After the rush of holiday eating, you may feel a deep-seated urge to go and eat something green. I know I do! But if you’re on a budget or want super local, fresh-picked greens in the middle of the winter, that’s impossible, right? Not quite. Here are a few ideas to keep you in the greens this winter.
Sprouting
This fall, I’ve enjoyed sprouting my own goodies for salads. For many years, I tried to sprout, only to be rewarded with mucky, mildewy, not-at-all-edible sprouts. Yes, I washed them according to all of the schedules, but they just didn’t work. This summer a friend gave us a breathable sprout bag that you wash twice a day, and it works beautifully! You gently wash the bag with the growing seeds inside, then hang it to dry, and do it again in the evening. The bag allows air to pass through the sprouts, slowly drying them and the bag. Sprouts are packed full of vitamins, and they come in a wide variety of flavors, including bitter, sweet, and peppery.
Microgreens
I have a grow light set up in my basement, and I use it to start seeds for my garden. Before seed starting season, I’m planning to start venturing into the world of microgreens. These are slightly different from sprouts, since they actually require soil to work. The greens grow in a small container under the lights, and you snip and harvest the tops. Different varieties take different amounts of time to grow, but like sprouts, you’re looking at a harvest time of a week or so.
Winter Vegetables
If you live in a more temperate climate, growing winter vegetables is quite possible. Winter lettuces, mustard greens, and kale work well as winter greens, and some vegetables like parsnips actually taste better if they’re kept in the ground until the frost.This year, I plan to grow some purple sprouting broccoli, which stays in the ground for until you pick it in the late winter of the next year.
If you live in a place that isn’t very cold, you can start early greens such as mustard greens, mizuna, and winter lettuces under a cold frame in the late winter. Radishes are also an excellent early season crop.
Mushroom logs
All right, so mushrooms aren’t technically green, but they go with many things that are. If you have a taste for mushrooms, then you’re in luck: the cool, dark season is the perfect time to grow them. Get some mushroom spawn or buy a mushroom log. You can either place the spawn into a log and grow it outdoors, or you can grow the mushrooms indoors with an indoor mushroom log kit.
Image Credit: woodleywonderworks / CC by 2.0