We found this company,
Sprout People, to learn from and order organic seeds. I got my first order of seeds, to see what I like best, on Sept. 18. I have been loving growing these sweet sprouted crops in my home since then (mostly in the kitchen). Kin taste good and I feel good eating sprouts.
Note about pronouns for the more than human world (that sprouts and seeds belong to):
I use
ki (plural
kin, possessive ki’s, kin’s) for the more than human world inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer in
Speaking of Nature, Finding language that affirms our kinship with the natural world. I learned that ki is from the longer word in Potawatomi:
Aakibmaadiziiwin which means “a being of the earth”. We can use these pronouns for earth/natural objects/creatures to connect with how we are connected. You can join us and practice using these too!
I love taking pictures of my process and crops. Here are just some of them:
Our 1st order is shown above: lots of samples
(the greens for growing in jars or vertically in a sprouter tray will last a long time)
Our 3rd order is shown below
(I needed more grains and beans as the samples of kin didn't last long)
Note: I use about a 3rd of one of these bags at a time.
Samples (for a pottery student one day) of greens grown both ways (in a jar or vertically in a sprouter tray), a grain, and mixed beans:
Growing beans and grains in jars, and greens vertically in a sprouter tray:
This is an example of growing in a sprouter tray. After greens get started in low light (a side counter in a kitchen is good), kin need to be moved to more light. I use the back of my couch, in a window. So I call kin Couch Greens. This is kin the day I moved kin to the couch for more light:
This is kin a few days later:
Cutting roots off the bottom of the sprouter before harvesting this crop of greens (I composted the roots):
This is the greens as I am dehulling kin and spinning to dry for storage in the fridge. You can see before and after here:
Sweeties (so fresh!):
Show below is from when I was processing greens grown in medium (
coconut coir fiber that I got from
Sprout People). The crop was bigger (maybe?), but this took more effort, so I don't recommend it. (Of course, I composted the roots and growing medium. My worms love my kitchen scraps, and I love my worms.)
Greens in a jar (kin start in low light, then get moved to the kitchen window on day 3 for growing more and greening up):
I don't usually have 6 crops in the fridge at a time. This was special.
Aren't kin gorgeous!
These are mung beans, my favorite sprouted bean so far. Aren't kin cute!
These are sunflower soaks. Kin are done within a day! Kin don't grow roots.
This is a salad with 3-4 sprouted crops and veggies from the farmer's market. So yummy and healthy!
I just learned of this more local organic seed supplier from an organic farmer I regularly buy from. I will check them out!
About glass jars:
I love using Ball jars for sprouting and storing sprouts. And also for food I make in the pressure cooker (another new food passion from this year, more on that later). These glass jars remind me of fun times with my grandmother in Iowa when I was a child. She was a great canner.
The pint sized Ball jars are the safest jars to freeze in. (I was using the quart jars in the freezer too until one broke and I had to compost the gorgeous beans I had put in it, so I don't take risks with them in the freezer now.) I use Ball quart jars for sprouting seeds and leftovers I store in the fridge for a day or so. For either size Ball jars, I suggest the "wide mouths", they are easier to fill and empty.
Ball quart jars are overpriced on Sprout People. I recommend getting a case of each through another store. I put some links above after some quick online searching. You might only need 3 quart jars for sprouting, but get a case each if you have the space to store them. They are much better to use than plastic for food storage: no consuming of micro plastics for me as much as I can help it!
