spring sprouting::three ways

sprouting №1:  to eat

when i was a girl, our kitchen window sill always had one or two jelly jars with a giant avocado pit suspended above water, held at the rim of the jar by toothpicks.  as the days went by, a sprout would emerge to form the beginning of an avocado tree.  we had several planted around the yard.  the california sun pretty much guaranteed the production of luscious avocados.  

we are not so lucky (with avocados) in virginia.

so i am playing homage to the giant pit of green perfection of my childhood by sprouting on a smaller scale.  adzuki beans, chickpeas, green peas and mung beans will sprout delightfully nutritious sprouts to eat on the fly or throw into a wrap or on a veggie burger.

rinse your beans and let soak overnight.  rinse twice more and drain.  measure one-half cup of plumped and cleaned beans into a jar.  cover with a double or triple layer of cheesecloth and secure with elastic bands.  each morning, fill the jar with water to give the beans a nice shower and drink.  drain off the water through the cheesecloth and give your jar a nice couple of shakes.  in a few days, sprouts will emerge.  continue with the daily shower-shake.  when your sprouts are about two inches, you can eat them.  remove them from their jars and store in a glass container in the fridge for up to one week.

talk about nourishment straight from the source.

sprouting №2:  to grow

this year, i'm starting plants for the karma garden from seed.  i chose organic, non-gmo heirloom seeds and am starting them in organic, sustainable mix.  added eco-bonus-points:  toilet paper rolls as tiny pots.

i am so excited about these two especially:  purple carrots and green zebra tomatoes (who did not do so well last year).

i'm making tiny flags for them.  i did not mark my plants very well in the garden last year and i think we "weeded" a lot of good stuff.  while we are getting better at identifying our plants, we still need a little help.

once planted, these little guys need to be kept moist and under grow lights.  in my opinion this is the perfect excuse to buy that child's blue elephant watering can i've been eyeing.  :)

sprouting №3:  me

this spring, i am metaphorically germinating:

• trail running
• a bigger organic garden plot (if we decide to do it on our land instead of the college's organic garden, it will need to be in the front yard because the back is too shaded with the forest.  this is a big move and a big statement.)
• more yoga
• nyc
• leaning into the gypsiness of my travelling job
• making each trip an adventure
• making each day an adventure