I was craving some fresh greens in a salad over the weekend and decided to start some sprouts. While I like sprouts, I really wanted microgreens, which are just the tops of small plants without the roots. I was trying to avoid setting up the grow light and the proper trays…which forces me to rearrange my shelving by the patio windows. Soooo, I thought I’d start with the seeds I use to sprout to get them started.
Then I found my quart jar with the strainer lid that I use to start the seeds.
First, I measured out 1 1/2 tablespoons of seeds and put them in the jar. I added filtered water and let them soak overnight.
By morning the seeds were about twice their dried size.
I rolled the jar up in a tea towel and left it by the kitchen sink.
Each evening and morning I filled the jar with water about half way and swished the seeds around. Then I drained out the water, wrapping it up again with the tea towel. By the second morning the seeds had started to sprout.
By Day 3 the seeds were doing well. More swishing and draining.
By Day 4 it was time to green up the sprouts. I could have just set the jar in the light and by the Day 5 I would have green sprouts to eat. Since I wanted microgreens, I gently spooned the sprouts into a flat sprouting box. I thought the roots would attach to the mesh and the plants would grow up toward the light. I was planning to spritz the sprouts with water as they grew. It sounded like a great idea!
However, by Day 5 the sprouts were struggling to do what I had in mind. The plants did not anchor well and because of the holes in the sprouting box, they also did not maintain the right moisture.
With microgreens, they should be watered from the bottom, not sprayed on the top. Now, I had a pretty sickly (and slimy) batch of sprouts/microgreens. YUK!
So, I guess I’ll do it the right way. First, I need to find my books about microgreens and unpack the grow light.
More on that in another post…soon!
Be willing to take a risk and try something new! All I lost was 1 1/2 tablespoonful of seeds and 5 days. Oh well, they will add to the compost pile just fine!
As always, feel free to leave a comment or email me at marykisner@comcast.net. Take a risk!