Buying seed in the small Yates packets turns out to be expensive – you need to use at least a couple of teaspoons of seed to get a useful quantity of sprouts. I’m going to try and get a larger seed packet from a health food shop or a nursery.
I’ve found that when you rinse the alfalfa, the shoots float to the top and the unsprouted seeds sink to the bottom of the jar. This makes it a lot easier to separate them for serving.
| Yates (seed) |
Salad Alfalfa. Alfalfa or lucerne is a real health food. It is rich in many nutrients, has high levels of vitamins and minerals. Excellent to eat in salads, sandwiches or with many dishes.
How To Use: Use a large coffee or jam jar.
- Place the seed in the jar, soak in tepid water for about 3 hours, covering the top of the jar with either muslin, cheesecloth or a cotton handkerchief.
- Pour off the water, placing the jar on a slant which will allow good drainage and ventilation.
- Fill the jar twice a day with tepid water, shake well and then drain off.
- In about 3-5 days, sprouts should be ready to be eaten.
- Once sprouted, sprouts can be refrigerated for about one week without losing flavour, provided they are placed in an airtight container.
18 Nov 2001: I started another batch, with about twice as much seed this time.
17 Nov 2001: Ate the alfalfa. There was only a few forkfulls, though – next time I’ll use a lot more!
11 Nov 2001: I soaked about half a teaspoon of alfalfa seeds in water to start the germination process, then poured them into a glass jar with a piece of fine gauze over the top. I drained them, then rinsed them twice a day. About 6 days later, the alfalfa was ready to eat. There wasn’t very much, though – next time I’ll use a lot more seed!
