How easy could it be to grow your own sprouts and microgreens indoors for flavour-packed nutrition year-round? Easier than you may think. Sprouts are typically grown in moist conditions. Grown hydroponically and without medium, they are the first stage of a plant's development. The whole baby plant -- roots, stem and immature leaves -- is eaten. Microgreens are grown in a medium such as soil or soilless mix. Baby salad greens, they are harvested above their roots and only the stem and leaves are eaten.
Maggie Mumm is president of Mumm's Sprouting Seeds, a 500-acre sprouting seed farm located near Shellbrook, Sask. that exports its organic sprouting seed all over the world. Mumm says the green leafy sprouts and microgreens such as kale, mung beans and alfalfa are a great addition to any salad or sandwich and can be used as a substitute for lettuce. Lentils, bean mixes, kamut and wheat grown as a three-day sprout can be added to soups or stews after they are cooked.
"Most sprouts taste like the mature plant," says Mumm, "so if you like radishes, you will like radish sprouts." The same goes for beets, broccoli, carrots, mung beans or any type of nut, seed, bean or grain that appeals to you. Lentils and bean mixes are grown for three days and can be eaten fresh or used in recipes when they have a small root showing. Microgreens, larger than sprouts but smaller than salad greens, are the second stage of the plant's development and are normally grown for 10 to 14 days.
Mumm says sprouts can be grown in a jar with a screen or netting over the mouth of the jar. It's important to rinse the sprouts twice a day and to make sure they are well drained between rinses.
Microgreens are grown in a tray or sprouter. Rick Drury, owner of Scoop & Save Natural Health Foods at 3133 Portage Ave., is the distributor for Sprout Grower, a sprouter that consists of a plastic dish, dome and colander. Unlike sprouting in a jar, where seeds, grains or beans are soaked in water and also grow in water, the colander in the Sprout Grower keeps everything above water.
Stacie Rasmussen is a registered nutritional consulting practitioner and owner of Blossom Nutrition (www.winnipegnutritionist.com). Rasmussen teaches workshops on sprouting to both elementary school children and adults. A proponent of the health benefits of sprouts, Rasmussen practises what she preaches. She keeps a sprout grower on her kitchen counter and competes with her young son for the delicious results, which they both enjoy eating fresh or adding to salads, soups and smoothies.
Rasmussen says every nut, seed, grain, or bean should be soaked and sprouted before eating. She says sprouting helps increase the body's absorption of iron and calcium. Sprouts also contain valuable enzymes, says Rasmussen, which aid in digestion and the absorption of nutrients.
The Cadillac of the all-in-one home garden is the Urban Cultivator. Based in Surrey, B.C., Urban Cultivator is a Canadian success story that has expanded its reach to countries such as the United States, Scandinavia, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Kleen Gro Hydroponics at 218 Osborne St. sells both the commercial unit and residential model of Urban Cultivator. Local chef Anthony Kucera at the Blue Marble Restaurant and Lounge at the Grand Winnipeg Airport Hotel says this revolutionary growing appliance, situated right in the restaurant's dining room, gives him the versatility to grow what he wants. All his menu items are served with fresh microgreens such as pea shoots, shungiku, bull's blood beet, carrot and mustard, to name a few.
Bob Kesselman and Gina Zaccardi, owners of Kleen Gro, have the residential model on display in their shop. Zaccardi says it has the potential to revolutionize our kitchens and the way we feed ourselves and our families. About the size of a dishwasher and available as a built-in or freestanding model, it is an all-in-one home garden that lets you grow herbs, microgreens and vegetables year-round. Retailing for about $2,500, it has a pre-programmed control centre that self-regulates water, light and humidity levels inside the unit. Flats can be planted in a matter of minutes.
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