I was wondering if anyone else here grows sprouts on the trail.

We often do this. I like the crispness of fresh food especially when we are in the wilderness for 7 days or more.

I buy only organic sprouts. Some of the varieties I have tried are Daikon Radish, Brocolli, Lentil, Adzuki Bean and Pea sprouts. They are really delicious and very good for you.

good thought on the sprouts. i'm not usually out that long (viz. 7d).

depending upon locale and time of yr, i may supplement with some "wild" produce, i.e., plants, nuts, roots, berries.

sometimes pickin's can be mighty slim (i'm no Euell Gibbons), other times, particularly if i'm not in deep forest, but some meadows are around, a pretty good "harvest" can occur.

Would not have thought of growing sprouts - another idea to steal. :-D

and you can easily grow them in a zipper bag too - that said I prefer a Nalgene bottle

it takes 3 to 5 day for optimum growth - if you keep rinsing and such you can have sprouts 2 or 3 days in a row

Edited by Laurie_Ann on 12/10/2006 11:27:00 MST.

Can you grow them in a ziploc? (Update: Just read new post, saying they can be grown in a ziploc.) Does it help for a ziploc to be put inside a pot or a Ti cup, to keep it from compressing, and then would they grow better? Do they grow in the dark, like inside the pack?

Great idea ... opens up all kinds of thoughts for food on the trail. Tx.

Edited by bdavis on 12/10/2006 11:31:30 MST.

You don't have to grow them in the dark. I have done this in a baggy - well actually two (one for the soak period) but you have to be really careful not to squish them which is why a plastic jar or Nalgene is better. When I do baggies I soak the seeds for hours in one ziploc... then I poke some holes into it to drain it. Then I close the holey ziploc and put it inside one that hasn't been compromised leaving the zip of the good bag open. Twice a day you need to rinse them gently with potable water. When I have to store it for hanging (or in a canister) I seal the good zipper bag up too. The light is good and helps them grow.

Why is the Nalgene easier? For one it protects the sprouts. I use netting over the opening and leave the lid open all day with the bottle binered to the outside of my pack.

If anyone is interested I could post some photos of how these look at the different stages.