GNOWFGLINS™

In part, this method comes from Ann Wigmore’s book “Sprouting.” I have added modifications of my own.

1. For each tray of microgreens, soak 1-1/2 cups seeds (sunflower or buckwheat) overnight in a 1/2 gallon mason jar. Use seeds still in their hulls. Drain and rinse fully after soaking. Add a stainless steel sprout screen and metal ring to the top of each jar. Tip each jar on its side and let the seeds sprout for about 24 hours, rinsing fully about every 12 hours.

2. Fill a tray with a mix of soil and compost, such as 2/3 dirt and 1/3 compost. Moisten the soil. Don’t over-moisten, as typically, these trays do not have drainage holes. (I am using plastic trays. Someday I would like to use an alternative material for my trays.)

3. Spread the seeds out in a layer over the soil. Basically, you want there to be seeds everywhere in a single layer.

Sprouted seeds spread in a layer over the soil.
Above: Buckwheat Seeds, Below: Sunflower Seeds

4. Place trays in an indirectly or directly sunny spot, which can even be indoors. Whether or not you cover the tray with a plastic cover depends on the weather conditions. Covered trays in hot weather will result in sanitized seeds. Water as needed, once again taking care not to over-water, as the trays do not drain.

Microgreen tray with cover

5. Within 5 days, you should be able to harvest the first microgreens. Snip them off individually, or in clumps, with kitchen shears. Snip at the base and try not to bring any dirt with them. Avoid snipping off the younger greens so they will continue growing to be harvested later.

The microgreens are coming in (and some have already been harvested from these trays)
Above: Buckwheat Greens, Below: Sunflower “Sunny” Greens

6. Harvest daily, using kitchen shears, until no more greens emerge. To wash, put greens in a basin full of cool water. Let them soak for about 5 minutes with a bit of gentle hand agitation. Dirt will sink to the bottom, which makes the job easier. Go through the greens and pull out the hulls and other sticks or bits of dirt. Then transfer the greens to a bowl, drain the water, and fill the basin again with cool water for another rinse. Usually, 2 or 3 of these rinses should do the trick. The greens are clean when the water is clear. Transfer the greens to the salad spinner to spin them dry. Eat!

Sunny Greens with Lentil & Mung Bean Sprouts

7. Chop up the soil and roots in the finished-growing tray. Or, pull out the roots and let them compost separately. I prefer to let them decompose in the soil while another crop is growing. Soak and sprout another set of seeds and lay it in a single layer in this now-ready-to-grow-again tray. As needed, add compost or start over with a fresh soil/compost mix in the tray. Try to rotate crops –> in each tray, plant a different kind of microgreen than was grown prior.

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon.