Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Sunflower Greens are my new addiction. When they are in the house I eat them all. When they are gone, I think about them and wish there were more. Eating  a sandwich without them is like PB without J. You wouldn’t do it unless you had a an impeccable replacement. I was introduced to them for the first time this year at our local farmers market from our friends at Living Stones Community Farm.

They are nutritional superheroes, providing vitamins A, D, E and B complex. They also provide Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron and are 25% protein. 3.5 oz of these sunny sprouts contains nearly as much protein as 3.5 oz  of chicken breast, without the chicken or the breast. They are so nutty and sweet that they think they are raw nuts. They are in a class all their own when it comes to green foods. We eat them on sandwiches and in salads, but you could eat them out of the bag for no reason at all.

I would like to grow them myself because we snag them before they sell out on Friday and they are gone on Saturday. I am always afraid to buy too many because they are delicate creatures and lose their nutritional value (like most things) as they sit around waiting. Weekends are mayhem so I fear that I will lose track of the contents of the fridge and they will spoil alone in the dark.  Who would do that?

Evidently they are  easy to grow at home but unlike other sprouting seeds, they do require soil. I have done minimal research on the DIY sunflower patch, so I am not yet conversant in price or the depth of goods you would require to grow your own . I have this visual of our entire counter blanketed by trays of soil and baby sunflower greens.

I did find a website called The Daily Gardener that carries starter kits at reasonable prices. You know you have really created your own version of cool when you are researching sprouting starter kits on the internet. The life of a Vegan Wannabe sprout addict.

If you have done this at home, please share your wisdom.

Have a delicious weekend.

Mother Earth News has an easy to follow how- to for indoor planting.

Additional Sunflower green info from: Sunflower Greens, The Super Food!

Photo Courtesy Sprout Living

Tags: compassionate eating, dairy free, going veg, growing sunflower sprouts, sprouting, sprouts, sunflower greens, sunflower sprouts, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan challenge, vegan experience, vegan products, vegan wannabe