Are soaking and sprouting complicated?

Aug 2019 – Late last month I biked on Thorn Creek Trail in Chicago Heights’s Sauk Trail Woods with Claudia and Jose Gunter and their friend Willy. The Gunters are organizers for the meetup Chicago Vegan and Plant-Powered Adventure Group. We women rode at a comfortable pace while the men sped away, enjoying the welcome breeze and smooth roads.

After we returned to the parking lot, I announced that I was biking to Daisy’s Cafe II in Hazel Crest, which was 39 minutes away. I’m glad Claudia joined me because the her cell phone’s audio messages amended the printed ones Google provided me. We took a more scenic route (15 miles) because of surface changes – renamed streets, a subdivision that replaced a trail and detours on Dixie Highway — and arrived about an hour and half later. Jose’s arrival by truck was delayed by more convoluted detours on Dixie Highway.

At Daisy’s we enjoyed tasty selections from the menu and discussed what we expected of a vegetarian restaurant, sharing our experiences – good and bad. I mentioned potlucks, and somehow we wound up discussing food preparation, including soaking and sprouting. In her book Angel Foods, Chef Cherie Soria claims the processes release life energy from the food.

Both methods make raw food expand to become softer to digest, but sprouting takes longer and requires rinsing twice a day. I wanted to make manna bread, so I found cheesecloth at a discount store and a gallon canning jar at a thrift shop; I already had scissors to cut the cheesecloth and rubber bands large enough to stretch over the jar neck. I placed a cup of wheat berries in the jar and filled it with water. After cutting the cheesecloth wide enough to drape a little over the edges of the jar’s mouth, I secured it with a rubber band. Eight hours later, I drained the wheat berries, leaving them in the jar, which I then put under the kitchen sink, closing the cabinet door. After 8-12 hours, I rinsed and drained the grains several times until the water was clear. Then I put the jar of drained grains back in the dark space. I repeated the sprouting, rinsing and draining twice a day for the next two days. By then the sprouts were 1-2 inches long and ready to be ground in a food processor or blender for my bread recipe.

Raw beans, seeds, nuts and grains can all be sprouted. How long depends on their size and hardness. Soria’s basic sprouting chart in Angel Foods indicates how much to put in the jar and how long the process should take. All sprouts are good for snacking. In addition, sprouted grains work well as drinks, cereal or bread; sprouted beans in soups, salads or main dishes. Sprouted seeds require 2-3 days of bright light before they are used in sandwiches and salads.

Soaking, which releases the growth inhibitors to germination, usually takes no longer than a day. It makes chewing nuts easier and prevents them from tearing up a food processor while I make bread, crusts or desserts. Soaking is also necessary for making nut or seed cheeses. I’ve made homemade food bars with soaked nuts; former restaurateur Karyn Calabrese has made pate and other delicacies. I’ve enjoyed less gassiness with soaked beans.

Are soaking and sprouting complicated?Do you feel more energized after eating sprouts or soaked nuts? Have you tried soaking or sprouting? How successful were you?