Spring, Soil, and Sprouting

It's spring time and I am loving it! Although in FL, it kind of just feels like summer with a cool breeze here and there. This week was my spring break from work and I am sad to see it coming to an end! It was a nice break from reality and having to wake up at 6 am every morning.

I'm also sad to say I didn't go to the beach or do much of anything very spring-breaky. My poor little cat was really sick and between bringing her to the vet, cleaning my house, and getting caught up on some work, spring break came and went.

I did however, sleep in everyday, spend time with my hubby, relax, start a garden, and start sprouting.

The garden came about because my friend Juli is really into it. I have wanted to get started for a while but it never happened.. until now! Her and my other friend Tiffany were over for our girls bible study so we went to Lowes right after and lo and behold I now have a small container garden!

Yesterday we planted carrots and lettuce and watered my mint in hopes that it would come back to life. Today, I added two more pots with yellow squash and cucumbers. I decided on a container garden because I don't know how long we will live in this house since we are renting. With containers, I can always bring them if we end up moving.

I would post a photo but the garden isn't exactly beautiful yet. I'm thinking about mulching an area, arranging my containers and adding some pretty flowers. Once it looks nice I'll post a picture!

Now about the sprouting. If you aren't familiar with it, it is a way of sprouting beans and other grains and seeds in order to eat them raw. You can also cook them or grow them after. Although I'm not completely raw, I love the idea of growing your own salad toppings right in the kitchen! There are tons of videos online that demonstrate the proper technique. It's quite simple actually.

beans, grains, and seeds

I made my own sprouting jars from ball jars and metal screen from home depot. I now have enough of the screen to make about 500 sprouting jars. haha. (it comes in a huge roll)

The basic process is to fill the bottom of the jar with said bean (I started with mung beans) and soak them in plenty of water for 8-12 hours to remove any dirt or toxins. Then drain, rinse, and drain again. Next, you just turn the jar on its side making sure you remove as much of the water as possible to prevent rotting, and let sit for 3-4 days. Within those days you need to rinse and drain twice a day. Then, presto, you have sprouts!

chickpeas soaking in sprouting jar

Needless to say, I am in love. I need to sprout at all times. ;). I love watching the little seeds grow tails and the satisfaction of growing my own food!

mung beans almost done sprouting after 2 days!

Hope everyone has had a joyous and splendid weekend!

Do you garden? or sprout?

xoxo Jessenia