YES, it arrived! My order of seeds, let the sprouting and growing experiment begin! I ordered all kinds of seeds, regular and sprouting ones. We’ll see what works best, easiest, in soil and in a jar. I got broccoli, rocket, turnip tops, kale, spinach, basil, purple basil, coriander, mesclune, chervil, lamb’s lettuce and sunflower seeds. I tried it and here is my short growing sprouts guide for you.
Why sprouts and microgreens? They are the best and most vitamin, enzymes, minerals rich living vegetables you can get, true value for your money, you can grow it anywhere and anytime! Microgreens are sprouted seeds which grow further in soil or on special trays to become real tiny plants loaded with nutrition. I use regular and sprouting seeds for my microgreens and organic soil. These tiny plants live off the good soil and infact eat it up! When grown, there is no soil left, just roots. This week is al about sprouts!
Vegetables of the future! Sprouts are loaded with vitamin A, B, C and E, iron, protein, calcium, magnesium and phosphor. They have an alkalizing effect on the body and when the little leaves turn green chlorophyl appeares.
You don’t need much, just seeds, a glas jar with cheesecloth or a mesh top and water. Add one or two tablespoons of seeds, cover it with water and let it sit overnight. Rinse well, two or three times a day and let it sit in a diagonal angle on the counter. In 4 to 6 days time you will have your own homegrown sprouts, ready to enjoy! Great value for costs and efforts and it grows on every windoledge or kitchen counter. A little bag of seeds will turn into jars full of sprouts. This is the way to have fresh, living food to enjoy even in the winter time. If you get a system going, you can start rotating your jars every few days. This way you will always have some fresh sprouts in the fridge. Even my kids like it, espescially the milder flavours like alfalfa, green peas and sunflowerseeds.
I have a big glas jar and I juse a sive with really small wholes and put it on top of the jar and turn it upside down in an other sive. Two tablespoons of seeds, here I got a mix of alfalfa, radish and lentils. Overnight covered with water, rinse well and let it sit turned on top in a 45 degree angle.
Rinse 2 or 3 times a day, and after a day or two little white tails will appear! They will grow real fast and even tiny leaves will appear. That is the best time to put them in the sun for a chlorophyll kick, the leaves will start to turn green. When ready to harvest,in about 5 to 7 days, rinse it in a big dish with a lot of water to rinse away the little seeds. These start to float on top of the water and can be removed with a spoon or a little sieve. Last rinse and place it one more time for about 6 hours on top to let it absorb all the water.
You can keep it in the fridge in a clean jar for about 5 to 7 days. Great in salads, on a sandwich, in a wrap or in a soup for extra crunch.
5 benefits of eating sprouts,
- rich in nutrients like vit.A, B1, B6, C and K, minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese, calcium and to complete this also fiber and omega 3 fatty acids, beans for example multiply they content of vitamin A 8 times after being sprouted
- high content of enzymes to keep our bodies healthy
- protein, plantbased and pure, sometimes up to 35% content
- easy to digest thanks to the high content of enzymes, very helpful for people with digestive problems, kids and the elderly
- thanks to the high concentration of nutrients and fiber together with the low calorie content you can enjoy the benefits during a detox or when trying to lose weight
A salad filled with lovely, living little greens, full of enzymes, vitamines and minerals! It is more like a plate filled with veggies, buffet style. What have we got?
Crumbled kale chips flavoured with braggs aminos, grated cucumber and carrot, avocado, mixed sprouts and my microgreens. Little power plants in the highlight next post! Here I have rocket, alfalfa and radish. A great mix of nutty and mild flavours. Topped with an Almond dressing and a few raw flaxseed crackers. A complete meal! After a few pots you will get used to the routine and in fact it is really a little amount of work for big rewards. Don’t forget to rinse and truy it a few times when almost ready to see when the taste appeals to you most. Sprouts get more spicy when older.
Almond Dressing for two,
- 4 Tbsp. almond butter
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. braggs aminos or tamari
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp. sesameseeds
- piece of ginger, about an inch, grated
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup, not raw, or 2 dates, raw
- himalay salt to taste
Ingredients in a blender or a magic bullet kind of small blender and blend till creamy and smooth, add in the olive oil at the end to thicken it up.
Lets get sprouting! Have a great sunday!
Tina
