Homegrown Greens; Sprouting a Micro Green Salad in Your Kitchen

You don't have to wait until spring to grow your own salad greens. Sprouting can be done right in your kitchen. Imagine growing your own home grown organic salad greens for a fraction of their store bought counterpart's. Not to mention growing your own salad greens is just health wise. Being able to eat your greens at the peak of optimal freshness is ideal. In this article I will tell you how to accomplish this.

Micro greens are sprouted seeds or legumes. They are eaten root and all because they are normally not grown in soil. Though they can be grown in vermiculite and other mediums. Sprouted micro greens are chock full of essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids. They also pack a protein boost. Most notably they contain vitamins A, B, C, E and K as well as abundant source of calcium, chlorophyll, iron, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium.

Sprouts can be grown in 5-14 days right on your kitchen countertop! You don't need any expensive equipment or even a lot of room. A glass jar with a mesh lid or a muslin or hemp bag will do. You can get fancy and buy an actual sprouter or use trays with a soil medium but it isn't necessary.
Also sprouting is extremely economical. Sprouting is super cheap compared to buying conventionally sold produce. A pound of organic sprouts can yield numerous cups of greens!

Some common seeds you can grow in your kitchen for sprouted greens are alfalfa, curly cress, clover, broccoli, arugula, cabbage, flax, mustard and chia. All of these seeds produce great tasting sprouts. You can use one or many for a variety.

In order to make your sprouted salads more savory you can also sprout more pungent greens such as garlic, onion, radish, chives and fenugreek. The fun part is mixing it up! You can come up with an endless array of salads using different types of sprouts.

If you want to get fancier you can also try sprouting sunflower, popcorn buckwheat, garbanzos, lentils or peas.

You can obtain your sprouting seeds through your local health food store or there are sprouting supplies online that specialize in carrying such seeds! Sprouting seeds should be organic if possible.

To start your journey sprouting you will want to gather your supplies. If you are using glass mason jars you will want to acquire mesh lids. You can also use cheesecloth and a rubber band instead of the mesh lids. Or make your own bags out of muslin! You can buy pre made bags usually wherever sprouting seeds are sold. The cost for the bags is $5-$10 and the lids usually will run around $3-$5.

I prefer to sprout in glass jars over fabric myself. For some reason I think the circulation is better. Circulation is important in sprouting as you don't want your sprouts to get moldy or slimy.

First you will want to presoak your seeds. You can soak them for a couple of hours or overnight. Some seeds don't need to be presoaked but I like to do it anyway to help the process along. If you are using a glass jar cover the bottom of the jar with seeds then cover with water. If using a bag you can put the bag directly in a container or use a separate container and a fine strainer to transfer them. If you are using a bag 2 tablespoons is sufficient.
The only thing left to do is to rinse your sprouts 2-3 times a day. You don't want them to get slimy or worse moldy so keep a careful eye on your rinsing regimen. Also be sure to keep your sprouts loose and loosen any that start to clump together. Air circulation is important.

Otherwise you are only a few days away from healthy home grown sprouts! Sprouts keep for up to a week as well so they are a great and easy way to supplement your diet. Experiment and see what kinds of sprouts suit your family's tastes! They can be enjoyed in salads, in soups, in wraps, on sandwiches and more Even your four legged friends will want some (my dogs & cats eat them up). Get creative with your sprouting endevour and your tastebuds will thank you!