# 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Store-Bought Sprouts **By Michael Palm**, The Sprouting Company **Summary:** Sprouts are sold as a fresh food, but the ones in the refrigerated case were harvested days ago and travelled a supply chain to get there. Most people have never eaten one that wasn’t. Here are five things worth knowing before you buy another plastic tub, and what happens when you grow them on your counter instead. Get the Starter Kit: 25% Off 01 The sprouts in that plastic tub are days old A sprout is ready to eat around day three to five. That is when you'd harvest it at home, and it's also when a grower harvests it for the store. What differs is everything after. The store batch is packed, shipped to a distribution center, delivered and shelved, and only then do you buy it and put it in your fridge for a few more days. By the time you open the tub, a package of broccoli sprouts can easily be eight to ten days from germination, sometimes more. Nothing about that is unusual for produce. But sprouts aren't lettuce. They were still growing when they went into the tub, and the version most people know is the version that survived the trip. Grow them on your counter and you eat them at essentially the moment they would otherwise be packaged for distribution. Not a week later. The same afternoon. 02 A sprout doesn’t stop growing when you harvest it Ask Doug Evans, who has been sprouting for thirty years, what finally changes people's minds about fresh sprouts, and he gives the same answer every time: they eat one. A sprout is a seed that has turned into a living food, and harvesting it doesn't stop that. It keeps respiring and keeps drawing down its own stores. Refrigeration slows the process. It doesn't switch it off. So a sprout harvested three days ago has spent three days using up the thing you bought it for. It isn't spoiled. It's just further along. Texture goes first, then flavor. That clean, green, faintly peppery bite is the first thing to fade, and it fades quietly enough that if you've only ever eaten sprouts from a tub, you'd have no reason to think anything was missing. Our customers tend to get there on their own: “Having so much fun with this, watching it grow and loving the fresh taste. If you’re buying sprouts in the store, you’ll be shocked at how different/fresh/better these taste!” Kristie M. “Well worth the cost and a little effort. Much better tasting and for your health than store purchased sprouts.” Craig R. Taste isn’t a preference here. It’s a clock. 03 You don’t actually know what you’re eating You know the brand on the tub. You don't know the seed, the water, the conditions, or how long any of it took. For most groceries that's a fine trade. For something you eat raw, a lot of people decide it isn't. Growing them yourself, in a thick glass jar on your own counter, is the only version where you pick the seed and know the age to the hour. **Protected by SproutArmor™ proprietary seed treatment** SproutArmor™ means every batch of seeds is pathogen tested before it ships, adding an extra layer of care before seeds ever reach your counter. It's one part of a broader food safety program built around growing with confidence at home. “What a treat to have FRESH clean delicious alfalfa. I've only ever bought it in stores, not knowing how old it is or what I would find opening the plastic packaging. I'm thrilled to grow my own so easily and so fresh!” Debra L. Verified review 04 Grocery sprouts cost more than you think A tub looks cheap because you buy it one at a time. Priced by the serving, against seed you grow yourself, it stops looking cheap. High-Sulforaphane Broccoli seed 8 oz pouch 16 oz pouch One-time price Subscription, first order (25% off) Subscription, each refill after (10% off) Harvest per pouch Servings Cost per serving, one-time Cost per serving, subscription refill $36.99 $27.74 $33.29 ~5.5 jars ~38 **$0.96** **$0.86** $49.99 $37.49 $44.99 ~11 jars ~77 **$0.65** **$0.58** \*_1 serving = 1 cup of fresh sprouts (about 2 oz). Each full sprouter harvest makes about 7 servings._ High-Sulforaphane Broccoli seed 8 oz pouch 16 oz pouch One-time price Subscription, first order (25% off) Subscription, each refill after (10% off) Harvest per pouch Servings Cost per serving, one-time Cost per serving, subscription refill $36.99 $27.74 $33.29 ~5.5 ~35 **$0.96** **$0.86** $49.99 $37.49 $44.99 ~11 ~70 **$0.65** **$0.58** \*_1 serving = 1 cup of fresh sprouts (about 2 oz). Each full sprouter harvest makes about 7 servings._ Grow your own $0.58 to $0.96 per serving, from the table above Grocery tub $2.00+ per serving Store-bought broccoli sprouts run about $4 for a 3 oz tub, so a 1-cup serving costs $2 or more. And the tub is already days old when you open it. “This was so incredibly easy to save so much money on fresh sprouts.” Corinne R. Verified review 05 You can’t buy them when you actually want them Sprouts are a slow-moving perishable, so stores don’t carry much and don’t restock quickly. Anyone who eats them regularly has had the week where there were none. On a counter, the supply question stops existing. The next batch is five days out, always. Harvested, dried and refrigerated, they keep five to seven days, so you start the next batch the day you harvest. One sprouter makes about a serving a day for a week, so plan on one per adult who eats them. The turn So what’s the alternative? Five days. A countertop. No soil, no garden, no window that gets the right light. You add seed, rinse it twice a day, and eat what you grew. "Thirty years ago I started sprouting and never stopped. I wrote The Sprout Book because I believed anyone could do this, then built the sprouter because the tools kept failing people who tried. No land, no sunlight, no experience. A couple minutes a day on your own counter. Let's grow!" Doug Evans, Author, The Sprout Book Five days from seed to plate. Get the Starter Kit: 25% Off The turn So what’s the alternative? Five days. A countertop. No soil, no garden, no window that gets the right light. You add seed, rinse it twice a day, and eat what you grew. No land, no sunlight, no experience. A couple minutes a day on your own counter. Let's grow!" Doug Evans, Author, The Sprout Book Five days from seed to plate. Get the Starter Kit: 25% Off “Fine, but I’d kill them.” It's as easy as brushing your teeth twice a day. Day 1 Soak Day 2 Rinse Day 3-4 Growth Day 5 Harvest & Eat Around day three you may see white fuzz along the stems. Those are root hairs, not mold, and nearly every new sprouter mistakes them for mold at least once. Rinse thoroughly and they disappear. “I have the opposite of what ever a green thumb is. And still, I grew a successful crop of sprouts” Fred G. Verified review Grow Easy Guarantee If your first crop doesn't grow, we'll replace the seed and walk you through it. Try it risk-free Already sprouting? Here’s how this compares What it's made of Thick glass and stainless steel Failure mode Harvesting in 5 days, or tell us within 30 and we'll make it right You choose the seed Yes Mason jar What it's made of Glass jar, lid varies Failure mode Mold, rot You choose the seed Yes Store-bought What it's made of Plastic tub Failure mode It ages before you open it You choose the seed No vs What it's made of Failure mode You choose the seed Thick glass and stainless steel Harvesting in 5 days, or tell us within 30 and we'll make it right Yes Mason jar Glass jar, lid varies Mold, rot Yes Store-bought Plastic tub It ages before you open it No “I use sprouting trays and mesh lids for mason jars from other companies but was very disappointed in the results of both. In fact, I gave up on sprouting... I gave it another shot. I am so glad I did.” Anthony M. Verified review Get the Starter Kit: 25% Off Switchers “So easy and delicious sprouts! So much fresher and more flavorful than store bought.” Renee R. Verified review “The Sprouting Company has created an amazing system for easy growing and harvesting the highest quality sprouts.” Phil P. Verified review Join **105K+** people growing their own nutrition at home. Get the Starter Kit: 25% Off Free shipping over $99 · Grow Easy Guarantee. Subscribe to the Grow Club. Recipes, growing guides, nutrition, and more. The Sprouting Company is committed to serving people with disabilities and ensuring everyone who visits our website has an engaging experience. We are actively working to make our website more accessible by implementing the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA. During this process, you may encounter areas of the site that are still being improved. If you experience any issues with compatibility or accessibility, please contact us at support@thesproutingcompany.com, and we will work to identify and resolve them as quickly as possible. 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Stock up during the biggest sale of the year! ##### [The Sprouter](/content/products/the-sprouting-company-sprouter-2?variant=43765296824482&_rdiscovery-handle=the-sprouting-company-sprouter-2&_rdiscovery-widget=317920/index.html) Sale price$90.00Original price$99.99 Quantity12345 Add ##### [Organic High-Sulforaphane Salad Mix](/content/products/organic-high-sulforaphane-salad-mix?variant=45722729316514&_rdiscovery-handle=organic-high-sulforaphane-salad-mix&_rdiscovery-widget=317920/index.html) Sale price$36.00Original price$39.99 Quantity12345 Add ##### [Organic High-Sulforaphane Broccoli](/content/products/organic-high-sulforaphane-broccoli?variant=45722724827298&_rdiscovery-handle=organic-high-sulforaphane-broccoli&_rdiscovery-widget=317920/index.html) Sale price$45.00Original price$49.99 Quantity12345 Add [Powered by Rebuy](https://rebuyengine.com/?shop=wovalabs.myshopify.com) Continue to Checkout Seed to plate in 5 days 1 year sprouter warranty