Sprouts From the Earth

I love fresh crunchy sprouts.  They're good to toss in a green smoothie, or salad or tomato-avocado sandwich.  But what's the fun in buying them when you can grow your own at home.  It only takes a few days.  I've been growing my own sprouts using a strainer for years now.  It's an easy and inexpensive way to grow your own sprouts, but you need to rinse the sprouts frequently with fresh water and pay careful attention to them to make sure they don't dry out.

But then last summer I saw a woman sprouting sunflower seeds in soil.  They grew very quickly, required little water and minimal supervision.  I wanna try!

I found an old shallow tin tray, dug up some soil from my mom's garden (sorry mom!) and planted some seeds.  I placed the tray next to a window and watered.   

The next day there was a tiny little sprout trying to pop out of the dirt to see the sun ...

And then before I knew it all the sprouts were popping their little heads out of the sand dirt.

Over the next 2-3 days the sprouts got taller ...

And taller ...

I love the little "caps" on the sprouts from the sunflower shell.

When I was ready to eat, I simply took some kitchen scissors and snipped off the sprouts just above the soil.  Rinse under cold water and they are ready to be blended or added to soups and salads. 

Next up is wheatgrass ...