eggheads, revisited.

There are some 'traditions' the boys leave behind, growing out of without a single glance. And then they sometimes surprise me - why haven't we done X yet? The eggheads is one of those things. They made them each spring for years - with wheatgrass - and this year they asked why we were not making eggheads? I had no idea we needed to do that again. So we did!

This year we put a twist on it. They wanted to try something other than wheatgrass, and they liked the name of the "wrinkled crinkled cress".


We pulled the biggest eggshells out of our collection (we save them to crush for the garden). The boys painted them - we used red and blue metallic acrylic paints. They painted faces on them, and then drew over that with a metallic marker.


They spooned a little potting soil in there, added a sprinkling of seeds, and watered.


The first few days we kept the egg tray holding them inside a large baggie - just misting water inside to keep them moist. Once they started to sprout, we took them out and the boys put the tray in a sunny window.


They have been growing steadily. With so little soil and a sunny window they need watering and/or misting really regularly or they wilt (and we add a little kelp fertilizer in with the water every few days), but they grow and grow and look very cute. We'll see how big the cress gets, and if that is enough soil for it to do OK for a while. It will be fun if the 'hair' gets huge and wavy!


I can see why they didn't want to let this one go yet!

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sunflower shoots.

I have had a bunch of people ask about how to sprout sunflowers, and how easy it is compared to traditional jar sprouting or growing microgreens. So, here is how I sprout sunflower shoots!

It has a few more steps than sprouting of course, but isn't quite as involved as growing other microgreens. With microgreens I find I need more space, more equipment (trays, lights), and it takes a little more time. With sunflower shoots I can grow small trays that fit on my kitchen counter or windowsill and don't need any light supplementation. So while it make take 9-11 days or so, it isn't hard or too involved.


Step One: Soak

Put your sunflower seeds into a canning jar or sprouter, cover with cool (60-70ºF) water. Soak 8-12 hours. Rinse. Drain. (They float, so you can shake/stir a few times during this phase to keep them all moist, or put something in to weigh them down a bit).

Step Two: Sprout

Set your drained sprouts in the canning jar/sprouter anywhere out of direct sunlight. Keep them at room temp.

Rinse and Drain the seeds every 8-12 hours for about 24-36 hours (2-3 rinse cycles). You want to have a small root before planting.

Step Three: Planting

You can use different types of growing medium, I usually use organic potting soil which contains a few other goodies (earthworm castings, etc.). They seem to grow best that way. Start with moist soil in a shallow tray - 1-2" of soil is fine.

Plant in a shallow tray with drainage holes. You don't need deep soil. You can use pots, trays, canning jars ...

Spread seeds on your soil. They can be densely packed, but don't pile on deeply or you might get mold. The seeds can be packed in there, single layer, all touching. Just press into the soil, you don't really need to cover them with dirt.

Step Four: Cover

Cover with a tray or slip into a gallon baggie (don't seal, let air circulate) to root well for a day or two - low light, not direct sunlight. Keep them under cover until they are 1 to 2 inches tall.

Water carefully once or twice a day. I like to add some organic kelp fertilizer to the water every few days, but you don't have to.

Step Five: Grow

Take off your plastic/cover and move the tray of small sprouts to a sunny location. If they get a lot of sunshine in a window you might need to water more. Let grow in the sun a few days.

Step Six: Harvest

When the shoots are about 3 or 4 inches tall and have two green leaves per shoot, you can start cutting them. Cut just above the surface of the soil. Be sure to cut/harvest when there are only 2 leaves per shoot, BEFORE true leaves come.

Just a note: sunflower shoots shed the hulls of the sunflower seeds as they grow, but you will see some that will retain those. If there are shoots that still have the hulls at the sunshine/grow stage, you can just gently pluck/pull them from the leaves as they grow.

(Here is the timeline for the batch I grew/photographed this time. 3/15: soak, 3/17: drain/rinse, 3/20: plant in soil, covered, 3/23: uncover, 3/27: harvest).

Sunflower shoots are high in vitamins A, B, C and E and contain chlorophyll, Iron, Niacin, Phosphorous, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Amino Acids and are up to 25% protein. They taste so green - and just like sunflower seeds. YUM! I eat them plain (can't stop myself!) or use them on sandwiches or in salads.

Many places carry sunflower seeds just for sprouting/growing shoots. It is a good idea to use organic seeds, and seeds meant for sprouting, as they have not been chemically treated. Where to find sunflower seeds for sprouting::

High Mowing Organic Seeds
Sprout People
Pinetree Garden Seeds
GrowOrganic


Happy growing!


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bits of days.

We've been settling into the season a bit lately. We have had those days that are busy busy out of the house as we finish up the fall - days where we do so much of a thing and I take photos and want to share. And now we transition to days that on the surface I think are just little bits and feel I have nothing to share - which is funny, because in reality they are SO much more!



Home days are the days we love the most - while we enjoy 'activities' out and about all of us get a bit drained when in crowds and really LOVE coming back home to center and unwind and just be together. Not to mention we have so much we want to DO!



Of course this is the season for home - the weather gets colder, we cozy up, we craft, we read, we make, we bake, we share, we learn, we do, we wander and return, we play ... and then we do it again. We tuck in and keep asthma boy away from crowds and viruses and hopefully keep him healthy for the winter and his birthday (He's turning six!!! SIX! And his head is as big as a GIANT turnip!).



So some days it just seems like there isn't any'thing' to share. It is just bits. But all of those bits together make something very special. My kind of special.



So we go along, big days and small days, life feeling just right. We wait and hope and cross our fingers for snow. We spend time together at home, we are busy with our projects, and wander outside as a family in the nice crisp air.



Just what we all look forward to this time of year.

"In family life, be completely present."
- Lao Tsu

Yep, what he said.


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in my kitchen...

There is always something happening in our kitchen. Something fermenting or rising or culturing, dehydrating or stewing. With so much available to us here in southern Wisconsin (and in our garden) we make many things from scratch...I just love making my own yogurt, butter, kombucha, bread, or vanilla extract and growing trays of greens and herbs. There is something deeply satisfying about spreading homemade butter or jam on a piece of fresh out of the oven bread. And the process of making each thing is very meditative for me - I love it. I need it.







This week we have a lot happening as we grow through spring - I feel so good when we have a pantry full of delicious things we have canned, and I feel downright prosperous seeing a counter full of goodness in the works. This week we had rhubarb and the canning jars above are the top of the top...ginger rhubarb fridge jam. Oh yes, it.is.GOOD!


So - what is happening in your kitchen this week? What is in season where you live?

(top to bottom:: rhubarb, butter, vanilla extract, watercress, mixed greens, kefir, jam, kombucha)

winter garden.

Just because it is -5º outside doesn't mean we can't have a garden. We grow as many greens as we can inside each winter. It is super easy - and we get fresh goodness even with feet of snow on the ground.

Right now we have a bunch of things going. We have an easy sprout growing a mix for topping sandwiches, eggs, etc.


We have a triple tier sprouter that we use to sprout bigger things - peas, lentils, mung, etc. This week I have a few trays of red lentils sprouting to the microgreens stage for salads.


We also have a light system setup over a bookshelf in our 'craft room' (spare bedroom). This is simply a few trays under two shop lights - with one warm and one cool bulb per fixture we get a good range of light to grow microgreens and lettuce greens. The room gets lots of natural light in the winter too. Right now we have a tray of pea shoots, one of mixed microgreens (broccoli, radish, arugula, beet, cress, mustard), and one of mixed greens we are growing for cut and come again salads. Microgreens are greens and vegetables grown only for the first week or so and cut while small. They are packed with nutrients and surprisingly have a ton of flavor. A 7 day old radish green packs quite the punch of full radish flavor.


And of course we always have a few things of wheatgrass growing. The green perks our sprits up in the winter...plus it is good for juicing, and our rabbit LOVES getting special fresh grass treats!



We have some time before we start seeds for the spring and summer garden, but it is nice to have trays always going so that we can cut and eat fresh, right from home. And it just feels good when it is so cold and white outside!

wearing of the green.

Well, while we did not wear green today, we are surrounded by green. Spring is just around the corner and we have living green things on counters, windowsills, tables and racks.


The windowbox tomatoes we started in January are getting bigger.


Mung bean sprouts are just about ready - I know what I'll be having for lunch tomorrow.


Sunflower sprouts are getting going (tasty treat) and the arugula is almost ready to snip for a salad.


And in the basement, the tiniest seedlings are peeking their heads up - growing growing growing! I love starting seeds. It does take a little attention over a few months, but it is so worth it.

For those of you who are starting seeds for the first time this year - here are a few good resources to keep you moving along! :)

>>Book: Gardening from Seed: The Keys to Success with Flowers and Vegetables - Martha Stewart. Good photos showing you the actual seed starting process and supplies.

>> Blog: Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op:: Easy & Inexpensive Seed Starting System.

>>Podcast: Garden Girl TV:: Indoor Gardening #1 | #2 | #3

After a few days of warmth and sun we have cooler (and wetter) weather on its way. With this cold bug we are actually looking forward to some gray wet days so that we can cozy up inside and recover completely. So even as the real spring arrives (sun and 70º does not feel like spring to us - cool and WET does!), we have plenty of green inside, and weeks of new seedlings to start as we go!

mushrooms.

We picked up a mushroom tabletop grow bag at the Garden Expo a few weeks back, and have been excitedly misting and watching them grow. 

We started out with the base bag and cut the holes into it, as instructed. A wasn't so sure about this...


We waited several days, misting and checking, and one morning we came down and *poof!*, there were tiny mushrooms growing out the holes!


From there, they exploded and grew so fast - A had to check every few hours and measure and spray.


When the caps were 4 inches across, we harvested! Our first harvest was almost a pound of Grey Dove Oyster Mushrooms.


We made a big pot of creamy oyster mushroom soup (YUM), and saved a few to make a creamy pasta sauce. The boys didn't want to EAT "the fungus" yet, but loved growing and harvesting, and are eagerly anticipating the growth of the second batch on our bag (it says we will continue to harvest for about 90 days). We have a few books on mushrooms coming that A requested, so maybe by the next harvest he'll venture a taste...probably not, but my husband and I are perfectly happy eating all the mushrooms. ;) 

growing wheatgrass.

We have been enjoying our indoor herb and greens gardens. The boys have been interested in what happens under the dirt as everything grows. So, we started a project where the boys are growing wheatgrass in a canning jar!

It is very easy to do, and it is cool because each part of the growth process is visible through the glass - from the sprouting wheat berries to the burrowing roots to the shooting bright green blades.


All you need is a bit of sand, some potting soil, canning jars, wheat berries and a spray bottle with water. Start off soaking the whole wheat berries in room temp water for 8-12 hours - drain/change the water about half way through. You can find whole wheat berries usually in the bulk bin at your local grocery store or coop. Organic is best since it is not treated with anything and will sprout healthily! You can use any glass jar - I use canning jars because it is what I have at hand. We used pint jars.

(january 5 - started)

First spoon about an inch of sand in the bottom. Follow that by spooning about 1-2" of potting soil on top of the sand. The sand is to just help keep it from getting too waterlogged (my boys love to squirt the water). Top it off with a dense layer of soaked wheat berries. We used about 1-2 Tablespoons of wheat per jar. Don't put too thick of a layer of wheat or the bottom ones may get moldy.

(january 6 - sprouting)

Water lightly and then cover (loosely) with saran wrap and place on your kitchen counter in a dark or shady spot. Spritz well with a spray bottle of water morning and night. After the first day or so the berries should be sprouting - remove the plastic wrap. Keep in a (not too hot) light place once they start sprouting - not direct sun though. A bright windowsill or a table near a window is fine.

(january 9 - grassy! check out the roots)

Continue spritzing with water twice a day. Once the grass is growing, rinse out every day - just fill the jar with cool water, then use a finger to gently hold everything in as you pour it back out to drain. This just keeps the lower wheat berries from getting moldy and rehydrates the soil if it is a bit dry.

(january 11 - tall green wheat grass!)

It is fun to watch the roots and the grass grow - once it gets going it grows so fast it is literally an inch or more per day. Very fun to observe - my boys love not only the watering part, but also seeing how fast it grows and how the roots look through the glass!

You can feed the grass to your pet, juice it in a wheat grass juicer and add to smoothies, or, of course, keep it as a cool green burst of life on your table.

(january 11 - first trim! )

Giving the wheat grass a 'haircut' is also fun. You can trim it and it will continue to grow. Once the grass is at least 4" long, take scissors and snip (leave about 2" on the grass)! Then make sure to lean in and get a good strong whiff. The face above is A's reaction to the strong wheat grass smell after he gave it a trim. :)

It is really simple to do, happens quickly, and does look cool all lined up on the table - especially when the temps are going to be below zero all week. A nice living green centerpiece!