How do they rate on the healthy food scale? Are they better than lettuce? I am enjoying seeing something grow in these last days of winter--I almost think I'm growing them just for entertainment, but they are good too!!!
;)

I worked for a hydroponic sprout farm for a few years and got all the free sprouts I could eat! Yummm!! We grew alfalfa, clover, mustard, broccoli and leek sprouts. We also sprouted mung beans, lentils and fiddleheads.

Sprouts are little powerhouses of nutrition!!! My favorite, broccoli sprouts, are actually being tested right now for thier ability to actually reduce cancer cells.

While I worked at Springwater Spouts, there would be some lean weeks when I'd eat sprout salads twice a week. The amount of energy I had during those weeks was incredible! It was almost like drinking a double coffee, but no jitters!

Mmmm, now I'm craving sprouts!! :)

Yes, better than lettuce.

Are they safe for my almost 4yo to eat? I have heard both yes and no because of the bacteria.

I think bacteria is only a problem with store-bought sprouts. You can't be sure they were grown with clean water. I've never heard of anyone getting sick from home-grown ones. I haven't grown any in ages. Thank you for reminding me!

There is a toxin in alfalfa sprouts, (don't know about the other sprouts) but a mild one. I wouldn't make it a staple food for a 4 year old, but as a common food, it should be fine, and yes, very healthy other than the minor toxin. It's the same toxin thats in kidney beans and chicpeas (garbanzos). Again, it's mild, and as long as it's not a large daily food, it's not a danger.

(if I could find my book by dr weil, I could find what it's called)

Wish I could help you, Ian. I gave that book to my grandma. Peanuts can also have a toxin on them as well (aflatoxin?). If peanuts are organic, no worries. Just actually bought some sprouts today from our co-op (they were grown in dixon, not local for me). I keep it to a once and awhile thing. :)

Jennifer

Okay, there was this giant article in ?mother Jones??? Utne Reader??? last summer all about sprouts. It had a chart of all the popular sprouts,which ones needed to be steamed or stirfried to get rid of toxins, and something about a bleach (?) treatment to do to seeds, to get rid of salmonella.

And, no, other than going to the libraryand flipping through magazines, I have no idea how to find it. And, I want to find it, because it's taken me about a year, and I want to grow sprouts! ( I think really slow sometimes.)

My grandmother grew them for us, in the "70s for about a year. I had forgotten how much I liked them.

ari