Unveiling the secret to growing vibrant sunflower shoots – it's easier than you think! 🌻🌱
Join me on this journey of turning the 'difficult' into the 'delightful' as we nurture these sun-kissed beauties from seed to sprout.
Many consider growing sunflower shoots to be a difficult endeavour.
However, it can be a delightful journey and let’s uncover how to grow them with ease from the comfort of your home.
Starting with organic seeds, we need to carefully select the inputs.
Seeds from Mumms Sprouting, Johnny’s Select Seeds and other similar purveyors are readily available online.
One of the common hurdles with sunflower shoots is minimizing the seed hulls on them. This first starts by soaking them.
We find the ideal soaking time is 12 to 24 hours. Any longer can adversely affect the viability of the seeds.
Keeping the seeds moist during the germination phase is critical to ensuring that each seedling can remove their hulls.
While the seeds are covered during the germination, spray them with water daily until at least 95% of the seed hulls are off.
This process can take anywhere from as little as 3 days up to 5 days. Patience is important here.
Once most of the hulls are off, then you are ready to expose the sunflower shoots to light.
Exposing them to light for approximately 12 hours per day seems to result in the greatest tasting, long-lasting sunflower shoots.
Sunflower shoots are a great source of:
1) Enzymes like glutathione dehydrogenase – regenerates glutathione, which is a potent antioxidant against free radicals and reactive oxygen species
2) Magnesium – used for cellular function, cofactor for enzymes, DNA synthesis, and other critical bodily functions
3) Vitamin E – helps maintain efficacy of immune cells, helps protect skin UV rays, supports brain health by regulating the use the Omega-3 DHA
4) Protein – contains all essential amino acids
5) Soluble fiber – is the primary source of energy for the gut ba
9 DAYS TO GROW POUNDS OF FOOD
One of the easiest and most productive vegetables to grow is pea shoots.
Each pea seed can produce twice the weight of pea shoots just in 9 to 11 days.
We use 250 grams of seeds per tray and consistently harvest around 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of pea shoots.
Growing pea shoots at home is VERY simple!
First, you will need to buy some trustworthy seeds. You can buy seeds online from reputable sources like @mummssproutingseeds .
Weight out how much you will need. 1 cup is about 200 grams. You will use about 1.25 grams of seeds per square inch of growing container.
We grow on 1020 trays (10” by 20” or 200 square inches) so we use 250 grams per tray or 1.25 cups of seeds.
Soak the pea seeds underwater for 12 to 24 hours. Make sure it is fully submerged with at least twice the volume of water because the seeds will double in size.
After 12 to 24 hours, strain and rinse the pea seeds with cool tap water for a minute or two.
Spread the seeds on your growing container and cover the seeds with another container.
Then place a weight on top to make sure that the seeds germinate. Some seeds need the pressure to germinate; pea is one of them.
In the wild, seeds fall off the plant then gets covered by soil and other debris. There is some pressure exerted on the seed when they are covered. We are trying to mimic this natural process.
The seeds will germinate for 3 to 4 days then expose to light. Peas are ready when the sprouts are ¾ to 1 inch tall.
Though we use artificial lights in our vertical farm, growing pea shoots by your window is just as effective!
We expose our pea shoots to light for 24 hours/day for 5 to 6 days to ensure compact growth.
Our clients, especially our chef clients, appreciate how close the leaf nodes are. This makes each pea shoot more presentable and less fibrous.
After 5 to 6 days, the pea shoots are ready to be harvested. Always use SHARP scissors or knife to harvest.
#microgreens #growingmicrogr
WHY PEA SHOOTS ARE A TOP SELLER?
There are several reasons why we sell a lot of PEA SHOOTS
✅ Money Saver
You can save money by having “peas” of mind that it won’t go bad right away. Commonly I hear that lettuce goes bad quickly after buying from the grocery store. If it already travelled a week or so before getting to the store and a few more days before you buy, then it makes sense why. We only grow what you order. Then we deliver to you within one to two days of harvest.
✅ Multipurpose
Pea shoots have multiple uses. You can use it as a lettuce alternative, as an edible garnish, to provide chlorophyll and sweetness to your smoothies. The uses are as vast as you can imagine.
✅ Nutritious As It Is Delicious
According to WebMD, 100 grams of pea shoots has 4 grams of protein, 280 micrograms of Vitamin K (267% of daily allowance), 79 milligrams of Vitamin C (76% of daily allowance), and 340 micrograms of Vitamin A (43% of daily allowance) [1].
I always recommend pea shoots to anyone as a “gateway” who has not eaten microgreens before.
It is a great replacement for lettuce because it can be used in the same ways (except used for making wraps, of course).
I also know that some of you would like to grow your own microgreens and maybe you want to grow some pea shoots as well.
If you need some help on how to start, comment below any questions you may have about growing pea shoots.
We hope we can help you on your journey on growing them!
Sources:
[1] WedMD. August 2022. Are There Health Benefits of Pea Shoots?
TOP 3 REASONS WHY WE LOVE SUNFLOWER SHOOTS
These are the top 3 reasons why we LOVE sunflower shoots.
✅ Long Shelf-Life
Sunflowers shoots stay crunchy and tasty in the fridge for about 2 to 3 weeks. With increasing cost of food, it is even more vital to make sure what we buy are not wilting the moment that we bring them home.
✅ Versatility
This mini vegetable is a great replacement for lettuce if you want something crunchy and packs more nutrition per bite. It also has a slight nutty flavour. That means that you can add it to your dessert to add some nuttiness and crunch.
✅ Protein and Fibre
A quarter cup of sunflower shoots contains about 6 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber. Sunflower shoots have all the essential amino acids that our body needs. The fiber will also help nourish our gur microbiome.
#microgreens #sunflowershoots #health #nutrition #sustainablefood
We are now offering the first month free off any subscription! Purchase fresh MicroGreens from Green City Aquaponics today!
Why should you try our microgreens? 🤔🌿
Freshly harvested from London, Ontario, our microgreens are packed with nutrients and can help you establish a healthy and balanced lifestyle 🌱
For a limited time only, we’re offering the 1st month free of any one of our subscription packages!
Green City Aquaponics offers a wide range of subscription options to get the most bang for your buck!
Click the link in our bio to snag this deal and get fresh microgreens delivered right to your door 🚛🪴
#GreenCityAquaponics #FreshMicrogreens #NutritionalPowerhouse #HealthyEating #LowCalorie #ketofriendly
EASY WAY TO GET YOUR VEGGIES
Smoothies!
Drinking smoothies is one of the easiest ways to eat veggies.
Smoothies are especially great when you’re on the go.
Or when you don’t have time to make a meal.
Here’s a quick smoothie recipe for you:
1️⃣ One serving of veggie of your choice (our is microgreens obviously)
2️⃣ Half to full banana
3️⃣ Cup of liquid like milk or juice (oat milk is our choice)
4️⃣ Collagen/greens powder
5️⃣ Maple syrup for flavour
6️⃣ Ice to keep cool
What's your favourite smoothie recipe?
Do you add veggies to your smoothies?
GET YOUR FIRST MONTH FREE!!
You know that we believe that adding microgreens is the lowest barrier to eating better.
Eating better doesn’t have to be challenging or tricky though it can be.
Consuming nutrient-dense foods is the easiest way to achieve a healthier diet.
We don’t know anything that has more well-rounded nutrients than microgreens.
Not only are we passionate about saving the planet by radically changing the way we grow food.
But also in how we consume our foods!
We have a site-wide sale going on right now!
But if you want the best bang for your buck, you will want to sign up for a subscription.
Get your microgreens weekly, every two weeks or monthly.
To sweeten the deal, you can get your first month free when you sign up for a subscription today until October 21st.
Use the code FREEMONTH at checkout to get your first month free.
Happy Friday! 🌱✨
I wanted to share some insight on some tips I learned about stress management from Dr. Tara Swart.
Watch this video to learn more! 👀
How do you cope with stress? Let me know in the comments below!
#microgreens #plants #gardening #food #foodie #sustainability #sustainable #sustain #microfarm #microgarden #gardeninglife #gardeningtips #london #londonontario #519 #519london #519ldn #519local
Curious about how we grow our microgreens? Let’s grow some together!🌱✨
Growing microgreens is very simple, just a few easy steps will create these tiny powerhouses!🌱🌿🍃
Check out our selection of microgreens! They are an easy way to add nutrients, protein, and vitamins to your diet!🌱🌿
Link in bio!🔗
#GreenCityAquaponics #HealthyEating #Nutrition #Microgreens #london #londonontario #519 #519london #519shoplocal #microgreens #smallbusinessowner #growth #londonontario #plants #gardening #greens #sustainability #harvestingmicrogreens
Welcome to @greencityaquaponics ! 🌱
We are proudly operating out of @westernfair and feel so lucky to be surrounded by such innovative companies! 🙌
Check out our growing space and let us know what you think in the comments down below! 🤝
Looking to purchase fresh Microgreens? Please do so via link in bio. 🔗
#GreenCityAquaponics #HealthyEating #Nutrition #Microgreens #london #londonontario #519 #519london #519shoplocal #microgreens #smallbusinessowner #growth #londonontario #plants #gardening #greens #sustainability #harvestingmicrogreens
EATING BETTER DOESN’T HAVE TO BE CHALLENGING
We all know that consuming a variety of foods is the best way to obtain the essential vitamins and minerals
Essential vitamins and minerals are important to feeling our best by feeding our gut flora with critical prebiotics that they require
An easy way to remember is the 5-Colour Rule of consuming fruits and vegetables
These colours are: Green, Red, Yellow-Orange, Blue-Purple, and White
Many microgreens contain the green, yellow-orange, and blue-purple colours
Eating microgreens can lend towards achieving the variety that you need
MICRO LEAF MUSTARDS
We use a couple varieties of red mustards that are fenestrated and with intense red-purple hues.
With mustards, we always say that a little goes a long way.
These powerhouses can be SPICY 🌶️
Using it as a garnish or a salad topper, you can’t go wrong!
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#mustard #mustardgreens #redmustard #microgreens #mirogreenfarming #microgreensfarming #indoorfarming #verticalfarming #littlegoesalongway #thegrovewfd
