Re: microgreens

January 5, 2011

Hello, Sharon, welcome aboard. Sprouts are grown to eat the roots and all.

Generally in a container of some kind - jar, EasySprout, etc.

Greens are grown for their leaves or foliage. Greens are grown in a medium or on

mat of some sort, so that the green part can be cut off and tossed in a salad or

stir fry, etc.

PS: The word 'greens " can also mean plants with red leaves, such as beets.

Keep on asking questions and enjoy sprouting.

ew

microgreens

I'm a new member and have a question regarding microgreens. What is the

difference between microgreens and sprouts? Are you using the same

sprouting seeds but growing microgreens on baby blanket or something similar vs.

a

sprouting jar?

Thank you,

Sharon

January 5, 2011

Welcome Sharon.Glad that ew answered your question. He is definitely our go-to

person with questions. There are a number of folks here who are helpful and kind

about sharing information, answering questions, and talking about their latest

sprouting adventures.I started out sprouting mung beans and occasionally

soybeans, about 20 years ago, using the old mason jar approach. Now, I have a

grand old time sprouting all sorts of things, growing microgreens, and even

grasses for myself and the cats and dog. nwho started the arugula on the

clay garlic roaster and made sauerkraut today!

January 6, 2011

Sharon,I might add that I grow sprouts in a Sprout Garden and Easy Sprouters,

Wheat and other grasses in soil, and microgreens on either a hemp bag or now am

trying clay.

n

January 6, 2011

I have had questions on the micro greens also. Once you snip off the greens for

your salad etc, what do you do with the seeds? Do they resprout or do you throw

them away? If you throw them away, then how are they different from the sprouts?

I think the sprouting is less wasteful in that case. I grow the kind of sprouts

that are organic, and you can eat the whole thing...including the little seed

husks. They add a nice crunch. I would not eat them if they were not organic,

however. So I am really wondering if microgreens are just an easy way not to

have to hull the sprouts separately. Maybe I am really just all mixed up.

Phyllis

January 6, 2011

Phyllis,

There is lots of info on the sproutpeople website about this, and a day or two

ago EW provided a concise description of sprouts vs. microgreens.

I personally see two reasons for growing microgreens. First, to grow crops that

are too mucilaginous to sprout in a conventional sprouter such as EasySprout or

Sprout garden. Examples are arugula and cress. Second to grow the crops a bit

bigger by adding nutrients and light. Nutrients can come just from using some

compost. I am really getting into radishes grown this way.

In most cases you don't have seeds left over, just hulls. In the case of peas

and wheatgrass, the food in the seed is not used up in one crop and you can grow

a second crop, but most seeds that we sprout are not like this--all of the part

of the seed inside the hull ends up as sprout. There is nothing left.

Nicola

>

> I have had questions on the micro greens also. Once you snip off the greens

for your salad etc, what do you do with the seeds? Do they resprout or do you

throw them away? If you throw them away, then how are they different from the

sprouts? I think the sprouting is less wasteful in that case. I grow the kind of

sprouts that are organic, and you can eat the whole thing...including the little

seed husks. They add a nice crunch. I would not eat them if they were not

organic, however. So I am really wondering if microgreens are just an easy way

not to have to hull the sprouts separately. Maybe I am really just all mixed up.

>

> Phyllis

>

January 6, 2011

Phyllis,For arugula, I don't get a second crop. For wheatgrass and other grasses

I get a second crop and then put the root mat outside for the outside animals

(as opposed to the inside animals who get their own stuff). For things like

peas, I get 3 to 4 crops.Hopefully someone else will explain what they do. Once

they germinate, arugula seeds, like flax and chia, are gelatinous. So the

arugula seeds that I just started on my clay yesterday are a sticky mass that

are adhering to the clay. The chia seeds did the same to the chia pet. I'd have

to pry them off the surface if I wanted to eat them. Many people in the raw food

world soak chia seeds so that they form a gelatinous pudding to eat as is.But

Â when I grow them for microgreens, I think the seeds, once the greens are cut,

are unappetizing. The outside animals like them though, as do my finch and

canaries.Definitely take a look at Gil's excellent photos and discussion of

arugula as a microgreen on

www.sproutpeople.org Â Just search for arugula and check it out. n

n Rollings, PhDNJ Licensed Psychologist #4686www.DrnRollings.com

Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is--whether its

victim is human or animal--we cannot expect things to be much better in this

world... We cannot have peace among men whose hearts delight in killing any

living creature. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic

delight in killing we set back the progress of humanity.

Carson

Subject: Re: microgreens

To: sproutpeople

Date: Thursday, January 6, 2011, 11:43 AM

Â

I have had questions on the micro greens also. Once you snip off the

greens for your salad etc, what do you do with the seeds? Do they resprout or do

you throw them away? If you throw them away, then how are they different from

the sprouts? I think the sprouting is less wasteful in that case. I grow the

kind of sprouts that are organic, and you can eat the whole thing...including

the little seed husks. They add a nice crunch. I would not eat them if they were

not organic, however. So I am really wondering if microgreens are just an easy

way not to have to hull the sprouts separately. Maybe I am really just all mixed

up.

Phyllis

January 6, 2011

Phyllis, with sprouts, you eat, they're gone. Many micro greens can harvested

several times. Pea shoots can be cut 3 or 4 times. Beets, chard, lettuce and

others can be cut and the plant will grow again. This is known as 'cut and come

again'. I do not give any food - fertilizer - to my sprouts. I do however, add

liquid kelp to my micro greens, because the growing medium has to food value for

the plants.

After you finish harvesting your micro greens, the medium and roots can go into

your compost pile, or just buried in your garden. Your earthworms will send you

a thank you note.

ew

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