🌱 Hulled Sunnys are Finally Back and so's a Special Mix 🌱
Sunny Sprouts are Back!
so we're celebrating with our special mix
Oats & Groats with Sunflower
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SUNFLOWER SPROUTS RETURN. FINALLY!
Some seeds have been particularly difficult to get the past couple of years. Hulled Sunflowers (for sprouting) have been one of them. We require these for our Madison Market Mix - so though we have somehow been able to lay our hands on enough to keep that available - we have been unable - for almost a year to find a enough high quality seed that sprouts well and tastes right - to offer them to you. Finally We Do! This is a great lot. It sprouts well and is delicious.
Sunflowers are one of only 2 seeds we sell that come in 2 ways - In Shell and Hulled. The best known Sunflower crop is Sunflower Greens - which are Microgreens grown from In-Shell (Whole) Sunflower Seeds. Those are not grown as Sprouts because of their shell. What we have here are Sunflower Seeds which have had their shells (hulls) removed - so they can be grown as Sprouts - Sunflower Sprouts. The process of removing their shells often damages the soft seeds inside - which is one of the main difficulties in procuring these. Most samples we see are too broken to sprout. Our new seeds are magnificent.
If you're curious - the other seed that comes with and without its shell is Buckwheat. We use In-Shell Buckwheat to grow Microgreens - commonly known as Buckwheat Lettuce. When the shell is removed from Buckwheat - they become Buckwheat Groats. the word Groat actually refers to hulled grains. The word Hull causes amazing confusion in the seed world - but that's a topic for another day.
The other well known Groat is Oat Groats. Oats are always damaged too much in the process of having their hull removed to germinate. We have never sold them. We offer Oats grown without a hull - Hulless Oats. These are extremely difficult to find as few farmers grow them. They are both a flavor and textural delight - and go tremendously with Buckwheat Groats - Which is why Oats & Groats is.The only thing better is when you add Hulled Sunflower Seeds...
SPECIAL LIMITED TIME MIX
to celebrate the return of Hulled Sunflower Seeds we are offering our very popular mix - Oats & Groats with Sunflower - for a limited time. I mix up a big batch and it's available while it lasts. This makes an absolutely great Sprout Cereal!!!
It mayn't look like much - but it's my (Gil) absolute favorite bedtime snack. Fruit is good with it, of course.
It's funny - we have so many mixes with special names - you'd think we'd come up with something fun for this one. It's SO good. But we're keeping it literal. Feel free to share any ideas you have.
WANNA SEND US A PICTURE OR 2?
Last time we asked for your help in understanding what odd questions our shopping cart asks you - but no one responded @:-(
This time we're asking you to send us pictures of the box we send you. We pack with great care but we have no idea what it looks like when it gets to you. So if you want to help us out - send a picture of your box when it arrives - and another when you open it. You have to email us directly to attach photos - so click here for our email.
We get the occasional box back - due to an incomplete address or some poor performance by a package carrier. Those boxes always look horrible - banged and bashed. Those have made 2 trips - so they've had twice the wear. We sure hope that you get what we want you to get - not only in the box - so we'd really like your help so we can see what it looks like when you get it and open it. You needn't take it apart for us - we just want to see what your box looks like as soon as you open it.
FAMILY
Our part of San Francisco typically has a foggy summer. Locals called it the 90 days of fog (June-August). Weather has most definitely changed over the years - but this June was amazing. We must have had at least 20 sunny - and often warm days. Awesome! July has started typically foggy, but we saw the sun today so things are looking up. Here are some new pics of our family...
Ira looking good on the "low road" at our neighborhood dog park.
Django visited me at the garden recently. It's a block away from our house - so it's always a surprise. Ira is always overjoyed to see him there. DJ and Lori come together often, but it's unusual to see him on his own. As there are now so many coyotes in San Francisco our cats have very little free time outdoors =:-(
We have 4 of these beds. Sam bought the first one for Chester when he was older - and Ira liked it so much that we added others. We even take one in the car for the ride to work - where he has another one under my work table. The cats like them too as you can see. Gus - whose shaved belly is growing in finally - is often dominating this particular bed - which gets to morning sun. Ira doesn't mind. He loves Gus.
Ira with Winston - who is 11 or 12. They took an immediate liking to each other. That's particularly sweet for me because our previous dogs knew Winston well. Chester didn't care much one way or the other - but Dobie had a crazy crush on him from the moment he met him - when Winston was a puppy. It was funny because Dobie was a 65 pound dog. Winston ran circles around him but he never gave up.
Ira and his friend Pancho - who is a brown and white Boston Terrier. He's wonderfully playful and gregarious. Pancho helps Ira lighten up - and play.
Though not a furry family member - our garden is almost family - and it is essential to our well being. This is a crown of Broccoli in our garden. We grew it - as we do so many of our plants - from the same seeds we sell to you.
Here are a couple essentials for those new to the world of Indoor Farming...
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPROUTS AND MICROGREENS
To us the difference is that with Sprouts we grow with nothing but water and we eat the entire crop (with the possible exception of hulls and roots that grow out the bottom of our Stainless Steel Sprouters) - and they are alive when we eat them. Microgreens are grown on a medium and we harvest them by cutting them just above that medium - at which point they move from alive to not. Raw, great, delicious - just not alive.
While I'm on this subject I need to explain why we have two different names for the same seed - like Broccoli Sprouts and Broccoli Microgreens. This is the same seed. The difference is that each crop has its own page - you go to the Broccoli Sprouts page to learn how to grow the seed into Sprouts and you go to the Broccoli Microgreens page to learn how to grow it into Micros.
This seed will also grow a full sized - which is like 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide - Broccoli plant in a garden - given the proper climate and encouragement.
SEED STORAGE
If you don't yet know how to get the longest life for your seeds - and prevent pests - visit our Seed Storage page. The best way to store seeds is in the freezer, but do not use the refrigerator as its humidity fluctuations can harm seeds. There's a bit more to it - so perhaps just visit the page =;-)
Grow to Live - Live to Grow.
Be well and happy.
Gil + Lori
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Sproutpeople.org is an encyclopedic resource of our creation - for indoor farmers of Sprouts, Microgreens, and Grass. It is so enormous that it gives some the impression that we are a big business. The reality is that we are basically 2 people who eat and breath Sproutpeople - and 2 part-time helpers (one being our son). Our site has been online since 1996. It's the employee that allows us to serve all of you.
Every Seed and Mix we offer has a profoundly detailed page devoted to it. Those pages feature two sets of Growing Instructions (Brief for the experienced and Detailed for the not yet experienced), a Video, Photos of the crop growing day-by-day, Recipes, Crop Specific Notes, Nutrition Info, and quite a bit more. Each of our Supplies also has a detailed page.
Our vast content is organized with Tabs (on computer) and Pull-Down Menus (on mobile devices). Click/Choose, for example Detailed Instructions on the page you go to when you click any of the pictures surrounding this text - and you will be presented Seriously Detailed Instructions. Click around. Growing Photos. Notes. Recipes. Please let us share what we know.
We survive by selling on the internet, but we live to educate anyone who wants to learn about growing sprouts and microgreens. Learning is what the internet was actually built for, so we're really just doing our part.
Please enjoy sproutpeople.org
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