soaking seeds and starting sprouts

When planting large seeds such as peas, beans, corn, and pumpkin, it is suggested that they be soaked in water overnight to speed up germination. Seeds are designed to wait for just the right conditions before germinating. Temperature and moisture are critical elements in telling the seed when the time is right to go for it. For instance, tomato seeds germinate best at 70 to 80 degrees (that's soil temperature). Their germination rate will be lower outside of that range, and  below 50 degrees they really won't germinate at all. So you might think you were getting a jump on the season by putting seeds in the ground early when actually they would probably just sit in the ground and rot. Most seeds do not require light to germinate, but some, like lettuce, do. Some seeds like Morning Glory need to have the seed coat nicked ever so slightly before they will germinate easily.

Check your seed packet for instructions on germination

Soaking seeds overnight tells the seed that moisture is readily available and it removes the protective coating that some seeds have naturally. As the seed coat softens, water enters the seed and signals the embryonic plant to begin growing. If you collect seed from any of our natives here in New England, those seeds require a very definite cold spell in the refrigerator before they will even think about germinating!

So what does all this mean when it comes to sprouting seeds and grains for edible sprouts? According to the book "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon, the Chinese were the first to discover the benefits of sprouting mung beans on long sea voyages to prevent scurvy. Not only do sprouting seeds produce vitamin C,  they also increase vitamin B content. Sprouting of peas and beans begins the process of breaking down complex sugars in the seed. Like the ones that have an undesirable effect on the digestive tract after eating beans! Sprouting neutralizes inhibitors in the seed coat like phytic acid that can interfere with digestion.
So whether you are making sprouts for salad, or cooking beans for chili, I highly recommend soaking overnight and sprouting your seeds. Pre-cooked beans in a can have not been soaked or sprouted but have been cooked at high pressure. I'm not saying I never use canned beans, but I prefer my own sprouted.  Dry beans are cheap, they last for a very long time in your cupboard, and once soaked for 8 hours they cook up pretty fast. If you soak them and then rinse daily for a couple of days, until their little root tail appears, they cook up in no time. Leave them until you see a little green leaf and you've got sprouts for your salad that don't need any cooking. But eat them up quickly, they don't keep long.

dried beans - white, black, garbanzo

black beans and garbazos, dry and soaking

after soaking overnight, notice how much water has been absorbed

Grabanzos, dried on the right, soaked at bottom, baby roots at top