Mar Vista Farmers' Market Sprouts Healthy Alternatives

Some booths at the weekly have showy displays with colorful fruits and vegetables piled high, but Sunshine Sprouts makes an understated appearance that packs nutrition and flavor into small packages.

Sunshine Sprouts has been a regular vendor at the market  for 4 ½ years and brings a stunning array of sprouted legumes and seeds to enhance your menus and your health.

Sprouted foods have long been part of a healthy diet, with nutrition experts touting the benefits ranging from increased phytochemicals to fight disease, and lowering cholesterol and fat, to reducing cardiovascular disease. The act of sprouting legumes also apparently reduce their acidic nature, making them easier to digest. In addition, sprouted foods are simply a great addition to meals.

I spoke with Maria, the vendor at Sunshine Sprouts, as she pointed out all the different varieties the company offers. Pea greens, sunflower greens and deacon radish greens were at one end of the booth. Maria showed me 4-inch pots of wheatgrass that customers can take home to cut and juice on their own (or give to the cat to nibble). She says that sunflower greens are the most popular item and she had sold out when I arrived. 

For an interesting twist, try the green onion spouts or sprouted fenugreek, which is good for the lungs and constipation according to Maria. Next up - and also a big seller at the market -  clover sprouts sold separately or mixed with a combination of beans, lentils and peanuts. 

Moving down the table, Maria held open bags of sprouted sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, which are great additions to salads. Then we moved on to legumes. Sunshine Sprouts offers sprouted mung garbanzo, black, kidney, pinto, navy and lima beans, as well as black eyed peas. Try any of these terrific legumes in a light summer soup or a hearty winter chowder.

Maria has been in the sprout business for 16 years with her husband and daughter. They sprout all the beans in South Gate and grow all of the sprouted greens using organic soil and seeds. 

If you are looking for ideas for what to do with sprouts, look no further than the International Sprout Growers Association. Their website has plenty of fresh ideas, including this one using wilted pea shoots as a bed for scallops. The site offers suggestions for salads, sandwiches and entrees. It even has a special category for Italian food (featuring zucchini pizza casserole). 

You can also find more sprout recipes at sproutingsprouts.com.

So the next time you're at the Mar Vista Farmers' Market, visit Maria and find out more about how sprouts can boost the nutrient value of your weekly meals. Prices range from $2 per quarter pound to $8 per pound.

Christy Wilhelmi is well known to many local Mar Vistans as The Gardenerd. Her website and blog at  www.gardenerd.com offers  information on classes, consulting and food-garden design.