Sprouting!

Happy Labor Day!

I was always kind of intimidated by sprouting in the past. But a month ago, I decided I wanted to give it a try. I felt up to the challenge! And guess what...it's not a challenge at all! Now I haven't done sprouting with beans yet. They're a bit trickier. I might try legumes here soon and I'll do an entry on that. But this is easy and a great way for beginners to learn.

I ordered a sprouting mix from this website:
www.parrotsontheporch.com

I HIGHLY recommend this website. They have absolutely wonderful products. They have all kinds of great things, such as birdie bread and things to add into Birdie's diet. And they have great prices...you won't get ripped off!

I ordered the medium beaks sprouting mix since I'm sprouting for medium sized birds. They also have large and small if your fid is bigger or smaller. It's got lots of great things in it. This mix contains:

*Wheatberries
*Spelt
*Triticale
*Barley
*Brown Rice
*Kamut
*Fenugreek
*Millet
*Quinoa
*Pumpkin Seed
*Safflower Seed
*Hulled Sunflower Seed

Or you can go to the health food store and make your own mix. Whole Foods sells these ingredients and I know a lot of parronts who like shop there. However since I'm in Podunk, Indiana...we don't have Whole Foods. OK...I'm going to digress. We went into a Whole Foods in Plantation, FL while I was at Sheffield and holy mackrel! That place is too freaking cool.

OK...back to sprouting.

Supplies:
Alright, first of all you'll need a jar for your sprouts. I use a jelly or jam jar which you'd use in canning. It works perfect.

Now, you'll need a screen. I ordered this one off of the forementioned website. You can also find them at the craft store.





Now...let's sprout!

Step One: You'll need to soak your seeds overnight. Place them in the jar. Put the screen on, and put the lid on. Rinse several times until water runs clear. Fill the jar up and soak seeds overnight. Be sure to place your jar in an area that is cool and dry.



Good morning! Now what you have here is known as soaked seed. And you can rinse and drain this and feed this to Birdie. Soaked seed is very nutritious as well.

Step Two: If you're not going to do soaked seed, rinse and drain the sprouts. Rinse and rinse until the water runs clear. *TIP If you live in an area where mold is common or there's high humidity, I strongly recommend rinsing your sprouts with a touch of apple cider vinegar. Some people I know use grapefruit seed extract. I personally prefer apple cider vinegar. It's also a great thing to add into your bird's diet because it helps balance out the flora in their digestive system.

Repeat this rinsing process about 3 times a day. I do it when I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner so I don't forget.

You should start to see sprouts appear within the first day and by the second or third day, they should be ready.
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Sprouts after 2 days

Keep in mind that when the tails on the sprouts reach more than 1/4 of an inch in length, that they will begin to taste bitter to Birdie. What I do is soak my mix on Friday night and rinse on Saturday, Sunday, and by Sunday evening, my sprouts are ready.

Store leftover sprouts in the refrigerator for up to one week.

What if my seeds don't sprout?
If they are not sprouting, toss them out! They are dead and shouldn't be fed to your bird. Your sprouts should have a nice, earthy smell to them. If you try to sprout dead seed it will just decompose and get nasty.

TIP #2: I wouldn't leave the screen on throughout the day, just when rinsing. Because the metal screen will rust where the lid comes into contact with it.

Have fun and hope your fid enjoys his/her sprouts as much as mine do!