The Sprout House Terra Cotta Sprouter Review and Giveaway!

 

I have a terrible confession to make, my dirty little secret as a woman.  I HATE salad!  That's right,  HATE IT!  I don't like the texture at all of lettuce and never have.  When I tell other women this they give me a look like I am a freak or something.  Because, you know, we women are supposed to like salad.  It's a diet food right? 

Interestingly enough I do like sprouts and cooked greens.  I can eat gobs of them.  But frankly I am a little scared of the sprouts sold in the store.  They often have outbreaks of deadly germs in them and not only that, but are expensive for a little carton of them!

So that's why I started looking around for a way to sprout my own.  I wanted a non plastic container and came across these great Terra Cotta Stackable Sprouters from The Sprout House.  After talking with Rita the Sprout Lady who runs the company I was thrilled when she offered to let me review the Terra Cotta Sprouter ME65 and also sent me a package of six of their most popular sprouting seeds.  Plus she has written the most amazing book on sprouting that she sent me as well!  Here is my youngest son.  He couldn't keep his hands off the sprouter, he was so fascinated by it!

Why is sprouting your own greens so important?  Well first it is super healthy.  Sprouts are full of vital vitamins and minerals that we need in our diets, second you then insure that the sprouts you are eating are safe because you know that you are growing them in a clean environment, third they are extremely frugal to grow yourself, fourthly they are ridiculously easy to grow, and lastly, but most important, they are delicious!  The ones we have grown our self have amazed me with the flavor difference.  They are sweeter and juicier!  Also in the depths of winter you can still have healthy fresh green foods all the time.

First I will review the book Homegrown Sprouts By Rita Galchus, who also is the owner of the Sprout House Company.  She has been sprouting  since 1986 and endeavoring to help others learn this easy way to grow healthy food in their own homes.  I honestly loved this book, and sat down and devoured it.   I was expecting a cheap little pamphlet but not only is it beautifully illustrated with full color photographs, it is well written in a way that is entertaining and easy to understand.  This ain't rocket science folks and Rita stresses that by following a few simple rules you will be able to grow your own sprouts at home with very little expense.  The book devotes most of itself to the different ways to grow sprouts, from a simple mason jar all the way up to automated sprouting trays.  She then goes through on how to use each one for the different types of seeds.  There is a trouble shooting section that I already found helpful, and a great table in the back that is a quick reference on sprouting and soaking times for different seeds.  There is also a recipe index.  The full color photos that go step by step are so helpful as I am a very visual person.

Here is my son, who would not leave the room.  He picked out his favorite seeds, broccoli, from the ones Rita sent us.  And yes he always makes that face when I try to take his picture.  The Sprout House sells dozens of seeds and legumes for your sprouting, and Rita is so helpful with advice if you have questions!







Here is the first seeds we soaked overnight.  We did mung beans, alfalfa, and broccoli.  This was a great mini science experiment for our homeschool as we learned about seeds and how they sprout.  The kids got a big kick of watching them grow.





So why use the Terra Cotta Sprouter?  Well I am trying to avoid plastics but I didn't want to use the mason jars because we have a big family to provide lots of food for.  These have three stackable teirs that sit one on top of the other with little holes in the bottoms for drainage.  These are imported from Germany and are made from organic lead and heavy metal free clay.  Clay is a great way to sprout seeds because it simulates soil conditions.  It is also non toxic and I must say looks really nice sitting on my counter.

 

It consists of five parts: a lid, three perforated sprouting dishes that stack neatly on top of one another, and a slightly larger bottom bowl which holds the three sprouting dishes.   The sprouter is made of untreated clay and the bottom bowl is glazed on the inside with lead-free glaze. Conditions in the sprouter are very similar to natural conditions in the soil: the pores in the clay sprouting

dishes provide for good ventilation and the clay’s ability to absorb water assures uniform moisture without actually immersing the seeds in water.

The darkness inside the terra cotta sprouter intensifies the flavor of the sprouts. In a taste test held by the Study Group for Nutritional Research in Bad Liebenzell, sprouts grown in clay sprouters were preferred without exception. If you prefer to eat watercress, alfalfa and other sprouts when they are green and rich in chlorophyll, simply open the lid and place the sprouter in the light a day or so

before you plan to eat the sprouts.

 I was shocked that  my 5 year old son loved munching them.   I had to stop him so I could have some!  It was so funny though, when we were looking at the seeds I told him that we shouldn't smoosh them or grind them because there is living little things in the seeds that make them sprout, and if we are hard on the seeds they wont sprout.  Right before he took his first bite of sprouts he stopped, looked at me, and said "Momma, are the little living things still in there?  I don't want to eat them if they are still in there!"  I told him it was ok to eat them now, but had to try hard not to laugh!

I love that this is a way to provide delicious, cheap, healthy, organic foods for my family!  I love that the sprouter is toxin free and made from natural clay.  I love that I can trust the quality of this food.  We already have a second batch sprouting! The price of the sprouter is not bad and will last for a lifetime if cared for properly.   The Terra Cotta Sprouter, Homegrown Sprouts Book, and Sprouting Seeds get a 100% thumbs up from The Thrifty Housewife!

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The Giveaway!

The Sprout House has generously offered to give one lucky reader an Easy Sprouter, a six pack of the most popular seeds, and a copy of Homegrown Sprouts By Rita Galchus.  

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33ddb973/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

The Thrifty Housewife was not compensated for this post, I did receive a sample product(s) for the purposes of review. This did not influence my review or my opinions. My views are 100% my own. This giveaway is not affiliated with facebook, pinterest, twitter, or any other social media website.  The winner will be chosen through the rafflecopter form which uses Random.org.  Winner will be notified by email within 48 hours of contest end.  Winner has 24 hours to respond to the  email.  Failure to respond will result in a new winner being chosen.  Open to US only.  All winning Entries are verified. 

 

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