Trend Sprouts

Chaos and order in a shell. Beautiful, fresh and delicious. The impossible fast food.

To be honest, they have been my favorite snack for a long time. So sprouts are not really new to me. Every time I was on the go and in need of a handy snack, I would go to the refrigerated vegetable section of the grocery store and grab some to go with the mixed salad portion right next to it. Perfect.

But when my friend suggested a few weeks ago that I just grow them myself, I wasn’t so sure I could. You know, the obvious questions: Will they grow mold? Will they take up too much space on my windowsill? …

I also had no idea where to start. Should I use the multi-tiered box or the glass? What kind of seeds would be the best to start with? Of course, the obvious choice would have been beans, as I know they are really easy to grow and I am a big fan of all things Bean – including the one that was indirectly sired by Queen Elisabeth (she must have had a wonderful sense of humor).

But I did not start with the Mungo bean, which looked good on the shelf. I took alfalfa (a type of clover, I think) and red radish. Which was a very good choice for learning. Because even though I followed the instructions very carefully, the alfalfa sprouts went crazy in their jar. They were sprouting and sprouting and sprouting and sprouting… I was seriously worried that they were going to break the glass. So I decided that alfalfa was not for me. At least not for home sprouting.

But the red radish was a complete success. It sprouted quickly and stayed within reasonable limits. I also found out, that it also has a nice spicy note that goes well with tofu and several other protein sources. And the aroma rounds out other flavor profiles such as sweet-sour, salty-smoked, etc. The sprouts are easy to mix into many dishes or just to use in a sandwich.

Of course, I will continue to try other varieties for our sprouts (as I am now starting with kale). But this first chapter has given me a whole new perspective on sprouts. I no longer see them as something to sprinkle on top of a dish, but as a special way to blend flavors with vegetables. For me, that is definitely a trend that will keep going.

… a very good choice for learning

Side Notes:

• By the way: In researching alfalfa, I found that it is actually an amazing plant with many uses, especially in gardening.
• Since the water from washing the sprouts twice a day is not really ‘dirty’, I am collecting it in a bowl and watering our blackberry bush with it. Also I have started ‘re-using’ the clear washing water from herbs and leaves off our balcony for the blueberry and the gooseberry bushes on the other side of our balcony. If there are ‘swimmers’ in it, I just sieve it through (and release the insects outside the balcony, to keep the birds and plants happy). Seemed like a smart choice for saving water.