Sprouting Sprouts

I'm actually surprised with myself that I got this up and running pretty quickly. I know it doesn't seem like an involved project and it really isn't, but even the easiest tasks can seem daunting when obscured by the thick shadows of protracted darkness. The "hardest" part was cleaning out the durn peanut butter jar! Now that everything's set up all that's left to do is wait. Here's a mini photo-doc of the process:

1. Gather a clean glass jar, cheesecloth (unbleached), rubberband (or gumband for all the Yinzers out there), and a handful of seeds of your choice (I used quinoa to start. If this works, I'll try sprouting the leftover garlic chive seeds from my "real" growing project.).

2. Soak seeds in water overnight.

3. Drain seeds and transfer to jar. Cover with cheesecloth, securing with the rubberband.

4. Flip jar over and place on saucer dish to catch any excess moisture.

5. Place on windowsill with makeshift cornucopia.

P.S. For optimal results, it says to rinse the seeds a few times a day.

The Hibernation Situation

It's only been two weeks since daylight savings time ended. The cue to hibernate is obediently being heeded by my body, and I have to remind myself that I am not of the ursine family. From the lack of activity on the blog, it would seem as if I'd already gone into hibernation long before the days started getting shorter. But, I'm still awake, and this little bear wants to grow something!

I want to try another experiment that may not turn out the way I want it to; but that's the point of experimenting: you try things for the simple sake of trying something new, and whether or not you get a desired result is just the parsley garnish on top. ;) Having another go at the herbs is out of the question now that we are want of sunlight. Without adequate sunlight, the seeds won't sprout; and I'm not quite at the point of wanting to set up an indoor lighting arrangement. Waiting until next Spring to start trying to grow again seems awfully far away. Isn't there something I can do in the meantime?

The answer is YES. Quite fortuitously I stumbled upon this perfect winter indoor growing project. They aren't herbs, but that's okay: it's something fresh, alive, and green to help add some color to the monotonous grey that always settles in around this time of year. I just hope it works! I'd love to have a variety of fresh sprouts on hand to throw in salads, sandwiches, and other dishes. Not only will they be delicious, but I think it will help me fend off that hibernation-induced urge to adopt an habitual consumption of comfort foods (i.e. eating mac and cheese every other night!).

I always have lentils and quinoa lying around the pantry so I think I'll start the sprouting experiment with them; convenience and curiosity about the taste of their sprouts make them an excellent and irresistible starting point. Verily I look forward to expanding my sprout repertoire beyond the usual alfalfa, mung, pea, and broccoli. ;) I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out!

Amazing how I feel the desire to hibernate abating already...