Sprout a Tender Chia Treat

We try to enjoy nutrition-packed chia seeds every day by adding them to beverages, sprinkling them on cereal or yogurt, or just chomping on them by the teaspoonful. But did you know that chia seeds are also completely sproutable? The process for sprouting chia seeds is just a bit different than sprouting other seeds and grains, but the result is tiny, tender greens that are great on salads and sandwiches.

Before you begin, you’ll need to pick up a few supplies. You’ll need two shallow clay dishes (the type you put beneath potted plants) as well as a spray bottle and a cloth growing medium.

Because a slippery gel forms around chia seeds when you soak them, you have to be careful not to get them too wet while you’re growing them. It’s best to place them on a damp growing surface made of cheesecloth or hemp as opposed to directly in water.

Place one of the dishes right-side up on a flat surface and cut the growing medium to fit flat in the bottom of the dish. Soak the cloth and wring it out so it’s moist and spread it out in the dish. Spread several teaspoons of chia seeds around on the cloth so that there’s a bit of space surrounding each seed. Place the pan in a warm spot that gets pretty regular direct sunlight, such as in front of a window.

After about 24 hours, you should notice that some of the seeds have burst open. Fill a spray bottle with cool water and spritz the seeds with a small amount of water to keep them moist. Do this once a day, preferably in the morning.

For a few hours each day, cover the seeds by inverting the second clay dish over the first. If the dish has a hole drilled in the center, cover it with duct tape. This creates a greenhouse effect in the container, which helps the chia seeds sprout more quickly.

After about a week, the chia seed sprouts will be nearly an inch tall, with bright green tips and willowy white stems. Snip them away from the roots with a sharp knife, rinse them off and consume them immediately. These slightly spicy greens are yet another delicious, nutritious way to reap the benefits of chia!

Want to see a step-by-step outline of the process with pictures? This blog post at The Happy Raw Kitchen offers an exceptional look at sprouting chia seeds (as well as some absolutely gorgeous photos). Give it a shot, and tell us how it turns out!