How to sprout alfalfa in a mason jar

What you need

• A wide-mouth quart mason jar. Clear glass, so you can see how they're doing.
• A sprouting lid or screen that lets water drain while the seeds stay in. The BTL sprouting lid clips under a standard wide-mouth ring.
• Sprouting seeds. Buy seeds sold for sprouting, not garden seeds, which can be treated with chemicals.
• Cool, clean water and a spot out of direct sun.

Step by step

1. Measure the seeds (day 0). Use about 2 tablespoons of alfalfa seeds for a quart jar. They grow to fill it, so don't add more.
2. Rinse, then soak (optional). Rinse the seeds, then cover them with a few inches of cool water. Soaking is optional, but give them at least a few minutes. You can soak for up to 8 hours or overnight.
3. Drain well. Pour out the soak water through the lid, rinse once more, and drain completely. Standing water is what causes most problems.
4. Turn the jar upside down. Straight upside down or tipped at an angle both work, as long as there's room underneath for water to drain out. A bowl or dish rack works well and lets air flow.
5. Rinse 1 to 2 times a day (days 1–4). Fill with cool water, swirl, drain fully, and turn the jar back over. Morning and evening is plenty. Rinse as many times as you want: extra rinses only help, and it can be pretty therapeutic, but more than twice a day usually isn't needed.
6. Green them up (only if needed). When most sprouts are about an inch long with small leaves, check their color. If they grew in complete darkness, set the jar in indirect light for a few hours to a day and the leaves will turn green. If they've been growing in indirect light, they're likely green already and you can skip this.
7. Remove hulls (optional). Tip the sprouts into a large bowl of water and gently loosen them with your fingers. Empty seed hulls float to the top, where you can skim them off, and unsprouted duds sink to the bottom.
8. Harvest, dry and refrigerate. Give a final rinse, then let them drain and air-dry for a few hours, or pat them dry. Then refrigerate (see storing, below).

Storing your sprouts

Store dry sprouts in a covered container in the fridge, ideally with a paper towel to soak up moisture. They're best within about 5 days. Toss any that look slimy or smell off.

Troubleshooting

• White fuzz around the roots on day 2 or 3? Usually that's root hairs, not mold. They look fuzzy when dry and flatten out when you rinse. Real mold stays fuzzy after rinsing and often smells musty.
• Musty or sour smell? Water is sitting in the jar. Drain more thoroughly, make sure the jar has room underneath to drain, and rinse more often. If the smell stays after rinsing, start over with a clean jar.
• Few seeds sprouting? The seeds may be old, or the water too cold. Fresh seeds usually sprout at well over 90%.
• Sprouts slimy? Too warm or too wet. Rinse with colder water, drain well, and keep the jar out of the sun.

A note on food safety

Raw sprouts grow in warm, humid conditions that bacteria also like. Buy seeds sold for sprouting, keep your jar and lid clean, and rinse with clean water. The FDA recommends that children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system avoid raw sprouts, and cook them instead.

From the shop

Mason Jar Sprouting Lid Kit

$11.00

A sprouting lid for wide-mouth mason jars plus alfalfa seeds for two batches.

• Fits wide-mouth jars
• ~40 g alfalfa seeds