Grow your own salad fixin's

Have you ever gone to make a salad, and said to yourself, "self, I would love to throw some sprouts in here."  But alas, you didn't have any.  Did you know you can grow them yourself?  I just finished eating a batch I grew in the kitchen, that's why I got to thinking.  Maybe you would like to know how easy this is.  Two of my favorites are Alfalfa and Mung Bean.  You can get the seeds just about anywhere online, or take a swing down to Whole Foods.  The packets may seem small, but they really do last.  Then get yourself a flat little container with a lid.  I used the container from the last time I bought sushi.  It fit all the requirements and the lid was see-through.  Which is great, because I'm nosy.  I've just got to see what's happening in there.

Now there are many ways of doing this, but one easy way I found was cut a paper towel to fit inside your container.  Spritz it down with water and sprinkle about a tablespoon of your seeds over the towel, with even coverage.  Spritz again.  Put the lid on and wait. A couple times a day your going to swish some water in there and dump it out.  GENTLY!  You don't want to wash the seeds down the drain.  When the seeds sprout leave the cover off and continue to rinse until they are about two inches long.    At this point, they are crunchy and they wear the hulls like little hats.  That's normal.  Rinse again and eat.  If you have any left-overs, put them in the fridge.  And don't eat them if they are brown, slimy, or have a smell.  Yuk!  Just the thought.  But I'm sure you will eat these up before it even comes to that point.  I have now saved you a trip to the store.  Happy?