Another well over due post today!
Steve and I have been munching our way through pounds of sprouts lately and it simply doesn’t seem right not to share this in more detail!

In my opinion we should all be taught this from day one.

Knowing how to grow your own food from seed is something so valuable, it seems strange to me that most of us don’t know where to even begin.

It is a real shame that, instead of being taught how to harvest seeds, plant and grow, we are instead educated to make money and leaving us little or no time to feed our selves.
Our dependancy on money for survival has taught us nothing except for how to consume ‘things’… not food, not life force.
And so, we teach ourselves in a matter of seconds how to operate a microwave and depend on the powers that be to ensure that whatever went into that plastic container will at least ‘fill a hole’ in the depths of a nutrient desperate body.
I wonder sometimes how we are still managing to get out of bed in the morning!?!

But my dears, do not fear! Sprouts are here! And MICRO GREENS TOO!!!

You would not believe how easy, cheap and massively nutrient dense these tiny little gifts from the earth are!
Even while living in our tiny little bedsit with only 1 room, we manage to grow enough food to feed us both for a week.
(Just imagine what we’ll be getting up to when we do get just an inch of soil to grow in!!!)

Every time we set off another batch of sometimes only 1.5 dessert spoons of teeny tiny little seeds in 1 small jar, I am truly amazed by the massive handfuls of fresh green vibrant food that comes only a few days later.

We’ve been sprouting brocoli, fenugreek, clover and sango radish in jars…
These follow a similar routine (although you can use this as a rough guideline as there will be variations depending on the seeds you use and the environment you are in)

1. First we rinse the seeds thorougly then we soak our seeds in jars over night (12 hours). Usually 1.5 dessert spoons for a 750ml jar and 2 dessert spoons for the big 1500ml jars. We have some great sprouting jars from Wholistic Research which allow us to rinse, soak and sprout in the same container. Make sure you cover the sprouts overnight so they are kept in complete darkness. This will allow them to start germinating.
2. Rinse the sprouts at least 2 times per day for up to 8 days. Our sprouting jars come with a handy ‘drying’ rack so you can turn them upside down to avoid them getting clogged up with water and eventually becoming mouldy. You can see them here all lined up…
3. Once the sprouts are ready (i.e. they have long tails and 2 little leaves popping out the top) we lay them out over tea-towels to dry and sun a little, just to catch the last rays of prana
4. And there you have it, pounds of freshly homegrown food, super nutritious and extremely cheep and easy to do. So tasty in a salad, a nori roll or on top of a big bowl of green soup!

What I have found so exciting too, is our recent discovery of micro greens….
Microgreens are similar to sprouts except they are grown in soil to the point whereby they may look like a small version of the full plant. Imagine all the nutrition you would get from eating handfuls of these!
We’ve been cultivating Snow Pea Greens which are beautiful to watch grow and so delicious.

1. For any ‘microgreen’ (including sunflower, buckwheat and snowpeas) they do need their shell on for them to grow into a ‘microgreen’. First we rinse the seeds thorougly then we soak our seeds in jars over night (12 hours).
2. Next the seeds are ‘sprouted’ in jars for another 12 hours in complete darkness at 45 degree angle. You can use a regular dish rack and cover the jar with a tea towel.
3. From here, rinse the seeds again then sow them in 1 inch of organic compost (we use vegan compost from ‘FertileFibre.com’). First evenly place 1 inch of compost in a seed tray, carefully sow the seeds making sure you don’t pile them up on top of each other, give them some room! Give the soil and the seeds a spray so they are wet but not ‘muddy’.
4. Cover tray with a lid and place somewhere warm but not too hot. It is important they remain in darkness for 3 days now. Spray/watering once a day, unless they need more because of warm weather. Don’t let them dry out completely.
5. After 3 days, de-lid and place somewhere light but not in direct sunlight. SPROUTS AND MICROGREENS DON”T NEED TOO MUCH LIGHT OR THEY MIGHT GO YELLOW It’s only the last day or two that they need more sunlight to help them green up a bit. Water once of twice a day once out in the light, but again, don’t overwater them or they may go yellow or go ‘off’!
   

   Day 1 out of the dark!

   

   Day 2 into the light!

   

   Day 3!

   

   Day 4!

   

   Day 5!

   

   Day 6!

   

   Day 7!

6. Now snip and enjoy!
   (NB: My expert in-house sprouter wants to add that it is important you keep an eye on the seeds, make sure there are no moldy ones festering near the roots. Also, a handy hint… if there’s light to see by, you can sprout just about anything! Thanks Steve! X )
   

   We enjoy a wee handful of snow pea greens and sango radish sprouts after a delicious mini watermelon. Simple things

   The sun’s out and it’s time to sprout your way to a vibrant summer!
   Happy sprouting folks
   S xxx