sunflower and buckwheat greens.

take a shallow flat box, line with plastic if you want, then fill up with peat moss, compost and or soil, it doesn't need fertiliser.

dampen medium, then sprinkle in unhulled sunflower seeds, cover with a sheet of damp paper and keep watering till the hulls crack and the sprout emerges, a few days. remove paper and continue light daily watering.

harvest with scissors when about 8 cm tall.

buckwheat works in the same way... this is an easy, cheap way of  providing fresh greens during the winter, on a sunny balcony or indoors in a sunny spot.
when a tray is finished, compost the peatmoss and root mat.

the first few days till the sprout emerges you can leave the trays in the dark, then move to a light place to enable photosynthesis.

that way you can have some sprouting in a cellar or dark zone, while harvesting the ready ones.

i cannot emphasize enough how tasty and nutritious these greens are, and how even a child can follow through on such a simple process and experience the satisfaction that comes from growing your own food.

wicked in sarnies too...

the buckwheat ones are high in rutin, which is good for you.

of course there are alfalfa and other seed sprouts that can be grown in glass jars, tilted upside down to drain.

the soaking and rinsing water is much appreciated by houseplants.

there is a drink that used to be popular in pre-industrial times in america called rejuvelac, that is super nutritious. it is made by soaking wheat berries in water, then pouring off the milky, slightly fizzy liquid to drink.

quite refreshing...

then when the berries sprout, you can grind them, make small loaves, and cook them in the sun, or a solar oven.

very chewy and delicious...

getting OT here, but while we're at it, i should add how to make seed cheese.

grind almonds, sesame, sunflower seeds, or cashews till a flour, the add water from rinsing sprouts, and let paste ferment to taste.

the enzymes in the sprout water change the seed meal into something spicy and spreadable, that can be enhanced with a few chopped herbs, such as green onion, basil or parsley.

a healthful winter to you all!

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty