My 9-year-old son grew some chia sprouts as part of a project in which he was learning about families of plants.

It was extremely easy to grow the sprouts.  He half-filled a small container with potting soil.  He sprinkled a bunch of chia seeds over the top of the moist dirt.  He then set a folded up, wet paper towel directly on top of the seeds, covering them completely.  Each day he wet the paper towel, taking care to thoroughly wet it but not to leave the seeds sitting in water (a spray bottle works great for this).  In a couple of days, the growing sprouts pushed the paper tower up off of the soil.

Then we got to eat them.  Yum!

There are also other ways to grow edible sprouts, including special sprouting trays and jars (though any empty glass jar with a piece of finely meshed fabric rubber banded over the opening will work).  You simply soak the seeds overnight before placing them in the jar.  Then rinse the seeds with fresh water morning and night, being careful to drain it fully each time.  Keep the jar in a dark place until the third day.  By the fourth day, you’ll have fresh sprouts to eat.

The great thing about sprouts is, not only are they easy to grow, they are also incredibly healthy.  Because that tiny sprout is preparing to grow into a huge plant, they are packed with nutrients.  They offer much more nutritional value per bite than more mature produce.

If your kids are anything like mine, they’ll be extremely excited about eating something if they help to grow it.

In addition, because you can make them on your countertop, they’re great for those who may not have a lot of outdoor space.  They also work well for those of us who have deer who keep eating everything we plant in our gardens (::grin::).

In the past, I’ve sprouted chia, onion, Chinese cabbage, and radish.  The last time we went to the market, my boys picked out broccoli seeds and a 3-sprout salad mix for us to sprout.  We’re all excited to give them a try.

Do you eat sprouts?  If so, do you grow them yourself?