Defaulting to Grace: Joy in a jar

Learning that one doesn't need a lot of space to grow good food.

Mixed salad sprouts grown on the countertop. Photos by Stephanie Loomis.

By

Stephanie Loomis

and

Lisa Brunette

Today I’m thrilled to bring you the below guest post from Stephanie Loomis of

Defaulting to Grace

. I’m flattered and a little frightened to be honest when anyone actually listens to my advice, so when Stephanie took me up on the challenge to grow countertop sprouts, I was curious to see the results. Stephanie very quickly left me in the dust, winning the indoor-gardening Olympics (I just made that up, but it should totally be a thing), so I asked her to flex her muscle with a guest post teaching Brunette Gardens readers (and me) how to do it right. Here you go! - L.

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I’m allergic to pretty much anything that grows. Contact allergies give me hives when I touch most plants, and hay fever makes me miserable in spring and fall. Needless to say, I never thought I could grow a garden. When Lisa told me that pea sprouts might help with allergies, and they could be grown in a jar, I decided it was worth a shot. That conversation was last July (see it here), and two things have happened. I have a new friend, and I can grow delicious and nutritious sprouts inside my house! 

I started with pea sprouts. Seeds must be soaked overnight to germinate and then strained and rinsed a few times daily. I bought some mason jars with strainer lids¹ to facilitate the process. The pea sprouts were ridiculously easy to grow in the summer and fall. They are less enthusiastic about winter (I am also less enthusiastic about winter, so I get it.) The pea sprouts take longer and produce less this time of year.

What DOES grow fabulously despite the gloom is mixed salad green sprouts.  It takes about five days from germination to harvest, and they require nothing but a fresh-water rinse a few times a day and a little daylight. My husband puts them on eggs. I like them on hearty toast, especially if I can get a ripe avocado. Broccoli sprouts also thrive in winter. They are a little peppery, so I mix them with salad sprouts.

It’s a challenge to harvest bigger sprouts (like peas and sunflowers) out of a jar, so I bought an inexpensive tray, a filter, and a lid. If I had better skills, I might have made something like it, but I wanted to see whether it made a difference. So, my current setup is little seeds in a jar and big seeds in the hydroponic box.

For the cold-weather-loathing pea sprouts, I experimented with different rooms. The kitchen where they had been gets chilly with letting the dogs in and out (Who knew standard poodles like sub-freezing temperatures?). So, I moved the most recent batch to my bedroom near one of the heater vents. Then I shifted to my husband's home office,  the warmest and brightest room in the house. He started growing herbs there after Christmas under a small grow light. I called the experiment “searching for light.” 

In the same five days that the salad sprouts grew from seed to food, the pea sprouts barely sprouted roots and an anemic-looking leaf. Once I moved them near the grow light, they were much happier. I called them the hap-pea sprouts. Now I know they need warmth and light, just like I do to thrive.

So, why bother with growing sprouts, besides their deliciousness? They’re cheaper to grow than buy, they don’t require much attention, and they offer significant health benefits:

• Sprouts contain carotenoids beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, supplying more vitamin A than a similar weight in tomatoes.

• Sprouts are a source of folate (vitamin B9), along with thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin.

• Sprouts are rich in vitamin C.

• Sprouts also contain copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.

• Sprouts contain enzymes that help the body absorb minerals efficiently.

• It only takes a cup of sprouts for maximum benefit. They’re delicious in salads, sauces (like pesto and chimichurri), and smoothies.

• They take up little room and, if left to grow a little longer, will develop into microgreens containing chlorophyll, polyphenols, and amino acids that may act as antioxidants. 

There is something deliciously satisfying about consuming something you’ve grown. The first humans were gardeners, but the connection between ancient ancestry and modern food is lost in corporate food production. As a culture, we in the West rely on supermarkets as a primary food source. Farmer’s markets are a step to reconnecting with our ancestral purpose, but growing at home can be a spiritual exercise. Instead of a chore, caring for these little seeds is an opportunity to remember that our bodies were made to thrive on the provisions of the land. That original garden was meant to be worked, but not toiled over. Growing sprouts reminds me that the Creator’s plan was for us to be joyfully invested in our food supply, always aware that every plant and animal had a purpose. There’s a reason that the Israelites grumbled about manna in the wilderness; it may have been perfectly nutritious, but it was boring. Astronauts experiment with growing plants in space because we humans love variety on our plates. We can live on a nutritionally balanced wafer or shake, but we thrive on the sensory elements of food: color, flavor, texture,  and smell. Watching seeds sprout in a jar on my kitchen countertop reminds me of God’s great grace, desiring that even in the act of sustenance, there can be delight.

Disclaimer

I may have a Ph.D., but I make no pretense of being a medical doctor or a medical professional of any kind. I do my research, but you must consider your own health and recommendations from your physician. There are no promises implied or guarantees. (BG note: See our Notices & Policies page.)

Resources

Pea Shoots Nutrition: See All The Nutritional Facts & Health Benefits - Home Microgreens

Microgreens—A Comprehensive Review of Bioactive Molecules and Health Benefits - PMC

What Are the Health Benefits (and Risks) of Eating Raw Sprouts?

Amazing Benefits Of Sprouts | Netmeds

Tiny sprouts provide big nutrition | American Heart Association

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Stephanie and I met here on Substack through a jazz-like, writerly conversation we’re having on the topic of going home again, which is the theme I revisited for my guest post on her Substack this week. You can read it next Wednesday when it lands in your inbox, as I will cross-post it here to Brunette Gardens.

Thanks to Stephanie for pulling together this inspiring post—and for the newfound friendship! I hope you’ll consider subscribing to her Substack,

Defaulting to Grace

, where she shares weekly faith and inspiration, along with some fine fiction.

So, are you ready to try growing sprouts? Or are you already the queen of the microgreen?

1. Affiliate link, here and throughout this post. If you purchase using the link, Brunette Gardens might earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. See our policy.