I've been having such a good time with what I grow, I just made a new video.

I moved my sprout rack into one of the back rooms. And now I have developed my own "gardening growing space", or whatever you might call it.

I took one look at my new little sprouting tray and I HAD to show you what newly sprouted broccoli looks like.

I also built two of my home-made sprouting trays.

This is so much fun I can't tell you. I feel like I'm an amish housewife (nothing wrong with that by the way), only I don't bake my own bread.

But I just might do that someday. The sprouting people bake something called Ezekiel Bread. All those healthy grains, etc.

So take a look at my new little cuties!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HsNZ6uY13s

You are doing great, Mel. Keep it up!

Wow! Does it taste like broccoli?

No, the broccoli sprouts don't taste ANYTHING like a bunch of broccoli.

They taste like SPROUTS!!! lol (which is delicious by the way).

The only sprouts that taste like what they actually are, are RADISH SPROUTS.

they smell like radishes, and they give a zip to the salads.

I'm growing them too!!

If you want to know what these things taste like (without actually sprouting anything yourself), the next time you are near an organic produce market, march yourself in, and go to where the alfalfa sprouts are. They will be in pint containers (like when you buy grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes).

Near these alfalfa, should be the sweet pea shoots, the lentil crunchy mix sprouts....and, if you're lucky.....BROCCOLI SPROUTS!!!

I'll tell you something, when I first bought the cruncy lentil pea sprout mix, (I paid $2.99 for a pint), I said "these are really neat, (THIS WAS WAY BEFORE I KNEW HOW TO SPROUT ANYTHING).

So i picked up a few pints of these various sprouts, (spent over $20), in this store.

I went on youtube, and when I found out I could do this myself, I FOUND MYSELF A BRAND NEW HOBBY!!!

I don't think my head would have been into this when I was younger. I didn't know about sprouts, anti-oxidants, etc. etc.

I was too busy eating mac and cheese and dipsy doodles.

Now, well, you should see me when I pop out of bed in the morning.

I go to my sprout rack, I take my jars and trays, I mist them with water, I drain them, and I sometimes put up new batches.

Takes no time, but it's so interesting to see these things grow.

And the best is the fenugreek (you can't imagine the taste of this in a garden salad)

When I have them in a bowl (these I sprout in bowls (first in jars, then in bowls), BECAUSE THEY GROW.

Well, I was rinsing and draining the fenugreek once, and I swear, they actually started sprouting and growing these white tails (as I was rinsing them). They kind of VOLUMIZED right in front of me.

I never saw such a thing in all my life.

Last night I put up a batch of mung beans and fenugreek. They both sprout the same way (with long tails),

I love to saute them and put them over low-carb pasta, which a dash of olive oil, and garlic.

you neve tasted anything so delicious in all your life.

AND I GO TO THE BATHROOM EVERY DAY and it feels GOOD!!

All this fiber, and whateve the else is in my sprouts, well. I'm having a ball.

The other night I was watching HOUSE.

There was a research scientist who was in the bed and the other doctors found out she quit research.

They looked at her and said: "why on earth do you do this?" "You could have found a cure for something, you could have made a differerence".

The research scientist replied "yeah, but now I'm happy". and they asked her "what do you do"? and she said:

"I now work for a chef and I'm learning how to cook, and I go to my book club meetings".

The other doctors just stared at her and said "are you nuts, you're a doctor".

And she said "Yeah, BUT NOW I'M HAPPY"

That's exactly how I feel when I'm in the kitchen and doing my sprouting.

MAKES ME HAPPY.

And I get to eat good!!! lol

Take care,

Melody

Melodyl, you are in a win win situation! Having never had sprouts (to the best of my knowledge) I'm a little intimidated by the way they look but you did tempt me when you talked about pairing them with olive oil & garlic over pasta.

I wish we had a whole earth store in our area...I always want everything in them and am always staying in some hotel room without a kitchen.

I will look more carefully in our supermarket. Thank you!

Alffe, the store where you buy your fruit and vegetables should sell bean sprouts. We stirfry a lot of our food, as in Chinese or Thai type dishes, and we always put sprouts in those. Mostly we use Mung beans sprouts, but I like Alfalfa in salads and as Mel has shown us, there are many other beans that will sprout.

Keep up the good work Mel. You're an inspiration to all of us.

Thanks to you all.

I went to a party at my inlaws today. It was an anniversary party in the grand ballroom of a big hotel.

They had the cocktail hour, and then the big dinner.

They actually had a choice of chicken, fish or vegetarian.

Alan chose vegetarian (I chose Salmon). I may not buy it any more but I'll take it at a nice dinner. It was delicious.

Alan's dish came with some poofy pastry looking thing with all sorts of veggies inside. He said it was delicious.

Of course they had dessert and I treated myself. I only do this when I'm at an event. The next event will be in a few months. Then I'll have another little piece of something.

Oh, I actually had a small glass of Cabernet at this affair. I don't drink. But I know that one little glass of red wine is no big thing and is good for the heart so I let my self enjoy it. Alan started yelling that I should not drink. I just looked at him and said "I haven't had a glass of wine in 5 years, are you serious?" Everybody laughed. It was delicious. You see I can appreciate the taste because I don't drink and I never tasted this particular brand of wine.

I probably won't have another glass until I go to a wedding or some kind of fancy event again.

And when we got home, oh, you must hear about my broccoli sprouts.

I harvested them from the tray. I put them in a big bowl of cool water, and the hulls came off.

Then I put them in my salad spinnner and then I put them in a big bowl and now they are in my fridge.

I got hungry at about 7 or so so I made a sprout salad.

I took the fenugreek, the brand new broccoli sprouts (oh my god, the flowers and the colors), and I added some tomatoes, and put some garlic powder, some fresh ground pepper and a dash of salt, and a splash of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh lemon juice.

Let me tell you. THIS WAS THE BEST SALAD I'VE EATEN, and I HAVE EATEN SALADS!!!!

I could eat this way for the rest of my life.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I added some of the radish sprouts. THEY TASTE JUST LIKE RADISHES.

You have got to try this. It's the best salad in the world.

The fenugreek gives a sort of crunch and texture to it.

Ladies.

IT WAS GOOD!!!

lol

Melody