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How Do I Choose the Best Alfalfa Sprout Seeds?

Bryce Clinton
Bryce Clinton

To buy the best alfalfa sprout seeds, it's important to consider seed quality, which means buying only the best seeds produced specifically for sprouting from merchants that you trust, or from certified organic sprout growers. If you're buying alfalfa sprout seeds for agricultural use, safety and quality might not be as essential; however, only certified organic alfalfa sprout seeds should be used for sprouting and the consumption of raw alfalfa sprouts. These seeds can be found online or in health food stores, but no matter where you buy them, it's always smart to inquire about their origin.

Raw sprouts grown from alfalfa sprout seeds are extremely nutritious, but due to several illness scares related to salmonella poisoning and strains of bacteria such as E. coli (Escherichia coli), many health organizations recommend eating only cooked sprouts. The potential problem is not with the sprouts themselves, but with the seeds from which they are grown. Many people falsely believe that sprouting your own seeds is a solution to any potential health hazard, but since the risk is in fact related to the seeds, the best solution is to make sure you know where your seeds come from.

A professional source for alfalfa seeds can help assure purity.
A professional source for alfalfa seeds can help assure purity.

When trying to choose the best alfalfa sprout seeds, look for seeds produced by certified organic growers. Such growers will most likely be smaller farmers. Seeds from large commercial farms, even if they are called organic, are not necessarily safe for sprouting because larger farms do not have the same growing practices as small organic farms. Wherever raw manure is used in the growing process, and large quantities of goods and materials comingle, there is the risk of tainted seeds, and only real organic farmers have a proven track record for not using raw manure and producing safe seeds.

Using organic alfalfa seeds protects against the possibility of genetically modified sprouts.
Using organic alfalfa seeds protects against the possibility of genetically modified sprouts.

Some websites and sprout eaters might recommend buying seeds for sprouting from farm stores or feed and seed merchants, but this could be a dangerous proposition. While the risk of being poisoned by sprouts is actually very low across the board, this is a perfect example of how that risk is created. Commercially produced seeds are less regulated and might come into contact with any number of agents that could taint them, including other seeds not meant for sprouting, large storage bins, farm equipment, and manure for fertilizing.

In addition to the risks posed by seeds from farm stores, some unscrupulous growers will market their seeds as safe or organic when in fact they are not. Many use bleach and other harmful toxins to "sanitize" their seeds, which goes against the whole premise of healthy eating. The key word to look for is not just "organic," but "certified organic." Even then, it's a good idea to do a little research into the origin of your seeds. Avoid anything imported since that's very hard to trace, and only trust growers that can provide satisfactory answers to your questions.

Discussion Comments

Talentryto

@heavanet- I think that your best option is to purchase your alfalfa sprout seeds from an online shop. There are seed shops that are reputable, and specialize in organic sprout seeds for people who eat them.

If you live close to a large city, you can also look for specialty seed shops there. Natural food stores are also usually located in large cities, and sometimes carry sprout seed as well. Sprouts are a popular food among natural food enthusiasts, so this type of retailer might be a good place to check with for organic seeds.

Heavanet

Where is the best place to shop for organic alfalfa sprout seeds when you live in a small area where sprouts are not commonly eaten by humans? There are stores in my town that carry alfalfa seeds, but no employees at these stores knew what to tell me when I asked whether or not they were organic. That makes me very reluctant to use those seeds to grow sprouts that I plan to eat.

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    • A professional source for alfalfa seeds can help assure purity.
      By: Louella Folsom
      A professional source for alfalfa seeds can help assure purity.
    • Using organic alfalfa seeds protects against the possibility of genetically modified sprouts.
      By: Lev
      Using organic alfalfa seeds protects against the possibility of genetically modified sprouts.