MICROGREENS

Home is the best classroom. The homestead is the best school. Although it may slow me down; I involve my children in most chores and responsibilities on our homestead. Their enthusiasm and quick understanding inspires me to make learning exciting. Chores also need to be exciting - for all of us. And their joy over the mundane encourages me to get something that is usually a chore, done! Eating food that you have grown yourself is half the experience. Because the BuckarooBabies are part of the entire process they literally chomp at the bit to taste the latest school project. Currently our focus is microgreens. So: Let my BuckarooBabies teach you how to grow your own Microgreens!

Microgreens are undoubtedly the food of the future. With such extreme temperatures as many homesteaders experience growing basic salad stuff is challenging. I believe that raw greens should be part of at least one meal a day. Microgreens is one of the most nutrient dense forms of food that you can (grow and) eat. All the power of that tiny plant is packed into the initial days of germination and growth. Vitamins and nutrients peculiar to each little Microgreen is off the charts in its first days of life. This powerhouse of sweet green is essential to your health and vitality.
Growing your own Microgreens need not be complicated. Some countries sell complete Microgreen sets which helps get a newbie started. You need:
*A few identical trays (that fit into each other)
*A spray bottle
*Potting soil and coir (fibre from a coconut husk) - which holds a lot of moisture
*Liquid seaweed is an excellent additional nutrient to spray
*Depending on your weather you may need extra growing lights
*A lightweight
*Heirloom seeds are essential. Go for bulk mixed Microgreen seeds. These will be any blend of vegetables and herbs. My favourite are broccoli, mustard, alfalfa, rocket, cress, beet, coriander, onion, clover and then, of course, sunflowers! I keep one whole tray just for sunflowers and then a second tray for whatever mixed seed I choose.

Your growing tray must have holes. I spread a sheet of paper so water seeps out but no soil. Mix your growing medium and pack it into the tray. Use another tray to compress the soil, forming a firm and even surface. Then spray thoroughly.

Tiny seeds should be planted directly. The larger ones, like Sunflower seeds, lentils and peas, must be soaked overnight. Spread your seeds evenly. They must form a dense carpet. You quickly get to know the correct ratio. It is a good idea to measure out your seeds so that you don't have too little. Or too much.

Our large trays take one heaped cup of sunflowers. Sadly we ran out of the mixed blend and the second tray was sparse. Spray again - well - but carefully. At this point the seeds must be kept moist. Generally a morning and evening spray is sufficient, but in our extreme heat I spray three times a day.

Stack your trays, leaving an empty one on top with a lightweight. I use a couple of my bottles of lentils. Continue spraying morning and evening for two days. By the third day you should be able to remove the weight and place the tray of tiny Microgreens in a solid tray and keep watering from there. If the leaves are too pale green or yellow they need more sunlight. Leggy Microgreens are also lacking in sunlight. Harvesting is as simple as cutting the Microgreens at the base with a sharp knife. The remains gets tossed to the chickens. And the next batch of Microgreens begun.

The theory is that the microgreens take 7 to 14 days from planting to harvest - the most popular harvest time being on day 10. Here in sunny SA our Microgreens race the sun and we harvest them on day 5 or 6. It is better to do smaller quantities and plant more often than have huge patches waiting in the fridge after harvest.

A very eccentric German homesteader first introduced me to Microgreens. I visited her to meet her goats. Naturally. At almost 80 she was a ball of energy to enforce her eccentric ideas. She loved her goats and used to wander through her gardens and olive orchard munching on the latest produce. She always had a couple trays of Sunflower Microgreens at her back door. And Sauerkraut in her kitchen It is thanks to her that I began the delicious journey of Microgreens and fermented foods. And I have never looked back. How grateful I am for our paths crossing.