This is such a wonderful time of year to be donning your sprouting cap 🧢- while the weather is bright the sprouts grow to their best and are incredibly useful over summer salads and breakfasts alike.
You may have noticed that this time of year sees us celebrating sunny days of weekends, weddings, holidays and general partying, which can put our bodily systems under a fair amount of pressure- so let’s do a little self care along the way and feed ourselves with incredible nutrients, as we tumble from one weekend to the next?
I’m sprouting broccoli here. Not only is it incredibly quick and easy to grow, but it is one of the most healthy and popular in Mediterranean diets, being rich powerful compounds, glucosinolates, which help to form isothiocyanates (notably sulforaphane & phenethyl isothiocyanate).
What are these?
Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing phytochemicals found in cruciferous vegetables. They are extremely helpful in supporting phase 1 liver metabolism, supporting detoxification, as well as managing inflammation, modulating stress responses and exhibiting antimicrobial properties.
Isothiocyanates are chemicals released as a stress response from the plant as we break it down (chew it). Research has shown these to be incredibly helpful in the metabolism of carcinogens, supporting phase 2 detoxification enzymes in the liver.
A summary of conditions for which clinical trials have been or are currently being carried out using broccoli or watercress preparations, sulforaphane or phenethyl isothiocyanate.
Palliyaguru DL, Yuan JM, Kensler TW, Fahey JW. Isothiocyanates: Translating the Power of Plants to People. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2018 Sep;62(18):e1700965. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201700965. Epub 2018 Mar 26. PMID: 29468815; PMCID: PMC6226005.
Steps for sprouting broccoli:
Day 1.
Rinse a handful of seeds in a small sieve under cold running water and leave to soak overnight in a sprouting jar/clear container.
Leave in a cool dark place (a cupboard ideally) for 24 hrs.
Day 2.
Rinse the seeds again in the morning.
Repeat in the afternoon and evening. You should be starting to see little sprouts appear!
Day 3.
(Same process as day 2)
Day 4.
(Same process as day 3) Once the sprouts have grown to about a half-inch to full-inch in length, you can move them into some indirect sunlight ☀️ This may take an extra day, depending on the conditions. Once they’re in the indirect sunlight, they should start to develop a lovely deep green colour.
Day 5.
Once they are fully grown and happily sprouted, give them a final rinse. Eat them immediately, or store them in the fridge for up to 5 days!
(recipes to follow)…
