Besides expanding into the microgreens realm by placing an order for two kinds of seeds yesterday, I want to do more cooking with sprouts. Because sprouts are alive and in their peak growth spurt, they are exploding with nutrients. Therefore, it is beneficial to be including them in our daily diet in the form of sprouted grain bread, salads/slaw, soups, waffles/pancakes, omelets, spreads on crackers and sandwiches, casseroles, cookies, beverages, smoothies, etc. So, today, I began my journey to seriously learn varied ways to incorporate sprouts into my diet by ordering an "Amber Waves of Grain Mix" from sproutpeople.com so that I can get started with the right ingredients.
Amber waves of grain... state of our nation... President Obama's speech last evening... a little digression... just for a moment... I was so impressed with President Obama's address to congress last evening that doubled as an address to all the people who call the United States their home. He made just plain old-fashioned sense about budgeting and not overspending to get a handle on our huge debt, like we must do in our own households. He urged parents to take more responsibility for raising their children. President and Mrs. Obama are setting an example by remaining active in their daughters' everyday activities despite their extremely overburdened careers. He gives me great hope that we will come out of this challenging economic period much stronger and wiser than before but, as Alan Greenspan wisely predicted on the national news recently, "History will repeat itself because that is the nature of human beings" due largely to greed.
Now back to my "Amber Waves of Grain" sprouting seed mix. The organic seed mix includes wheat, rye, barley, triticale, oats, spelt, kamut, quinoa, sesame, millet, and amaranth. What a grain powerhouse! A note regarding sprouting quinoa, which is included in the Amber Waves of Grain Mix" that I ordered. The following quote comes from another excellent resource, sproutman.com: "I like Quinoa as a grain. It is a great nutritional seed. But I do not promote it as a sprout for three reasons: 1) It is hard to acquire the right form of the unhulled seed. Health food stores don't sell it. 2) If you are willing to invest the time to track down the right seed, often the germination is too low for successful sprouts. That leads to potential mold and rot problems, which I consider unsafe in the raw state. 3) Lastly, the sprout from 3 day old Qunioa is a relatively insignificant shoot. Not a lot of food or flavor. If you do grow it for 7 days it turns into a red grass which too chewy to eat. This grain is ready to eat with only very light cooking. I feel that this is the most practical way to include the benefits of quinoa in your diet." Sproutman.com has a very informative "Frequently Asked Questions" section on sprouting regarding how to sprout seeds, seed storage, etc. that I recommend if you are considering entering the sprouting realm.
To round out my sprouting seeds collection, I also ordered a "Beginner's Dozen Seeds Assortment" from sproutman.com. It includes 1 lb. each of alfalfa, Brassica blend (broccoli, broccoli raab, and canola), clover, crunchy bean mix, green snow peas, green lentils, red lentils, mung, radish, and sunflower. Also, 4 oz. each of garlic and broccoli seeds. I also ordered 5 lbs soft white wheat berries (backorder until mid-March).
Feb. 25, 2009
Today's mileage: 3.75 mile bike ride
Total monthly mileage: 62.5 miles
Bible reading? Yes.