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Organic French Green Lentil Seeds for Sprouting
Type: Organic Sprouting Seeds — Whole Botanical Name:Lens culinaris var. Du Puy Certified: Organic, Non-GMO — Mumm’s Days to Sprout: 2–3 days Soak Time: 6–12 hours (overnight) Yield: ½ cup seed → 2½ cups sprouts Flavour: Firm, peppery, earthy
As a Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds affiliate, I earn a commission — at no extra cost to you.
French green lentils sit a tier above the everyday lentil — firmer, earthier, and peppery, the variety European cooks reach for when they want a lentil that keeps its shape instead of collapsing. Botanically Lens culinaris of the Du Puy type, each little seed is speckled slate-green, blue, and grey, pretty enough that a jar of them looks like a shelf of tiny planets. Mumm’s grows this seed certified organic and non-GMO on Saskatchewan family farms and germination-tests every lot.
As sprouts, that character carries straight through: where crimson lentil sprouts are soft and mild, French green sprouts are dense and substantial, with a deeper, nuttier, faintly mineral flavour that stands up to a bold dressing rather than disappearing into it. They are just as quick and easy to sprout, and the same whole seed grows a soil microgreen or a garden crop. This is the sprout for anyone who wants texture and flavour with real backbone.
🌍 Where French Green Lentils Grow Best
In Canada
Canada is the world’s largest lentil producer, and about 90% of the crop grows in Saskatchewan — the same dry prairie farms that supply Mumm’s organic French green seed. The short, cool prairie season suits them perfectly.
In the United States
French green lentils grow across the US lentil belt — the Palouse of Washington and Idaho, plus Montana and North Dakota — and in home gardens anywhere with a cool spring and full sun.
📋 French Green Lentil Sprouting at a Glance
Soak seeds
6–12 hours (overnight)
Rinse
Twice a day
Sprout in
2–3 days
Yield
½ cup seed → 2½ cups sprouts
Eat
Raw or lightly cooked — holds texture
Difficulty
Easy — fast, reliable germinator
🌱 Sprouting French Green Lentils
French green lentil seeds sprout in 2–3 days and hold a firm, distinct bite that milder sprouts never develop. Their harder seed coat makes good drainage the one thing to get right, so start with a clean, well-angled jar.
Measure ¼ cup (50 g) of whole French green lentil seeds into a wide-mouth jar and rinse well.
Cover with cool water and soak 6–12 hours or overnight, then drain thoroughly.
Fit a mesh lid and invert the jar at a 45° angle — the firmer hull traps water easily, so drainage matters more here than with softer lentils.
Rinse and drain with cool water twice a day, draining completely each time.
Harvest at day 2 to 3, when tails reach 6–13 mm (¼–½ in) and the earthy flavour is at its best.
Rinse, drain well, and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Half a cup of dry seed yields about two and a half cups of sprouts. Because they keep their texture, French green sprouts shine in composed salads with assertive dressings — a Dijon-mustard vinaigrette is the classic French pairing — and in warm grain bowls with roasted vegetables. They hold up in the last minutes of a soup or stir-fry where a softer sprout would turn to mush, and they are delicious raw straight from the jar.
🟫 Growing French Green Lentil Microgreens
French green lentil seeds also grow into a firm, flavourful microgreen, ready to cut in 8–12 days on a shallow tray of soil. Soak the seed overnight, spread it densely across 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) of moist potting mix, and keep it covered and dark for the first 3 days. Uncover, move to bright light, and cut the greens just above the soil line at day 8 to 12; store them unwashed in the fridge for 3–7 days. Expect a heartier, pepperier green than the milder crimson gives.
🌱 How to Grow French Green Lentil Seeds
These are whole, viable French green lentil seeds, so you can grow them out as a garden crop, sowing 2.5 cm (1 in) deep once the soil warms to 5°C (40°F). Lentils are a cool-season annual that wants full sun and loose, free-draining soil, and they fix their own nitrogen rather than needing fertilizer. Sow in early spring, thin to 13 cm (5 in) apart, and the plants mature in about 80–110 days — French green types hold their shape beautifully once dried and cooked.
🌾 Saving French Green Lentil Seeds
French green lentil seeds self-pollinate and breed true, so a saved crop grows the same speckled Du Puy lentil again. Let your best plants stand until the lower pods brown and rattle, then pull, dry, and thresh them, storing the clean seed airtight somewhere cool and dark, where it keeps for 2–3 years. A quick ten-seed germination test on a damp paper towel confirms a saved batch before you commit it to the garden.
🌱 More Sprouting Seeds
Alfalfa, broccoli, mung, fenugreek and more — build your rotation.
French green lentils are prized for a firm texture and a deep, peppery, earthy flavour that holds up where other lentils go soft. The Du Puy type keeps its shape whether sprouted, cooked, or tossed in a salad, which is why chefs favour it — and why its sprouts feel more substantial than milder varieties.
How long do French green lentil sprouts take?
French green lentil sprouts are ready in 2–3 days. Root tails show within about 24 hours of the soak, and they are at their best harvested young, with tails around 6–13 mm (¼–½ in).
Can you eat French green lentil sprouts raw?
Yes — they are safe and satisfying raw at 2–3 days, with a firm bite that suits cold salads and grain bowls. Keep the jar clean and draining between rinses. A brief 2–3 minute steam is an option if you prefer legume sprouts cooked, and it barely dents the nutrition.
Do French green lentil sprouts hold up when cooked?
Yes — this is their signature. Where softer lentils collapse, French green sprouts keep their shape and bite through gentle heat, so you can add them to the last minutes of a soup, stir-fry, or warm salad and they stay distinct rather than turning to mush.
Can you grow French green lentils as microgreens?
Yes. Spread soaked seed over a shallow tray of soil, keep it dark for three days, then bring it into light and cut the greens at 8–12 days. French green microgreens are firmer and pepperier than crimson — a good pick when you want the green to be a feature, not a filler.
What dishes suit French green lentil sprouts?
They love a bold dressing. Classic pairings are a Dijon-mustard vinaigrette, lemon-tahini, or sherry vinegar with walnut oil, poured over the sprouts while they are slightly warm to draw in the flavour. They are also excellent blended into a raw salad or stirred into a simmering soup at the last moment.
Can you use grocery-store French green lentils for sprouting?
Sometimes — if they are whole and fresh they may sprout, but grocery lentils are often old or processed and germinate unevenly. Sprouting-grade seed like this is selected whole, cleaned, and germination-tested, so the difference in how reliably a jar takes off is usually obvious.
Can you plant French green lentils in the garden?
Yes — this is whole, viable organic seed. Sow it 2.5 cm (1 in) deep in cool spring soil, in full sun, and the plants mature in roughly 80–110 days while fixing their own nitrogen. French green types are especially rewarding to grow out because the dried seed holds its shape so well in the kitchen.
How do you store French green lentil seed and sprouts?
Store the dry seed airtight in a cool, dark place, where it sprouts well for about a year and longer if refrigerated or frozen. Harvested sprouts keep in the fridge for up to 5 days — drain them well first and hold them in a loosely covered container.
How do French green lentil sprouts compare to crimson lentil sprouts?
French green sprouts are firmer, earthier, and pepperier, and they hold their shape in warm dishes — the choice when the sprout is a featured ingredient. Crimson lentil seeds give a softer, milder, sweeter sprout that is easier for raw everyday eating. Keeping both means texture for any dish.
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The Premium Lentil Sprout — Firm, Peppery, Protein-Rich
Mumm’s Organic French Green Lentil Seeds — certified organic, holds its texture, ready in 2–3 days.
As a Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds affiliate, I earn a commission — at no extra cost to you.
