sprouts? I love new ideas. Please let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this post check out these 5 Simple yet effective homemaking habits that changed my life.

Tags: alfalfa sprouts, food, healthy alternatives, homegrown, lunch ideas, recipes, sprouts, Winter greens