Make an easy sprouting bag with cotton fabric.
Growing your own sprouts is a frugal way to add fresh vegetables and crunch to your menu. Many people are familiar with the glass-jar method of sprouting, with a canning jar and cheesecloth on the top to hold the seeds while they sprout. Another method uses a sprouting bag. Instead of growing in a jar, the seeds are sprouted in a fabric bag that is periodically rinsed, then hung over a sink to drain until the next rinsing. Use a thin fabric like cotton muslin, linen or hemp to create your own sprouting bags.
Instructions
1. Cut a piece of fabric that measures 8 by 16 inches. Fold the fabric in half horizontally so it measures 8 by 8 inches. Place the fold at the top, then pin the right and left pairs of edges together.
2. Sew the right and left edges using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. You now have a basic bag with the fold as the bottom and the two sewn edges as the sides.
3. Begin finishing the top edge of the bag by folding the edge down 1/4 inch to the outside, all the way around. Stitch this fold down by sewing on top of the fold, all around the outside of the bag opening.
4. Fold the stitched edge down outside the bag again, using a 1-inch fold this time. Stitch down this fold by sewing along the first folded edge. Sew along the entire perimeter of the bag, stopping when you are 1 inch from where you started. You now have a casing at the top of the bag with an opening in the edge.
5. Cut a piece of cording or thin rope 18 inches long. Pin a large safety pin through one end of the cording. Use the safety pin to thread the cording through the casing in the top of the bag. Pull the pin through the casing, in and back out the same space you left open.
6. Turn the bag right side out. Tie both ends of the cording together in a secure knot. Hold the bag under running water to moisten it and ready it for sprouting.
Tags: edge down, fabric that, measures inches, right left, sprouting with, this fold, through casing