Growing your own!

by Dr. Michael Kane
 

As a child, in a family with eight children, the individual time spent with my father was limited to working in the garden.
 
The spring planting of peas was one of the most enjoyable memories.
 
Being Irish my dad and I usually tried to plant the snow peas right on St.Patrick’s day.  If the ground was clear of snow and was not frozen solid we would be out there with our seeds. And in the weeks to follow we would watch with much excitement and anticipation for the first seedlings to sprout.  As they grew we would provide the net of support for them to climb higher and higher.
 
This is a great tradition that I still do faithfully…..and the harvest in early June is so sweet.

Knowing more about where your food comes from is extremely important.  If you don’t have the time or the space to plant your own garden, supporting local organic farms is certainly a good option.
You can frequent your local farmers markets or actually buy shares in a harvest (community supported agriculture or csa) for a growing season. For more information check out the website:
 http://www.ctnofa.org/Farms.php

Indoor Option:

You can “Grow your own” sprouts indoors.  Sprouts are full of enzymes and are powerhouses of nutrition. Get the children involved.  Often when they have a hand in growing things they are more likely to eat them!

Recommended seeds to sprout:

broccoli- full of anti-cancer compounds and a mild pepper flavor
sunflower seeds- shelled raw seeds are a rich source of lecithin and vitamin d.
lentils- these are 26% protein add to salad for that extra boost.
mung beans- good protein source and high in vitamin c. You can lightly saute and add these to stir fries or other dishes.
alfalfa seeds- These sprouts contain great phytoestrogens that can help with menopause symptoms and can support heart health.

How to Sprout:

Supplies-
seeds
large mouth glass jars
cheesecloth
rubber bands

Simply put some seeds in a jar and cover with water and soak overnight, attach the cheesecloth to the jar lid with a rubber band and drain sprouts- rinse and drain daily until the seeds sprout.  let them grow until a few inches long and then feast on them. Put them in salads on sandwiches or you can put the bean sprouts (lentils and mung) in a stir fry….yummy