Discussion Board

I harvested well partially my first crop of micro greens last night. I grew buckwheat in free flats that I got from the nursery. The came out really well after I learned that they had to go up away from the birds or something that attacked them very early one morning but live and learn. They are just great put in wraps or eaten with a good dressing and just unreachable in my price range in the store. I also grow many different sprouts so I am not hurting for fresh greens. I have a flat of sunflower micros almost ready for harvest too and have tasted them. My opinion is they are way better than the buckwheat and the seeds are cheaper because I am using birdseed. Now I can say that I eat like a bird. Some people in church have offered to give me organic veggies this summer so I do plan on sharing with them so I feel more comfortable with that and I think they will love them because they are very health conscience and appreciate fresh food. I am excited about this new gardening venture with the micro greens as I have not way of gardening outside right now do to the cost of putting in raised beds on rental property but actually when all is said and done this may even be more beneficial to me when trading with others is involved. I am also started a tempeh making project and am just waiting for the starter. I have done my temperature test in my incubating area and I think everything is a go on that. I love tempeh with a passion and I think that will be very trade-able also with gardeners in the area.

So the greens are growing inside? Hmmm How long did it take? Shouldn't have been long. I love sprouting. I never have looked into micro greens.

Keep us posted on the tempeh too. I know it's fermented.

I started them inside which worked fine because you turn another flat over them at the top because they need darkness until well sprouted. I then moved them outside because of a fruit fly problem I was having. They did not cause that though and the fruit flies don't eat them but they were hanging around them so out they went. I only kept them in partial shade though and they greened up very nicely. I am not sure of the time...maybe a week or a little more. I am one of those people that just feels that it takes as long as it takes but I need to start keeping a little record on it. My sunflower micros are growing but very slowly because we have had cold but not freezing weather in the last two weeks that was unexpected. Many people though grow their micros in the house by a window in the winter. They don't seem to need a ton of light but if you were growing broccoli baby greens or something similar they would probably need pretty good light. I could never buy micros in the store though and my conservative estimate was that there was about $60 dollars worth in that flat of buckwheat micros. I am going to share some of these with my pastor though because he is a marathoner and I want to get him into more healthy eating. I will keep people up on the tempeh though. Tempeh is both fermented and inoculated with a mushroom type spore. It is really a mushroom invasion on the bean but what a wonderful takeover it is. Anybody though can do tempeh, it is most important to get the temp well regulated and watch your sterilization but that is easy enough. I have an old dorm room small fridge unit I am going to make into a tempeh grow appliance. I really can't wait to get that done. Got it free on freecycle ad am going to put an incubation temp unit in it for about 50 bucks. That is very cheap next to the price of tempeh and my family loves the stuff.

Thank you for the excellent description of growing your micro greens. I've only ever bought them at a Farmers Market.

I had no clue that tempeh was inoculated with mushroom spores. That sounds like a heck of a project to be undertaking, but once you have it down, then it should be easy. What about if you want to infuse it with something like brown rice? It seems to me that is one brand I tried.

Faith I love your avatar. I have been telling people how strong healthy vegan eating makes you but when I posted on my facebook page about Mike Tyson being vegan my pastor disagreed because he said Mike Tyson eats ears...I thought that was funny.
The tempeh is inoculated but because the growth cycle is approx thirty hours you do not have to have a clean room like you do when growing mushrooms. (my first incubation space is going to be my closed oven with an old iron providing the thermostatically controlled heat source unit I can get my other unit done). You can easily use ziplock bags punctured every inch or so with a needles for moisture and heat release. You have to be sure to sterilize your spoon to stir with and stuff but that is simple and the cooling pot will sterilize itself. I have been working on it for some time just to learn and people on the yahoo tempeh list have posted photos of tempeh that would put anything in the store to shame.
You can make tempeh out of other beans such as garbanzo and add up to a third brown rice or other grains to it. I want to try the garbanzo but will get the soy down first. Some people add dried fine veggies and other things too but I cannot find details on the net about that so will have o experiment myself. I have read by numerous experts though that soy loses it's estrogen reaction when it is fermented or made into tempeh so that is good news for the guys that like it and are worried about the too much soy thing. The garbanzo and rice tempeh would certainly be lower in fat too.

I think you are doing a great job getting educated. Don't you love those yahoo lists. I'm on one for sauerkraut and kimchee trying to learn what I can.

I personally didn't know a whole lot about tempeh so I appreciate all this sharing. I am anxious to see what you think of it.

oh and thank you on the avatar. I have been in love with popeye since I was a little girl. He's my hero, eats his spinach and always trying to get Olive Oyl out of trouble.