Feature Article January 29, 2004
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Gardeing in the winter
Would you like to keep your green thumb active throughout the winter? Grow some broccoli sprouts on your window sill or even on the kitchen counter. Radish, alfalfa, mung bean, mustard and cress, also produce sprouts which are great in salads or on sandwiches.
To start your kitchen harvest, choose your seeds and wash them in cold water. Drain them thoroughly. Then allow them to soak overnight in a bowl of tepid water; this breaks the seeds dormancy. Remember that the volume will increase about five times by harvest. Next morning, place them in a wide mouth jar, such as a mason jar. Cover the top of the jar with cheese cloth or nylon mesh and secure with an elastic band. Holding the jar under the tap, rinse the seeds and pour the water out. Be sure to let it drain well because the seeds will rot if left sitting in water. To ensure good drainage, leave the jar upside down at a 45 angle. The sprouts need to be rinsed in this fashion twice a day. As the seeds grow, the seed coats will break away, so when you are ready to harvest, place the sprouts in a bowl of water and gently stir them; the hulls will separate and can be skimmed off the surface. Sprouts increase in nutritional value if they are exposed to light to form chlorophyll. To green up the sprouts, rinse them, remove the hulls, and place them in indirect light for six to eight hours. Now your sprouts are ready to enjoy. Use them within a couple of days while they are crunchy and rich in nutrition.
