A Microgreen Update
I Ate Them.
Wouldn't that be the most annoying blog post ever? Ha!
So, My beet and basil microgreens were supposed to be eating size in about 15 days. Due to the sun's path still being on the southern side of my house and my kitchen window, where I placed my greens, is situated on the north; let's just say that I let my green friends have a good, solid twenty-one days of growing time before I mowed them down.
It's been raining a lot, and there are no complaints from me, for now I am down to about a foot of snow in my yard. Plus, I can actually go out and stand on the earth under the fir trees outside my dining room window! Back to the incredibly grey and gloomy weather, well, it made me feel like eating tomato soup.
I whisked together some tomato sauce, chicken broth, erythritol+stevia, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast. As soon as that concoction was good and warm I added a few tablespoons of cream cheese and proceeded to whisk that into the fray. I then selected some kitchen shears out of my crock of kitchen gadgetry and gave the basil a pretty serious buzz cut.
I have to admit the little basil babies made a pretty little garnish on my quick lunch soup, and I felt a little bit like a chef. Ah, who am I kidding, I felt like a self-satisfied small farmer who was getting a little extra nutrition in her diet and a subtle hint of basil to my palate whenever I ate a spoonful.
The microgreen experiment was definitely enlightening, for a few reasons:
- The seeds took next to no time to prep or care for.
As they were on the ledge above my kitchen sink, I actually,
faithfully remembered to water them.The turn around time from start to finish was pretty quick.
- They taste pretty yummy, and if you are into food aesthetics, hello
pretty noshing!
Next round, I think I am going to start some sunflower and radish microgreens, for I am thinking they will add some texture and spice to the early spring salads that I am going to start partaking in.
An escapist note of probably un-necessary explanation: I will be departing on my annual weekend of sloth and non-stop eating indulgence with a few of my friends. That said, I probably won't post until Monday, but don't worry my lovely followers, I will come back to you!!!
And as always, all of the images in this post were taken by the author on her basil scented iPhone.
They look great in that soup!
Thank ye! They tasted great too! However, I recommend a grill check in a mirror before interacting with others, those sprouts like to hang around in one's teeth. LOL, Of course that could be an added benefit if you like messing people, but I thought I would throw the fyi in there!
Great FYI, thanks!
Microgreens are good incentives for saving seed from plants, even hybrids that won't reproduce the same variety. Since they get harvested so young, it doesn't matter what variety they are. So anytime radishes, broccoli, kale, spinach, basil, or other plants that make good microgreens go to seed, it's a bonus! I think this is the easiest way to use sunflower seeds, too. Much easier than cracking seeds and tastier than roasted sunflower seeds in the shell. Enjoy your microgreens and your weekend away with friends!
Ooh! I totally agree with you on the microgreen sentiments and especially the sunflower seed usage! If I had to plant all of the excess sunflower seeds that I produce I'm pretty sure that I would need far more acreage and some larger equipment, lol! Much better to nibble on them in spout form without all all of the cracking, roasting, and such.
Hope you have a fantastic weekend too! I'm getting ready to wander out the door for some fun!
Sunflowers are so productive, that's for sure. Plenty for people and seeds for bird feed, too. So much of the sunflowers are worth eating. I like the buds! One day, I will cook the flower base of a giant sunflower and use it as the crust for a pizza -- one big, artichoke-flavored pizza crust.
That's awesome! What a great idea! Especially as pizza! I am going to try your idea out on one of my dinner plate sized buds this year! Thanks hh!
I've been thinking about this all winter, lol! It seems so right! : )