Grain Sprouting Table
I put this table together as an ergonimic approach to sprouting large quantities of grain. Once ready, these buckets of sprouts can weigh 35 pounds or more. I do this indoors for consistent tempurature. In the heat, the sprouts can ferment quickly and in the cold, the sprouting process is very slow or freezes.
Build
I built this by cutting drain slits in the bottom of some Home Depot buckets. Any buckets will work as long as they fit together without getting stuck.
I place these inside other buckets that have drain lines plumbed in.
Two of these lines have valves to stop the water from draining. These are my soaking buckets.
I have this overflow drain because I originally planned to flood-and-drain them for rinsing, but I abandoned this idea because the water gets mucky.
These outlet drains are 1/2" (.700) compression tee and 90 fittings for poly irrigation lines. I sanded both surfaces and hot-glued them in. Another way to do this could be to drain each bucket indepently into the tank below and put a valve in each one. This would eliminate the need to move buckets out of the soaker stations.
Down below is the catch container. There is a float switched sump pump to pump the water out to my lawn. I recomend a robust pump to deal with the soft globs of fermented material. This does not stink, it smells like bread dough before you bake it.
The platform is made from a pallet and scrap wood for legs. Make it whatever height offers you the most comfort when lifting buckets.
You will want a hose handy for rinsing and filling. I actually plumbed mine from under a sink using a tee made for adding a dishwasher. The small diameter hose is actually an air line. I find it more manuverable and convenient.
Now for lifting. These things get heavy. An overhead pulley with a rope takes all the weight off your back. If this looks like a device for shoulder physical therapy, that is exactly what it is.
After rinsing, I cover them to prevent the top layer from drying out.
Twice daily, I use this setup as follows:
- Open the drian valve to let the soaking bucket drain
- Carry the most mature bucket out and feed the chickens
- Rinse it off and fill it about 1/4 to 1/3 full of dry grain
- Move one bucket of soaked grain out of the soaking station to a drain-only station
- Place the dry grain bucket in the soaking station, close the drain valve and fill it with water plus a table spoon of bleach
- I usually start a near-by bucket filling to mix the bleach before I pour it in
- If you have clorinated water, you may not need this
- Rinse all the other sprouts in their buckets with a shower of water and cover with lids
- By the time they are ready, I usually get some fermenting going on. It smells like sour dough or over-ripe fruit. I don't consider this a problem.
If you want to try this on a smaller scale, you can do what I started out doing. Just cut the drains in four buckets. Put them outside on a slight tilt where you have access to a hose. Soak your grain in a bucket with no holes and pour it in one of your drain buckets after half a day.
