It's a little bit rainy/snowy outside now, the cats are both snoring on the bed in the room next to my office and I have the book All The Light We Cannot See on my bedside table screaming at me to come read it. No, seriously. Screaming. With a German accent. Plus there's fresh, homemade bread downstairs.
But I can't light the fire and enjoy the rainy/snowy day, pet the cats, read the book or eat the bread ... because of you people and your unrelenting demand for posts. I've mentioned this before.
Sometimes you people really bug me.
I've given it some thought and you people don't bug me anymore. My mortgage, food and utility bills bug me. They're the life sucking, needy ones in this situation. Mortgage, food, utilities. Mortgage, food, utilities. Basically I live like an Amish person so I have no idea how my expenses are so huge, especially my grocery store bills. I grow 80% of my own produce, don't eat a ton of meat and almost never clean my house so that eliminates expensive cleaning products. I blame it on Joe Fresh. And Italian cheese.
Somebody asked me the other day if I do the things I do to save money. Um. Kind of. Not really. I mean that's a small part of why I do the things I do, but really I make bread, grow food, have chickens and build stuff because I like doing these things. It makes me feel like I'm better than everyone else. You know. Superior. Like a cat.
If I didn't like doing them it wouldn't matter how much money I was saving ... I wouldn't do them. Which is why I would never do my own dental surgery. Sure I could save some money but I don't think I'd enjoy doing it. It depends on what sort of drugs I could get my hands on, I suppose.
Alfalfa Sprouts I grow myself for 2 reasons. One because there have been a few health scares over them. In the past 20 years, there have been 30 sprout outbreaks were people got sick and had to go to the hospital and were forced to wear ugly hospital gowns. Alfalfa sprouts that were full of toxic, icky, dirty, salmonella juice were to blame. So that's reason number one to grow your own sprouts.
Reason number two is, I really like how they look on the kitchen counter. They look cute.
This isn't the first time I've talked about growing sprouts. One of the very first posts I wrote for this blog 5 years ago was how to grow your own alfalfa sprouts. Throw some alfalfa seeds in a mason jar, soak them overnight, then rinse and drain them for a few days. Voila. Alfalfa sprouts.
Nobody cared.
Mind you I only had about 5 readers at the time. So I'm going to lay this whole sprout growing thing on you one more time. I'm also using a different technique now which greatly enhances the cuteness of the sprout.
First off you folks are going to have to buy yourself some alfalfa seeds. You can get organic sprouting seeds online, or from your local health food or bulk store. You want good quality seeds because most times when alfalfa sprouts become contaminated it isn't because of the sprouting process it's because of the seeds. The seeds themselves arrived with bacteria. So don't buy your sprout seeds from a dirty organic hippie. Buy them from a clean organic hippie.
Which brings me to my next point. I do NOT do this, but it's suggested that when you soak your seeds to get them ready for sprouting you should add a couple of tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide to your soaking water. So say, 2 Tablespoons per 2 cups of water. This will kill some of any bacteria that's present on the seed.
How to Grow Alfalfa Sprouts (which are GREAT in sandwiches especially my favourite sandwich ever, and salads)
- Soak 1-2 Tablespoons of alfalfa seeds overnight in water (or water with hydrogen peroxide if you prefer).
- Drain and rinse the seeds. Set aside.
- Fold up a piece of paper towel and stick it in the bottom of a small dish or bowl.
- Add water to the dish with the paper towel then drain it so there isn't excess water in the bowl. Just a nicely soaked paper towel.
- Sprinkle your soaked seeds overtop of the paper towel evenly and in a single layer.
- Over the next 2 days keep the seeds moist by adding a dribble of water over them.
- Once the sprouts have established their place on the paper towel (around by the end of day 2) you can carefully rinse and drain the sprouts. If you rinse them too early or with too much force, your seeds won't get a chance to root into the paper towel and will go flying all over the place.
- Rinse and drain twice a day until your sprouts look like sprouts. The photo above is day 4. The photo below is day 5.
Once they're all sprouty you can keep them in the fridge for a few days loosely covered with plastic, or in an open plastic bag. They don't last long so only make what you're going to use in a few days.
Sorry about saying you bugged me. You don't bug me. I just get cranky sometimes. When you don't let me lounge, pet, read and snack.
Diana
Hahaha!
Best part was the German accent, because when I`m reading your post I`m reading it with your accent... I had to switch from German to you and back to German....
Maybe I will grow them and scream at them in my German way that they have to grow faster!
Karen
LOL. No German screaming at the sprouts. Whispering in Italian might help though. ~ karen!
Sally
My Favourite sprouts are a sandwich mix I buy in bulk organically from Mumm seeds (canadian company) they are awesome! Have you ever looked into the benefits of sprouted broccoli seeds? I feed my chickens sprouts, add them on top of any salad and even toss them on top of soup; such a great thing to encourage people to try and do for themselves! Very worthwhile. And your favourite sandwich looks super tasty too!
Christina
This was like a mystery tour to me because I didn't have a clue what alfalfa was although I'd heard the word before. I clicked the link in the email thinking "Alfalfa sprouts? Are they anything like Brussels Sprouts & if so how can you grow them in 4 days?" Then I saw the picture & thought "Watercress. She means watercress." It's quite funny how often it happens.
Jacquie
I think you must be British? I'm not sure they're the same thing but I love cress on a samitch. Unfortunately watercress usually describes the big leaved type but all Brits of a certain age will remember growing cress on a sheet of blotting paper :-)
Karen
Hi Christina, lol. Do you still think that alfalfa sprouts are watercress? Alfalfa sprouts are the initial growing sprouts of Alfalfa. The kind of thing you feed to livestock. ~ karen!
Sherry in Alaska
I wonder if the vodka idea would work? Grow sprouts often and I do not like the peroxide idea so much..... Thanks for a nifty alternative to the jar (though I really never cared much how they look. It's that yummy green goodness I love.)
Michael Hill
Also one can add Colloidal Silver to your sprouts in stead of hydrogen peroxide.
Colloidal Silver is without doubt the best antibiotic on planet earth. I drink it every
day...a mouth full. Every package of bread I open I spray silver into the package.
This keeps the bread slightly damp and no critters. I spray it onto my sprouts.
Use your imagination.
I make my own silver...the water from an artesian spring 10 miles up the mountain
from where I live.
Hold the silver in your mouth maybe 5 minutes...swish it around...and let it slowly
run down the throat. This purifies the mouth and gums...and heals them.
Beth
Please consider learning more about anything you choose to put into your body, BEFORE you try it! Here's one reliable source for information: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/colloidal-silver/faq-20058061 (The Mayo Clinic). There are many more. Love from a Librarian
Paula
I am going to try this. I still didn't get a notification email and there wasn't anything in junk :(
Karen
HI Paula. I just added your email address to my subscription list. You will have just been sent an email from "Mailchimp" asking you to confirm your subscription. So watch for it. ~ karen!
Anne
Thanks, I am one of those complainers. I know that you have a life to live, but am glad to be included in it.
Madeleine Whitfield
I kind of like the idea of anti-bacterializing one's seeds, but hydrogen peroxide doesn't sound great. Vinegar is anti-viral. Would that work instead?
Karen
Hi Madeleine. No, the vinegar wouldn't be the same. But you don't have to fear hydrogen peroxide. It's perfectly safe for this (and many other uses) "Hydrogen peroxide is seen as an environmentally safe alternative to chlorine-based bleaches, as it degrades to form oxygen and water and it is generally recognized as safe as an antimicrobial agent by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)"
~ karen!
MaryJo
So it won't kill the seeds? I always have hydrogen peroxide on hand...
Barbie
your description of the cat, the fire, and the book, sounded so very inviting! However I started wondering instead if I had time to do 3 of those cute lil containers of spouts before thanksgiving .... Don't think so ....but it sure would look cute sitting up in my window sill all in a row!
Karen
Isnt Thanksgiving in a day, lol? ~ karen!
MissChris SA
Sit back, relax, pet your cats etc.
We prefer the non cranky version of you (just kidding - you not that cranky)
Sera
Would it work to soak the seeds in vodka instead of hydrogen peroxide? I tend to have vodka on hand. When I'm not drinking it. I love the adorable dish you're growing then in. How tall is it? I never wanted to grow them in a mason jar because I don't think it looks that great. Although, I guess you wouldn't have to transfer the sprouts to a different container when you put them in the fridge. Anyway, I don't remember the original sprouts post, but I do think I've been reading your blog since the beginning. I have a terrible memory though, so you could probably rewrite all of your posts and I'd read them just like new.
I also have that book, but it isn't screaming at me. I'm too scared I'll cry the entire time I'm reading it. I'm just way too emo anymore. And apparently prone to babbling nonsensically in comments. Sorry about that.
Karen
Huh. My niece got so emotional after having kids she cried all the way through the movie Bridesmaids. It was too sad for her. Bridesmaids. The Movie. With Melissa McCarthy. ~ karen!
Sera
Hahaha! I guess I'm not that bad. I only cry at everything else. Although I was trying to explain to my 23 year old nanny who Bette Midler was and was describing the premise of Beaches and, yep, started tearing up. The babe will be a year old on the first. I'm wondering if I'll ever get my sanity back. Not so sure.
Jessica M
I remember the original post! I promised myself I would do this, but haven't. Thanks for the reminder ;-)
peg
wanted to do the pea sprouts like you had done awhile back,but of course they don't' sell here in the bean/rice aisle of grocery. to expensive in the garden section for a envelope with 10 or so seeds. do love the alfalfa seeds. :D
Sherry in Alaska
Amazon has them. Not very expensive and you can buy a little or a lot. Also try local health food stores & groceries is you don't like Amazon......
Karen
Try the canned vegetable aisle Peg. They're in a box (not a can) but that's the section they're normally in. With the canned peas. ~ karen!
peg
thank you both,I'll give the grocery another look see.then on to amazon
Ruby
Don,t use seeds meant for the garden. They,re treated with cemiacals.
peg
I do know that, not sure why I wrote that. I never pursed.
Thank you :)
barbee
Not a huge fan of sprouts, but definitely a huge fan of you!
Karen
Ha! Well, thanks. Can't blame you for not liking sprouts. They're weird tasting. I like em, but they're weird tasting. ~ karen!
AnnW from the US
If you don't want to write, turn on the chicken cam. Or re run some old posts, that way we don't have to go backwards.
Kat
I miss the coop cam! I want the coop cam up and running for Christmas with a Christmas song and Karen in her Boggs Boots and cuddles on her lap! Now that would be a fun Christmas instead of watching some stupid Yule log burning all day and waiting to see that arm dressed in a plaid shirt poking at the fire. We could start a petition "Christmas Coop Cam"!
MaryJo
YES!!! =0)
Gloria
Yes please ! Coop cam for Christmas !
Victoria
YES... chicken shenanigans! Maybe Karen can knit/craft Santa hats & scarves for the girls too!!
Diane
Karen, your blog brings me so much joy and a guffaw every time I read it. Thanks for adding extra light to my life! Just thought you should know. Now go light that fire!
Karen
Thanks Diane! No time for fires today either, but maybe tonight! ~ karen
Rosemary Burrows
I still do my sprouts in a mason jar. These ones look so much cuter. And I like the hydrogen peroxide tip, tx.
Bronwyn
Blogging, hey? It's a curse. I'm cursed with constantly coming up with new ideas and doing stuff for my sons' school's Parents and Friends Association. If I wasn't doing that I'd have time for chickens and sprouts. Still, like you, I enjoy it. Carry on.
Jani
I love sprouts but gave them up after the scare with people getting so sick. Thanks for sharing this. I just really love the nutty taste on a sandwich!! You are the best!!
Sharon
I hope you love All the Light You Cannot See. What a wonderful story. It screamed at me, too.