One of the weak spots Mrs ERJ and I identified was the availability of vegetables through the winter months. Mrs ERJ does not considers potatoes to be honest vegetables. Her body craves GREEN vegetables.
There are not many options for shelf-stable, green vegetables that do not require refrigeration.
Fortunately, there are many kinds of seeds that cheerfully sprout are relatively low temperatures (55f-to-65F) and we are giving it a whirl. Our goals are very modest. Can we actually "sprout seeds" and "which species does Mrs ERJ find most appealing"?
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| Lentils soaking on the left. Garbanzo beans in the right. I do not expect the garbanzo beans to be happy at our cooler temperatures. |
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| Wheat on left, repeat of lentils on right. I expect the wheat to be a solid performer at low temperatures. |
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| Dwarf Essex Kale on left and Daikon Radish on right. I expect both of these to excel at cooler temperatures. |
Each test-lot started with 2 Tablespoons of seeds. The small seeds will get a 12 hour soak while the larger ones will get soaked for 24 hours.
Mung beans, field peas and soybeans are on my list to test in the future. Peas are reliable sprouters at low temperature but I have no information on the other two. Link to a source for seeds for sprouting.
I suspect that we will be making stir-fry in the next week or so.
To be continued....
Good luck on the sprouting. Thanks for the next update on Cumberland Gap.
ReplyDeleteI was born near there.
Starting in hot (household tap-level hot) water can vastly improve germination speed and rate in cooler ambient temperatures.
ReplyDeleteOats or barley.
ReplyDeleteMmmm! Barley sprouts. And hops!
Deletethe sprouts ARE green Just like wheat only hardier
DeleteAlfalfa has a nice sweet taste, but watch out for various chemicals applied to commercial field seeds.
ReplyDeleteMany seeds sprout after a soak, drain, and then placing in a dark area until the seeds germinate.
ReplyDeleteYou should be able to find a lot of information on the Internet.
The radish seeds I sprouted (in a variety pack) were peppery to the taste.
Good luck and God bless.
You could set up a grow light in your house for potted plants. I generally do this for herbs, but if you have room you could do lettuce and such.
ReplyDeleteERJ
ReplyDeleteMung bean sprouts are a favorite in our house. Kids love them. We use a 2 quart mason jar as a sprouting vessel. Soak overnight, then drain water. Rinse every morning for 2-3 days depending on temp. Refrigerate and enjoy for 3-4 days, if the kids haven’t devoured them.
John
Kaw River Valley
Popping in here from TB's The Forty-Five when I saw the title of this post in his sidebar. I was gifted a small collection of different seeds to sprout for Christmas and I've yet to start. I've sprouted dried garbanzo beans in the past for snacking (and I'm sure they'd be good in a salad, and I suppose all kinds of things). Really, the reason I'm commenting is I've not even considered sprouting lentils, mung beans or peas, and haven't been motivated to try sprouting wheat, but you've given me some new things to think about. I hope you report your progress, and your wife's like's, ERJ.
ReplyDeleteSprouting and growing beans/lentils is one half the battle - harvesting and processing them into readily consumable food is yet another….
ReplyDeleteThank-you to all for your comments and recommendations.
ReplyDeleteSprouting is so simple that it rates on my 'why isn't everybody doing it' list. Mung beans are entirely too easy, and get added to omelets with the drop of a hat.
ReplyDelete