Sprout a Tiny Vegetable Garden With Big Nutrition

You want to sprout a garden you can grow in any season or climate. You want a garden you can harvest in only four or five days. You don't want to mess with dirt, soil or growing medium.

You want to sprout a garden that provides a fresh, healthful delicious crop that its full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. You want crops that don't need to be peeled or involve a lot of waste in preparation.

YES, it can be done!

I've done it in a classroom, and at home.

Sprouting seeds is a simple process, and one that children enjoy a lot.

What do you need to produce a jar of fresh sprouts?

A packet of seeds -- alfalfa, cress, mung beans, lentils, onion seeds, radish seeds or a mixed batch. These are available in many supermarket produce sections, at health food stores or online.

A quart size Jar -- canning or mayonnaise jar

Cheese cloth or nylon net-- A commercially made sprouting jar with a plastic straining top can also be used-- but it is not necessary.)

If you are growing sprouts for a classroom project, you might also want:

a tray or platter, paper towels and a water spritzer.

This is how one kindergarten teacher proceeded. (pro-seeded?)

Take a package of mixed seeds for sprouting. A single kind of seed can be used, but it is more fun to use a mixed batch so you can see the differences in each kind. This particular mixture was an assortment of alfalfa, mung bean, lentil, radish and cabbage seeds.

Place a tablespoon full of the mixed seed in a wide-mouthed jar. Cover the mouth of the jar with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Cover the seeds with water and soak overnight. Drain, and shake gently to distribute the seeds along the sides of the jar.

Take a few of the remaining seeds and sort them into groups of six or seven of each type. Place the sorted seeds on on four layers of paper towels on a cafeteria-type tray.

Mist the groups of seeds with water until completely dampened, but not swimming.

To keep moisture in, cover the tray with saran plastic wrap.

Place both the tray and the jar in a dark cupboard.

Each day the tray and the jar are taken out so the children can observe what growth had taken place. Seeds in the jar are rinsed and drained, and seeds on the tray are "spritzed" if needed.

The class uses magnifying glasses to watch the seeds begin to break out of their shells, grow a root, and develop tiny leaves. Differences and similarities are noted among the different types of seeds.

On the last day of the week, the jar is placed in a sunny spot for a couple of hours as the leaves magically became greener.

Finally everyone who wants to, tastes a few sprouts on crackers with cream cheese.

Most all of them agree that the sprouts are crunchy and tasty.

Growing your own sprouts in you kitchen is quick and simple. They make a tasty addition to sandwiches, omelets, salads and even soups.

Larger seeds like mung beans, small red beans and lentils are great in stir fry dishes. You might want to experiment with several different kinds. You will find that they are much fresher, tastier and crisper than bean sprouts you find in a supermarket.

How to identify seeds in a mixture:

Mixtures might contain some of the following:

LENTIL-- flat, reddish or green "lens-shaped" seed.

MUNG BEAN-- small , almost round, greenish-brown. Sometimes has a small white spot.

RADISH-- small, round, brick red.

CABBAGE- tiny, black, round.

ALFALFA-- tiny, "bean shape", color varies -- tan, reddish, greenish-tan.

You can also sprout soybeans, broccoli, clover, cress, flax, onion, wheat, barley, mustard, sunflower, and several other seeds and beans. In fact, all edible seeds, grains, and legumes can be sprouted.

If you have never "sprouted" before and you want to do this for a classroom activity, you might want to try it at home so you can make your own observations.

As with any lesson, you will have a better idea of what to expect if you try it out. It will also give you an idea of what kinds of seeds work best.

Day one: If your seeds have been soaked the night before, they should be drained and rinsed in the morning. By the end of the school day you may see some of the seeds have split and a little white "knob" appears on some of them.

Day two: Seeds are rinsed and drained again. A definite root--perhaps three or four times as long as the seed-- appears from most of the seeds.

Day three: Rinse and drain again. Things are really popping now! The growing material resulting from a mere tablespoon of seeds has increased from 400% to 600%.

Day four: Rinse and drain, again. Your jar is about 3/4 full. Leaf structures become apparent. Some secondary root hairs may be visible if you examine the sprouts carefully.

Day five: Rinse and Drain. You might want to place the jar in a sunny spot to see if these "baby plants" begin to develop some green color.

Your sprouts are now crispy and ready to taste-- but you can wait another day or two (rinse and drain) if you want them to grow a little more.

If you don't use all of them, they can be kept in the refrigerator for several days.

Rinse occasionally.

They are easy to grow, require little space and attention. They can be grown at any time of year.

They are a a good source of fresh food when you are camping, or in an emergency when you can't get to a store.

They have super nutritional benefits, being a good source of protein, vitamins C, D and A plus B-complex and phytonutrients.

They are easy to prepare and to digest. Certain kinds are high in anti-cancer properties and calcium. They provide nutritional fiber and are low in calories.

They also have essential minerals, carotene, chlorophyl and amino acids. In fact, they are probably the most nutrient dense of any foods.

Kids enjoy participating in the natural miracle of a growing seed . If they help to grow them, they are likely to enjoy eating them.

Now-- If I've got you thinking about yummy green things, take a look at my hub about healthful salad dressings. HERE. http://hubpages.com/hub/Discussing-Distressing-Dressings