February Harvest
Alfalfa sprouts can be found at any salad bar, and can even be found in supermarkets along with mung bean sprouts, all packaged in nice plastic boxes. No longer are sprouts considered some weird kind of hippie food.
Beyond sprouts, micro-greens, tiny little pea shoots, beet greens and a whole world of lettuce and other greens, are served in fancy restaurants, tossed into a unique salad or added as a surprising garnish.
What sprouts and micro-greens have in common is their high nutritional value and the ease of producing them in your own kitchen.
It doesn’t take much to grow a February harvest of sprouts. Green Fields Market sells sprouting seeds, alfalfa, clover, radish, broccoli and others.
Clover sprouts are a little larger and a little spicier than alfalfa. I like radish sprouts which have a tangy flavor and can add extra zip to that sandwich.
Broccoli is known for its nutritional value, especially the presence of sulfuraphane, a cancer fighting compound, which is present in the sprouts as well. Other brassicas like cauliflower and cabbage can also be sprouted.
Sprouting seeds are easily available and so is sprouting equipment. I’ve lost the plastic mesh jar lids I used to use, but even though there are products like Bioset sprouters and hemp bags, I have found that using an old linen kitchen towel for my sprouting works perfectly well.
First the seeds must be soaked, starting them off in warm water. I usually soak them overnight.
In the morning I dump the seeds into my towel that is spread out in a colander. The water drains away and I close up the towel and hold it under running water to wash and refresh the seeds. I leave the seeds in the towel set in the colander to drain and spend the day until I again rinse them under cold water in the evening. This gives them the air circulation they need to prevent mold.
If I am home during the day, I might give them an extra mid-day rinse. However, the towel keeps them damp and sprouting all day long.
It is just a marvel to see how a tablespoon of seeds grows and grows, swelling the harvest in the towel. In five or six days, when they are a size I like I open the towel and put them in bright light for a few hours. This lets them develop a little chlorophyll and turn green.
The sprouts you buy in the store are usually dehulled, but you will see the little brown seed cases mixed in with your sprouts. They are edible, just a little extra roughage.
However, you can put your crop in a bowl of cold water, gently pulling the sprouts apart if necessary, and swishing them around so that the hulls come loose, if they aren’t already. Then carefully pour the hulls away. Some will sink to the bottom where you will find them if you lift the sprouts up.
You can also use a salad spinner for this job. Put the sprouts in the spinner in its bowl, fill with water and loosen the hulls. Pour out most of the water, then spin. You might have to remove excess water with the hulls a couple of times.
If I don’t want to dehull the sprouts, I give them a final good rinse and let them drain for 12 hours. It is important to get them as dry as possible before putting them in the refrigerator where they can keep for several days. Of course, in reality, they get used up pretty quick in salads, on sandwiches or in stir-fries.
If anywhere along the way the sprouts begin to smell or you see mold, they should be thrown out. Any equipment used in sprouting should be cleaned well after each batch, ending with a soaking in bleach water, one tablespoon per pint. I just throw my linen towel in the washer.
Micro-greens take longer to reach harvestable size, and they need to be seeded in a flat filled with vermiculite or potting mix. After sprinkling the seed on the flat and covering it with more potting mix, the flat needs to be kept damp.
When they have produced two true leaves, not just the first two cotyledons, they can be harvested by snipping them off with scissors.
I’ve grown micro-beet greens which take about 10 days. No matter what seed I use, or anyone uses, it should be clean safe seed, not seed for planting in the garden. Be sure to read your catalog and planting directions carefully. Johnny’s Selected Seeds (www.Johnnyseeds.com) sells a whole variety of seeds for sprouting and for micro-greens. In addition they sell sprouting equipment if you decide you need something more official than a linen towel.
You can also go online to a company like Sprout People, www.sproutpeople.com for information and directions about sprouting as well as equipment and a wide variety of sprouting seeds.
February 16, 2008