Grow Your Own Sunflower Sprouts Using Cerra Alkaline Water

Sunflower seeds are so nutritious but did you know that you can grow your own sprouts that you can eat fresh, giving yourself a source of enzymes, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. This food is a real powerhouse of nutrients that is well worth the effort of growing them. There is nothing like live food to give you high quality nutrition that pack as punch like nothing else can.

To grown your own sunflower sprouts, the method is slightly different than other forms of sprouting, which I cover in another article. You need to go to your local nursery and buy two plant trays. These are the kind that you find two rows of bedding plants sitting in. You will need one with holes in the bottom to let water drain and one that has a solid bottom. You will need two pieces of cheese cloth or unbleached canvas cut to fit the bottom of the tray with holes in it. Canvas actually works better than cheese cloth as the roots of the sprouts will get tangled up in it, where they won’t with the canvas.

Lay one piece of canvas in the bottom of the tray with holes. Put the tray with holes into the solid tray. Reserve the second piece of canvas for use in a day or so. Sprinkle raw unsalted sunflower seeds in the shell over the canvas. Sit the tray on your counter out of the sunlight. Using a jug or bottle, pour water into the tray until the sunflower seeds are covered with water. If you have alkaline, ionized water, it is preferential to use that. Use a pH 7.0-7.5 pH water to soak your seeds and water your sprouts. Poke any that float under the water and let soak overnight. Beside your sink, lift the tray with holes out of the solid tray and let the water drain into the sink. Dump the water out of the solid tray and put the tray with holes back into the solid tray.

Pour more water into the tray until the seeds are submerged again. Change the water twice a day, until the seeds start to sprout. Once the seeds begin to sprout, empty the water out of the bottom tray, rinse the sprouts in the tray with the holes. Wet the other piece of canvas and lay it over the sprouted seeds. Rinse the seeds twice a day and replace the canvas until the first leaves begin to appear, then remove the canvas until two leaves are about the size of your smallest finger nail. Your sprouts are now ready to eat. Sunflower sprouts can be added to your juices, salads, sandwiches and wraps. You can eat them out of hand or you can mix them into your soup, just before you eat it. They are full of vitamins, including A, B-complex, D and E. They also contain lots of minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus and zinc. Sunflower sprouts are also an awesome source of lecithin which helps convert fatty acids into a more easily digestible form that is water soluble. The green in the sprouts is chlorophyll which helps build blood, reduces inflammation, activates enzymes, deodorizes the body and revitalizes cells. Sunflower sprouts also contain protein, which is easy to digest. You can eat them usually within 5 to 7 days.

To store uneaten sprouts, wash them, then drain them, wrap them in paper towel or a clean kitchen towel, put them in a plastic bag and refrigerate them. You can re-rinse them and rewrap them every couple of days to maintain their freshness.

By rinsing the canvas, you can start your next batch and have them ready to eat by the time you have eaten this batch. By eating fresh sprouts on a regular basis you are providing your body with one of the great super foods.