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Greens in the Winter? Don’t Doubt ‘Em, Sprout Em
Blog posts reflect the views of their authors.
Sprouts are easy to grow at home, and provide a great source of nutrients. Photo: Greens of Haligonia
By Vera Martynkiw
If I had to name two things I love, it would be food and farming. After spending the summer feasting on fresh fruits and vegetables from my backyard collective garden, my CSA vegetable box, and the dozens of farmers markets across Nova Scotia, the arrival of fall signaled a tough transition. As winter quickly approaches, my garden beds are suddenly empty and I find myself struggling to fulfill my coupled passions to grow and eat fresh food.
I ask myself, “How can I continue to get fresh, healthy greens, all the while, saving money on my grocery bills?”
Ainslee Umlah and Joanna Bull have an answer. They took matters in their own hands and started a home-based sprouting business last November in Halifax's North end called Greens of Haligonia.
“Sprouts add the element of freshness that can be hard to find when trying to eat locally, especially in winter,” says Joanna. “It keeps that feeling of spring alive. I wouldn’t want to eat frozen spinach from California, or go without greens all winter.” They’re also an excellent choice for those of us who don’t have the space or time to grow a luscious green garden.
Sprouting is the practice of germinating seeds in water between 4-7 days to produce roots and shoots that are generally eaten raw as a source of high nutrient food. Almost any nut, seed, grain or legume can be sprouted. Sprouts have the highest concentration of phytonutrients per calorie of any food. The reason sprouts are such a great source of nutrients is because the complex compounds break down into simpler forms and become more accessible to the body. They then become an enhanced bundle of nutrients: they are an extremely sound source of protein, fiber, and vitamin B. But it wasn’t a quest for healthy food that sparked Ainslee and Joanna’s business.
Inspired by a growing movement of young urban farmers like herself, Ainslee says her main motivation in starting the sprouts business was “to develop a skill and to contribute to the local food industry.”
Ainslee didn’t have a background in farming, couldn’t commit too much time since she works full-time and didn’t have the money to make a large investment. “Sprouting was it,” she says. “All we needed was a few buckets, some seeds and some packaging materials.” Ainslee emphasizes how easy it is to grow sprouts. “It’s fast and easy. Almost anyone can do it.”
Sprouting is basically a 5-day process. After ordering seeds, they are disinfected in a vinegar and hydrogen peroxide solution and then soaked in fresh water overnight. For the next 5 days, sprouts need to be rinsed 3 times a day. On the fourth day, they are hulled to get them ready for packaging and then on the fifth day they’re ready to go.”
More than anything, sprouting requires good record keeping and time management skills.
I spent the gardening season with Ainslee at Common Roots Urban Farm. As host volunteers, we worked with hundreds of individual urban gardeners with plots at the Urban Farm, and helped grow and harvest fresh produce for the Parker Street Food Bank. Through this experience, I learned about the ins and outs of community gardening and gardening in raised beds, plus, I learned all about Ainslee and Joanna’s sprouting business.
This fall, I am taking this knowledge of gardening and sprouting to Nicaragua where I am volunteering on an eight-month food security project facilitated by CUSO International. As a specialist in horticulture and nutrition, my goal is to find low-cost solutions that do not require a major time commitment or technical skill to increase the diversity of food people consume and to enhance the nutritional value of their diets.
Sprouting at home takes only a few seconds a day and can produce a good part of your daily requirements of the nutrients you need from fresh produce. The hassles are minor, the costs are low, and the freshness is wonderful. Hopefully, the families that I will be working with in Nicaragua will be as excited as I am to be part of the international sprouting community and the movement to promote nutritious, sustainable food.
As Ainslee underlines, “It’s really easy. If you want to do something, don’t be afraid to do it.” So get sprouting!
You can buy Greens of Haligonia sprouts at several Halifax locations like Pete’s, Local Source and Fruition.
If you want to learn more about how you can support Vera’s sprouting project in Nicaragua, check out this website.
To learn more about how to sprout and to order organic seeds for sprouting, check out www.sprouting.com
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