Sprouting Grains

Wafula Ferdinand, coordinating officer for Biogardening Innovations, wrote to us regarding the article in EDN 106 on sprouting cereals for food. “Many thanks for the rich information that your organization has been sharing world wide. I am an ECHO network member and receive your hard copy of [ECHO Development Notes].

“In…issue 106, I was particularly keen [about the article] on sprouting cereals for food. In the community where I am working (Bunyore) here in Western Kenya, farmers usually sprout maize before planting. This ensures [that every planted seed is viable] and lessens the period that crops usually stay in the soil.

“Another interesting thing, millet is usually sprouted before milling for either porridge or as baking yeast for traditional brew. The porridge from flour that has been sprouted and fermented is usually sour and [more] tasty than plain flour. Also sprouting and fermenting the flour increases the volume of the food stuff.

“Another interesting thing, millet is usually sprouted before milling for either porridge or as baking yeast for traditional brew. The porridge from flour that has been sprouted and fermented is usually sour and [more] tasty than plain flour. Also sprouting and fermenting the flour increases the volume of the food stuff.

“Thanks again for sharing with us these good practices. [This] increases our confidence in extension work, particularly on preserving our traditional ways of food preparation.”

Planting sprouted maize reminds me [DRB] of seed priming, which is written about in EDN 83. Seed priming basically means soaking seeds in water before sowing them, to minimize the time that seeds spend absorbing water from the soil. That way they are able to germinate and emerge quickly.

ECHO staff member Larry Yarger commented, “Several years back, there was a move towards planting pre-germinated seed. When I was in Thailand, rice seed was soaked until the radical had just poked its nose out, and then the seed was spread onto the wet mud to fully germinate. Some were using the technique to eliminate transplanting, but most liked it because it did improve and prove germination.”