18 Jun Fri 2010
Unconventional gardening Series-I. Sprouting.
The sun is blazing here in the summer of S .Florida .The garden is simmering and the vegetables are being cooked alive outside. Just kidding? Organic gardening in the hot summer offers limited harvests in the outdoors. Eating organic vegetables now costs a fortune when visiting the health food store and with this kind of economy that is squeezing our hard earned dollars , an alternative is sought to save both on the grocery bill and the medical bill in case of a sun stroke! The Indoor Sprouting Garden offers us a chance to eat more of organic food with less money and effort.
History of Sprouting: Sprouting is as ancient as biblical times and beyond. The yellow emperor of china wrote about sprouting in the Chinese materia medica . The Father of Medicine Hippocrates prescribed sprouts to be used as food for medicine.
We can find evidence of sprouts being used in our modern 21st century from both sides as we notice that the authentic Chinese cuisine still uses soy bean sprouts in traditional Chinese dishes.
The famous late Ann Wigmor, the founder of Hippocrates Health Institute in Boston, used sprouts and raw foods in her food regimen programs which are still being used as of today. Benefits of Sprouts:
1-Sprouts are rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes.
2-Sprouts are alkaline foods that boost the immune system.
3-Sprouts are easy to grow and harvest indoors as well as outdoors.
4-Sprouts which include: Seeds, grains and legumes rid the body of toxins and wastes, maintain health and homeostasis, are concentrated sources of: fiber, protein, starch and chlorophyll rich in oxygen and iron deemed necessary for the body to produce hemoglobin.
5-Sprouts are easy to prepare at home using simple kitchen ware like a vessel or jar,cheese cloth ,water and seeds/grains /legumes.
Happy Sprouting