Happy Christmas

Just a few days to go now and the big day will be upon us. But as long as the food shopping is done there is still time to get those last-minute presents from Nags Hall. Hardy shrubs, flowering or with berries make great gifts as well as the traditional favourites like cyclamen, poinsettias and exotic orchids.

You can make an evergreen shrub special and perfect for the patio if you give it with a decorative pot too. If you really want to complete the gift you could even buy a bag of compost. It looks as though Christmas will be mild this year so you won’t need to wrap up warm to explore the outdoor areas to find the right plant, though you can still reward yourself with a coffee after your shopping!

We probably have too many things to do to worry much about growing and gardening but there is one small gardening activity we can do that does not involve getting muddy or even cold because you can do it in the kitchen.

I can’t imagine anyone that hasn’t eaten sprouted mung beans – the common bean sprouts on most Chinese menus – but other sprouted seeds are less often eaten. Some supermarkets do sell them to people who know how delicious they are and that they are packed with goodness.

Sprouting seeds is easy and it takes only a few days to produce a tasty crop. In fact, if you started today you will have delicious sprouted seeds to eat on Boxing Day along with your cold turkey and ham.

So when you are in Nags Hall buying last minute gifts or just enjoying a coffee and mince pie with friends, look at the sprouting seeds in the seed section and give your diet a healthy boost. You can sprout seeds with nothing more than a jam jar, a rubber band and a piece of cloth but you can also buy ‘seed sprouters’ which make the job easier – a sprouter and some seeds makes a great gift for the health conscious friend – especially if they are vegetarian or vegan – and who isn’t thinking about calories after Christmas!

But in addition to the seeds you can buy to sprout you may have something in your cupboard you could use. The best to try if you want a budget option are chickpeas and lentils. The dry lentils or chickpeas you buy to cook will sprout well provided they are not past their best-before date. Of course you can’t sprout tins of chickpeas nor red, split lentils. You need the whole, brown or green lentils.

Below I will explain what to do but a few basics first.

You need to soak the seeds in clean water for about 12 hours. Then you need to drain them and rinse them every twelve hours, or twice a day. If you cannot do this for a day then pop the jar in the fridge. But frequent and regular rinsing is essential or the seeds can go mouldy.

You can sprout them on the windowsill but they do not really need light. Average room temperature is best.

Depending on the seeds and the temperature the sprouts are ready to eat after three to six days. If they are left longer they can become bitter. Once at the ‘eating stage’ pop them in the fridge to slow their growth but still rinse them once a day and eat within a few days.

You only need a small amount of seeds in each jar because they increase in volume massively. So start small. And have two or three jars and start a few every three or four days.

There are lots of seeds you can sprout but my favourite is alfalfa or fenugreek. They grow quickly and the fine shoots taste of pea pods. Sprinkle them on salads, in sandwiches, with egg dishes or on soup. They are great with ham!

1 Pour some seeds in a clean jar.

2 Then pour in fresh tap water so the seeds are all submerged

3 Cover with the cloth, held in place with a rubber band and then leave them for about twelve hours or overnight so they absorb water and swell.

4 Then pour off the water, pour in fresh water, swill it around and drain it off. Now you are set and the seeds should start to sprout.

5 Then all you have to do is repeat this twice a day. Rinse and repeat.

Alfalfa is usually ready in about four days. Tip out the sprouted seeds into a sieve. Then rinse thoroughly to wash off the seed coats, though they can be eaten. Chickpeas are ready when the seeds have a root about 1cm long. They have a crispy texture and pea-like taste. Lentils are ready when the roots are about 3cm long and have a mildly peppery taste. All are a healthy addition to winter salads you can grow in your kitchen. (If you have a legume allergy do not eat alfalfa, clover, fenugreek, lentils, chickpeas or bean sprouts – try radish or sunflowers instead)

Whatever you are doing over the holiday, best wishes from everyone at Nags Hall.

See you in the New Year

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