Spring Sprouts

RITUAL: Sprouting | SOLAR TERM: Gu Yu | SEASON: Spring

April 20 - May 5

The sixth solar term of the Chinese calendar is called Gu Yu. Gu Yu means, “Grain Rain”. It’s the time of year when Spring rain helps the grain to grow and yield a bountiful harvest later in the year.

Spring is associated with the first stages of the the growing season: planting seeds, germinating and sprouting. Gu Yu is the perfect time to do some sprouting. Grow some sprouts and microgreens. Sprout some legumes and grains or soak some nuts and seeds before consuming them or using them in a recipe.

Sprouts and microgreens are highly nutrient dense living foods. They add vitamin and mineral rich crunch, tender fiber and Spring green garnish to your foods. Sprouts provide a higher concentration of phytonutrients and a lot less of the anti-nutrients, like phytates, tannins and oxalates.

Sprouting is a simple way for you to grow your own food indoors in any climate. You can grow sprouts from the seeds of vegetables and legumes. Examples are: alfalfa, broccoli, mung beans, green peas, radish and beets.

Like sprouts, microgreens often contain more bioavailable nutrients. Unlike sprouts, microgreens have tiny stems and leaves but are harvested before becoming baby plants or more mature leafy greens. Microgreens can be grown on a windowsill, under a grow lights or in a greenhouse. While wheatgrass is the most popular microgreen, others include: cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, watercress, radish, arugula, lettuce, endive, chicory and radicchio, dill, carrot, fennel and celery, garlic, onion, leek, amaranth, quinoa swiss chard, beet and spinach, as well as, wheat and barley, rice and oats, chickpeas, beans and lentils.

To grow your own microgreens, create a greenhouse indoors or outside that has between 12-16 hours a day of sunlight or ultraviolet light. In a container of moistened potting soil or homemade compost, plant your seeds. Lightly mist the soil and seeds and then cover your container with a plastic lid. Mist daily to keep your seeds moist. After 2-3 days you can remove the plastic lid. Water your seedlings once a day. Depending on the seed, your microgreens should be ready to harvest within 7-10 days. You can cut off the tops and allow your microgreens to continue to grow.

You can also soak your nuts. Soaking nuts releases the tannins that protect them from germinating before being planted. It also helps reduce an anti-nutrient called phytic acid that decreases the absorption of minerals. Depending on the nut, soak your nuts for a few hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the nuts. Make sure to discard the water.

Sprouting Grains

Sprouting your whole grains boosts their nutritional value. Examples of whole grains you can sprout are wheat and rye berries, buckwheat and sorghum, spelt and einkorn, farro, unhulled barley and kamut, amaranth and millet, quinoa and brown rice.

Just soak your grains overnight in a glass jar of pure filtered water to deactivate the phytic acid. Then, drain and rinse. Soaked grains can be dehydrated and ground into flour or cooked with less water and in less time than grains that have not been soaked.

For sprouted grains, keep the soaked, drained and rinsed grains moist in a glass jar for 1 to 5 days. Sprouted grains can be eaten raw or lightly cooked to maintain the integrity of their essential nutrients. Like soaked grains, they can be dehydrated and ground into flour for baking.

Sprouting InstructionsWhile there are many specialized kitchen equipment and tools for sprouting, the easiest method requires only a glass jar and some cheesecloth or a lid with a mesh screen.

1. Get some organic high quality seeds, nuts or grains from a supplier you trust.

2. Add your seeds, nuts or grains to a glass jar and cover with water. For grains: add 1/2 cup to a 1-quart mason jar to allow room for them to sprout.

3. Cover the mouth of the jar with some cheesecloth or a lid with lots of holes and let it sit on your kitchen counter overnight.

4. In the morning, drain and rinse them.

5. Then, place the jar upside down at an angle to allow for drainage and air circulation. Find a location in your kitchen that’s out of the direct sunlight.

6. Repeat the rinsing, draining and positioning process 2 to 4 times a day, for 3-7 days, depending on what you are sprouting.

Best Practices

Never allow the sprouts to completely dry out or sit in water.

Once the sprouts are ready, rinse and drain them one more time.

Spin dry your sprouts and store in a paper towel lined glass container with a lid in your refrigerator for up to a week.

Enjoy your sprouts on avocado toast, in sandwiches, on salads or as a garnish on any dish!

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Dara Eden is the author of HER Rituals for the Divine Feminine, a periodical guide created in December of 2021. The 8 Elements, her life’s work, provides guidance about how to honor the essential needs and highest values of your personal feng shui element. Inspired by an Internet challenge designed for men, she created 365WISE, a daily self-care practice that supports women in honoring their needs and listening to their inner wisdom.

In HER Rituals, she offers insights, ideas and intuitive guidance about ways to honor your needs, values and unique expression of the divine feminine.

HER Rituals is a Womb Wisdom KeepHER’s guide to cyclical rituals for sovereign women. It provides insightful information, inspirational ideas and intuitive guidance on daily and seasonal rituals you can practice as a form of self-care. Read about ancient wisdom and philosophical principles, holistic approaches and traditional skills, slow work and intentional living, embodiment practices and immersive experiences.