We've had some lovely weather this weekend. The mornings have been cold but by the afternoon it's been sunny and warm, in the 70's - in February.
I'm tired of cold winter weather, and this weather is just making me itch for spring. I want to plant something, even though it's weeks too early.
I'm also hungry for fresh food. Sprouts and microgreens seem to be a good choice right about now!
I've sprouted seeds in Mason jars a few times before, but I tend to forget to rinse them often enough and usually end up with dried-out dead sprouts, or at the other end of the spectrum, moldy sprouts.
Microgreens are supposed to be just as easy, taking just a few days longer than sprouts.
I used a set of sprouting trays - a top tray with holes on the bottom that fits inside a second, solid-bottomed tray for easy watering - and a package of broccoli seeds from High Mowing Organic Sprouting Seeds.
This sprouting set doesn't seem to be available at this time. The trays themselves are available from Amazon, however they come in set of ten, and you'd have to buy both a set of the bottom trays without holes and a set of the top trays with holes.
True Leaf Market carries several sprouting kits that are similar but not identical to the ones I used. You might want to start out with this mini microgreens growing kit.
Sprouting seeds can also be ordered from Sprout People and True Leaf Market. Or, if you prefer to buy locally, you can also purchase them at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market.
I followed the simple directions that came with my kit, and soaked a tablespoon of broccoli seeds in water for 24 hours, then rinsed them well.
I apread organic potting soil in the top tray - the one with holes - to a depth of about one inch, and placed the soaked seeds on top of the soil. The top tray is then placed inside the bottom tray, which does not have holes.
Of course this is to protect your surfaces, whether you're growing your microgreens in the kitchen or another room.
My tray measures 10" by 20" and I knew that planting the whole tray would give me way too many sprouts, so I just filled half of the tray with soil. In retrospect, using the smaller trays that are now available would have been an easier choice.
Next I lifted the top tray slightly and added about three cups of water to the bottom tray, and replaced the top tray. It was really that easy.
I put the tray in an unused bedroom on a table in front of the window. It's a north-facing window, not ideal, but my cats aren't allowed in this room so it was the best location I had. The cats love to chew on greens.
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| Day One - the seeds sprouted the day after I planted them! |
This whole process was so easy. I just watered them once a day and took photos.
On the first day after planting, I didn't even water them because I felt there was plenty of water still in the bottom tray.
I did turn the tray around each day so the sprouts had consistent light from the window, but that probably wasn't necessary.
Watering once a day and turning the tray was so much easier than trying to remember to rinse a jar of seeds several times a day.
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| Day Two |
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| Day Three |
I couldn't resist running my hand gently over the top of this lovely carpet of green each day. Doing so also helped dislodge the seed hulls that clung to the leaves.
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| Day Four |
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| Day Five |
On the fifth day I harvested the sprouts by cutting them just above the soil with my kitchen scissors.
Microgreens are typically harvested after they have grown their first set of "true leaves," which are actually the second set of leaves that they produce. Those first two leaves are called "seed leaves."
After harvesting, I rinsed my sprouts thoroughly with water to remove all the dust and soil, then dried them well by bouncing them in a strainer and then letting them hang out on a towel for a bit.
Broccoli sprouts are delicious on salads and sandwiches. I'm looking forward to a chicken salad sandwich topped with sprouts, something I haven't tried before but sounds delicious. I'm going to add them to my daily green smoothies too.
The sprouts were so bright and green, very healthy, and they even smelled fresh like spring.
I had no problems with mold or with the sprouts drying out, which was a relief after my previous attempts at sprouting seeds.
Broccoli sprouts emit ethylene gas which causes ripening and spoilage, so sprouts should be used as soon as possible. Leftovers can be stored in a bowl in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Don't put your harvested broccoli sprouts in a bag; it will trap the ethylene gas and cause them to spoil even faster.
I'm pleased that I was successful at sprouting seeds this time. I'll be using this method in the future; it's so much easier than sprouting in jars. In just a few days I had an abundance of fresh organic green sprouts to eat in the middle of winter.
Plus it satisfied my need to grow something when it was still too early to plant garden seeds.
Whether you grow sprouts in soil or let them grow a few more days and harvest them as microgreens, sprouting seeds in soil is just as easy (and maybe even easier) than using a Mason jar. The sprouts are delicious and nutritious.
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