Indoor Food Garden

Yes, you can have your very own indoor green garden. Even in November. All it takes is a small supply of sprouting seed - a little goes  long way - a biggish Mason type jar, access to water, a small piece of cheese cloth or similar, an elastic band, and you're off. Put some seeds into the jar, fill it with water and soak your seeds overnight. You need not keep the jar in daylight. I grow my sprouts in the corner of my sink. Rinse the seeds with fresh water daily and put the cloth back on the jar top tilted to make sure there is drainage of excess water. You want the seeds damp, not swimming. Soon you'll have a lovely green crop and a lot of discarded seed bits left in the bottom of the jar. To prep the seeds for putting in your soup and sandwiches (yum), pour them into a large bowl of water and rinse, allowing the sprouts to come to the top. Scoop the green sprouts out with your open fingers like a sieve, and put aside. Remove the discarded seed bits from the bottom and toss them into your compost. That's it! This kind of green garden is sometimes called micro greens. The bacteria that comes along with the process is mostly good and beneficial for digestion like other pro-biotics. The sprouts are great sources of Vitamin A, C  and other good things. And you don't need dirt or large spaces to grow your own food. You can buy elegant trays for growing or you can simply stick to recycled jars which is eco-friendlier. Kids will love growing their own salad toppings and sandwich enhancers. They can even keep their micro-gardens in their rooms. The sprouts make a nice little side salad with additions such as carrot parings and thinly sliced green onions and celery.  Design your own mini salad that can be served on a tomato slice with dressing drizzled over or sitting provocatively on a slice of toast. Sprouts look cute on most casseroles and float about in soups as though they belong there. I hear that some people even put them in the freezer for later. Campers latch on to this snack  because it gives them an easy source of green that is light and packable. Good winter gardening!