I've had a variety of "sprouters" over the years, but a quart or half-gallon canning jar works just fine, topped with a piece of cheese cloth held on with a rubberband.

I have plastic wide-mouth sprouting lids (Sprout-Ease Econo-Sprouter Toppers) that also work great for wide-mouth canning jars and a wide variety of seeds. They have 3 different size plastic mesh openings, so it's easy to rinse the seeds. I still use cheese cloth for the teeny tiny seeds like alfalfa. I have sprouting tubes and stackable sprouting trays, but I tend to use canning jars and the sprouting lids or cheese cloth. To each their own, I don't think they sprout differently in one container over another.

- Just Google "making sprouts at home" and you find lots of methods and instructions.

- I make sprouts mainly in the months we don't have a home-grown source for fresh veggies (garden or the cold-frame - so about 3 months out of the year) because they are the REAL make-it-at-home, high-nutrition, high-enzyme, fresh vegetable. My little Garden-in-a-Jar.

- I use citric acid in the soaking water (1 t. per quart of water), as well as in the rinse water (1/2 t. per pint). This helps prevent bacteria and mold growth.

- Keep everything CLEAN. Sterilize your sprouter between use. Soak your sprouter for 10-20 minutes in bleach water (1 T. of bleach per pint of water (according to the FDA and local Health Department). You can also use food-grade Hydrogen Peroxide. I tend to use Grapefruit Seed Extract/water solution.

- Keep the sprouting jar in a dark place until the sprouts reach the length you want, then sit them in the light so they develop chlorophyll and turn green, then refrigerate. The chlorophyll is one of the important nutrient compounds contained in sprouts.

- Different seeds require different soaking time (most are fine soaking overnight), and a different number of days to sprout. Sprouting seeds generally come with instructions for use on the package, or sprouting tubes or trays will also come with instructions and/or a chart for most seeds.

- I use distilled water for soaking and rinsing. Some chemicals in tap water can prevent seeds from sprouting.

- I use chia seeds all the time, but didn't have all that much luck sprouting them. You don't soak them first, like other seeds. You "plant" them on a wet medium and keep that damp. They get a gelatinous "blob" around them, so don't sprout in jars. I use chia seeds as a gel (1/3 c. chia seeds to 2 c. water) and add them to vegetable and fruit drinks and always add them to breads. I make Chia "Fudge", and toss them in lots of foods. You can find more recipes for using chia seeds in the book, "The Magic of Chia" - by James F. Scheer.

- Broccoli seeds (from the back of the bottle): Soak 1/4 cup seeds overnight in room temperature water. Drain and put in sprouting jar or other sprouting unit and follow directions for that unit. Store in a dark environment for several days. On about the fourth day, place in indirect sunlight to develop chlorophyll in sprouts. Rinse and drain daily until sprouts are ready ( about 3-5 days) add 1/2 tsp. NOW Citric Acid powder per pint of rinsing water to reduce mold formation.

- Mung beans (or adzuki beans) - 1-cup seeds yields 4 cups sprouts. Rinse 2-4 times/day. Ready in 4 days - 2-3 inches long. They are best grown away from light and under pressure.

-Reference materials:

"The Sprouting Book" and "Recipes for Longer Life" by Ann Wigmore
"Recipes From the Sproutman" and "Kitchen Garden Cookbook" by Steve Meyerowitz

Once you've read the books above, you'll find all kinds of ways to use all kinds of sprouts. Web sites that focus on Raw Foods will also have lots of information and recipes for using sprouts.

Happy sprouting.

-Grainlady

My mom always used an old mayo jar, piece of panty house and a rubber band in the kitchen window..LOL

Thanks Grainlady for your advice. I don't know why but I get intimidated by the simpliest of things. I am going to purchase broccoli and chia seeds. I do have a mason jar, small one, to start. I was also considering purchasing a tray. I found someones directions online that looked pretty easy.

I posted this in another post but is the wheat berries / spelt from whole foods (bulk bin) ok to use for milling. I will try adding the chia gel to bread. I have googled it and see how much nutrition it provides.

Thanks again.