I have been sprouting seeds and grains indoors for years. But, somehow it has taken me this long to finally figure out a consistent way to make happy, healthy, crunchy sprouts on a consistence basis.

Well, I shouldn't really say that I figured it out because in reality I had heard of this tip before and had never bothered to try. Simply rotating the jars that the sprouts are grown has changed everything!!

Yes, that is the secret. Instead of storing the sprouts in jars right side up simply rotating the jars to their sides has made all the difference.

Though I have grown sprouts without this little trick, in the last few months I was noticing the whole process wasn't getting consistent results. As these past few months have been rainy and humid the sprouts haven't been growing as well and often accumulated at the bottom of the jar and began to grow mold.

Success growing sprouts deepens on a few key factors: frequent cleaning, sufficient space for the sprouts, and an ideal humidity (not too much nor to little). If you are new to sprouting, read on for a step by step guide.

Sprouting 101 ~

Alfalfa seeds, fenugreek, lentils, quinoa and many other seeds and grains can be sprouted at home, indoors, without sunlight or soil. These sprouted grains are a more nutritious form than the un-sprouted seed and add a unique texture and freshness to meals.

In these photos I am sprouting both fenugreek and alfalfa seeds which are the most accessible to me at this time. I buy them at a local health food store and soak three spoonfuls of the seeds in a jar of water overnight. The next morning I wash and drain the seeds then cover the jar with a clean cotton cloth secured with a rubber band.

From then on the seeds need to be washed twice a day. I do this by filling each jar with water, waiting for about 5 minutes then draining the jar completely of the water using a metal sieve.

Thorough draining is really important, I truly cannot understate this. Leaving too much water in the jar will result in moldy sprouts which smell terrible!!

Washing the sprouts twice a day is quite important. I do this while I prepare lunch then again during my dinner prep time. Once in a while I forget and only wash them once in a day which is fine but not ideal. At this time in my life I use sprouts everyday for breakfast in omelettes or in salads at lunch time. So, I wash and harvest sprouts at the same time as part of my daily food prep routine.

Sprouts double, triple, and quadruple in size in the process from seed to sprout and so during washing I change out their jars, or divide the sprouts into multiple jars as needed.

Now comes the essential step that has changed everything. Previously I stored the jars right side up ~ with the flat part of the jar down. This meant that excess water pooled at the bottom of the jar along with a mass of seeds leading to mold.

These days I am storing the jars side ways which evens out the excess humidity and gives the seeds more surface room to spread out. And that has been a total game changer.

With this small adjustment in my sprouting routine I now have a consistent crop of fresh food that I don't need to go outside and search for. The process requires about 15 minutes of my time each day, or rather about 7 minutes two times day. But, I don't have to leave my kitchen nor do I have to worry about pests and the elements. My little organic garden grows right on my shelf, in sideways jars.

And now I am wondering, is there any aspect of your food prep routine that has improved greatly due to one slight adjustment? Let me know in the comments <3