As I’ve told you, I’m a sprouter from way back… The clean, living crunch of freshly sprouted vegetable, spice and legume seeds just can’t be beat!! And they’re So good for you!!
But… Last year in an attempt to heal my body.. And halt the onset of some pretty serious medical conditions… I veered sharply away from the Vegan/Vegetarian diet that had failed to keep me healthy for forty years. After reading the Wahl’s Protocol, I was convinced that including animal protein in my diet was the only way to get well!!! So immediately I began the Auto Immune Paleo Protocol… Removing many foods that I had believed were healthy for me… One of the most painful was legumes! After 40 years of using beans as my main source of protein, learning that the Phytic acids and ant-nutrients that dried beans contained, now made them something to avoid!! And I did!! Scrupulously!! And I felt great!!!
But I missed them… After following the protocol for 8 months I began adding restricted foods back into my diet.. I was concerned about the legumes since suffering with digestive issues for decades.. Knowing that soaking legumes removed much of the Phytic acid, and that sprouting made them more digestible… I went a step further… What if you could ferment them, and make them even more gut friendly, and add the probiotics that we all need??
And it worked!!!! I took freshly sprouted mungbean sprouts and lentil sprouts, added brine and spices.. and a whole new world emerged!!! The photo at the top of my blog is actually mungbean sprouts fermenting in curry and spice brine!!
These are so outstanding it’s difficult to describe!!! They are crisp, crunchy, raw, alive, spicy, fresh and just plain delicious!!! And the best thing is??? They are totally easy to digest!!! I personally eat them with breakfast and lunch (more about those crazy meals later…) and I serve them to my family on a salad, or made into a salad at dinnertime. Even people who were not huge sprout fans love these!!! Give them a try!! You’ll see what I mean!!
Spiced Fermented Sprouts
Seriously looking forward to giving these a go! Fibromyalgia is going to be kicked to the kerb 😉
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I think people really discount the value of diet when dealing with “fibromyalgia” Simply removing gluten, dairy, soy, processed food and above all Sugar of all types makes a huge difference!!! Utilizing fermented foods and healing the gut is invaluable!!!
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I’ve sprouted fenugreek, so into the fermenting world they go 🙂
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Fabulous!!! I think you’ll like them!!!
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So can I buy any bag of lentils and sprout them. Love sprouts but a lady said I can get salmonella from them so I stopped. Is the salmonella thing true and if so can fermenting cure that problem
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The trick is finding a bag that’s fresh enough!! If they’re old they won’t sprout!! Buy them at a store that sells lots of them!! The whole salmonella sprout scare originated from grocery stores selling outdated alfalfa sprouts. When you sprout seeds and legumes and spices at home you keep them clean, rinse them often and don’t run the risk of contamination!!! If you wish you can add a 1/2 tsp of food grade hydrogen peroxide while soaking the seeds… I did it once.. It wasn’t necessary!! As long as you take care of your sprouts you won’t have to worry!!!
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this is awesome! Can I use a muslin cloth instead of coffee filter to cover it??
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Absolutely you can!! The fibers of the muslin would be perfect.. Now, cheesecloth I wouldn’t use, the fibers might fall into the ferment and cause problems!!
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Thanks so much for this article & recipe! My fenugreek sprouts have been in the fridge for a day or so… can i take them out and still ferment them at this point? Thanks!
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Why not give it a try?? I’ve never done it, but don’t see why it wouldn’t work!!
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I just fermented some broccoli and broccoli brassica sprouts in a simple brine of Herbamare and Bragg Sprinkle. They taste really good and are still somewhat crunchy. The health benefits of fermented sprouts must be significant!
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Good for you!! Oh absolutely the health benefits Rock!! A green living food plus all the benefits of fermentation?? A win win situation if you ask me!
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saved this a while ago and finally got to read it. Would love to know, can you reuse the fermenting juice once you eat the sprouts or do you have to start over every time?
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Never re-use old brine.. especially from sprouts! Chances are you’ll have some Phytic acid left in the liquid and it should be tossed… Old brine from veggies or krauts can be used as salad dressing or gutshots!! 🙂
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thanks for your response about reusing. I’m getting ready to try this for the first time and have a couple more questions. I noticed that you do not add any “starter” or probiotics so what makes them ferment? 2nd question: Can you buy sprouts from the store and use them this way?
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No.. Lacto-fermentation just doesn’t involve adding starters.. You never would add one to any vegetable ferment.. Salt is all you need… And no, you wouldn’t use store bought sprouts… They’re not fresh…
Check out this link for more on lacto-fermentation..
http://www.nourishingdays.com/2009/07/the-benefits-of-fermented-food-lacto-fermented-vegetables/
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Have you ever sprouted chia seeds? Do you think they would need to be fermented or could I just eat them as is (sprouts)
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I have sprouted them.. they’re not easy since they’re so mucilaginous.. but it can be done… and no, you won’t have to ferment them at all!!
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I cannot wait to give this a try. This recipe was on a Facebook page (with your site cited) and so I googled you up and have found a treasure of recipes, musings, faith and love. I’m looking forward to many hours of reading! Be blessed!
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