What is that? Friends ask of the tray atop my China cabinet. Thin white stalks topped with green heads resemble a crowd of emo kids with bangs falling across their faces.
These are sunflower sprouts- one of my favorite salad, sandwich or soup toppings. Easy to grow, they need a sunny spot and about a week and a half to harvest with a snip of kitchen scissors.
How to:
1-2 cups organic, raw unhulled sunflower seeds
A tray or cookie sheet with a 1-1/2 inch lip
Newspaper
Organic planting mix
Spray bottle
Soak the seeds in water overnight. Line the tray with one to two layers of damp newspaper. Cover paper with a thin layer of planting mix, distribute the seeds evenly over the mix, spray with water until the soil is evenly moist. Cover with two more layers of damp newspaper. After two days, when the seeds begin to sprout, remove the paper and mist daily, keep the seeds moist but not soggy. When they reach about 3 inches tall and the hulls begin to pop off, harvest by gently trimming 1/4 inch from the roots.
Rinse and remove any hulls. Serve over salads, soups or in sandwiches.