Jackie Bantle
Are you feeling depressed about your grocery bill and the lack of your own fresh produce during the winter? Maybe you can beat the ‘blues’ by growing some of your own sprouts and microgreens.
As the name suggests, sprouts are sprouted seeds. Only a few supplies are needed: a small amount of good quality seeds, a large glass or clear plastic jar with a wide opening (such as a quart sized jar used for canning dill pickles) and a square of nylon mesh or screen along with a rubber band that will fit over the mouth of the jar.
Step one of the sprouting process is soaking seeds. Place seeds in the jar and cover the seeds with clean, potable water at room temperature. Soak smaller seeds like broccoli or radish for 6 hours and larger seeds like beans or peas for 12 hours. After this soaking or swelling stage, pour water through the mesh and rinse seeds with fresh water. If possible, place jar in a dark place.
Wait for the seeds to germinate: this can take anywhere from one to twelve days, depending on the seed. While waiting for seeds to germinate, rinse seeds at least twice daily (morning and evening). Always use clean water near room temperature for rinsing. Once seeds begin to produce leaves, place the container in a bright spot to allow green chlorophyll in the leaves to develop. Never place any sprouting seeds in direct sun. Sprouts are ready to eat as soon as tiny leaves or roots are visible.
Sunflower sprouts are delicious however, you may not want to eat the hulls (even though the hulls are edible). Once the sunflowers have sprouted, place them in a sink or a big bowl filled with water. The hulls must be manually removed from the sprouts and will rise or sink in the water. Gently separate the hulls from the sprouts using your fingers.
Store sprouts in the fridge for up to two weeks. Keep the sprouts in a sealed container and rinse with cool water every two days.
Microgreens are the next ‘generation’ of plant growth after sprouting: the seeds have sprouted and tiny, delicate plants have started to grow. Microgreens are often made up of the same plants that are found in salad greens but they are harvested at a much earlier stage. Recommendations for microgreen production include cress, flax, buckwheat sunflower, broccoli, cabbage, radish, lettuce, kale, kohlrabi, pea, spinach, salad mixes, barley, oat or wheat grass. Growing microgreens in your home is easy.
Freshly germinated radish and wheat sprouts not quite ready for eating.
Choose a large enough container or tray so that the seeds are only one layer deep and have some space between seeds (at least 2-3mm). The container or tray should be 3-4cm deep and have some holes for drainage. If the drainage holes are large enough to allow the soil mix to drain out, line the tray with paper towel or newspaper. Fill the bottom of the tray with your soilless mix 2-3cm deep. Soak seeds in water overnight. In the morning, drain the seed and sprinkle seeds evenly on top of the mix. Cover seeds lightly with 0.25cm of your mix, pressing seeds and mix firmly into the tray. Cover the container/tray with clear plastic wrap or a lid. Place the tray in a warm room, 20-25°C. Using a mister or light sprayer, ensure that the surface of the tray remains moist. As soon as germinated greens are visible, remove the clear plastic cover. Continue to water greens: ensure that the tray remains moist but is not left in standing water.
When growing microgreens of larger seeds such as barley, oat or wheat grass, soilless mix in the bottom of the tray is unnecessary. Simply line the seedling tray with 2-3 layers of damp paper towel and spread the soaked seeds over the damp paper towel. Cover the seeds with a plastic lid and/or damp paper towel. Remove the lid and covering paper towel when green leaves appear. Keep seeds and paper towel moist throughout the germination and growing period.
Unlike sprouts, microgreens need sunlight to grow. When grown indoors, they should be located on a south facing windowsill, under a grow light. Some seeds have hulls that will persist on the young plants. Mist the plants with a spray bottle, as the moist hulls will naturally fall off.
Microgreens are usually harvested when they are 3-5cm tall. Cut shoots just above ground level with a sharp knife or scissors. Plan to use your microgreens fresh however, if necessary, they can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for several days.
One of the main concerns with sprouting seeds and growing microgreens is the possibility of contamination with harmful bacteria such as salmonella. The key to avoiding this risk of infection is to purchase and sprout seeds that are sold for sprouting purposes and have been tested for pathogens. Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds is a local supplier of sprouting seeds located in Parkside, Saskatchewan (www.sprouting.com).
For more information and recipes on sprouting and microgreens, check out ‘Growing and Using Sprouts’ by Richard Helweg.
This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.
