š± Happy March š±
Spring is imminent
MARCH SALES COMING
We always have some items on sale. When we were publishing Newsletters more frequently we would announce them in these. If you read our February installment you know weāre publishing only once per month currently - and so if we continue this way - you may not know thereās a sale until itās over. As sales usually depend on us having a quantity of seeds - they happen when our inventory is high enough to withstand the increased demand sales cause. So, keep checking back at sproutpeople.org and our social media accounts to avoid missing out on lower prices. By the way - our costs continue to rise - and our prices may soon rise accordingly.
GREAT BEANS & RICE IS STILL ON SALE
Business remains painfully slow - so weāve not gone though our supply of Great Beans & Rice. I (Gil) told you in February that the sale was to last through the month or while supplies last - and since we hope youāve made Loriās Perfect Soup and want more - or are just reading about it and want to try it - and it is still Winter - and because stimulating sales is necessary - I decided weāll continue the sale as long as the seeds hold out.
So get some while it lasts and get some soup on =:-)
GARDENING WITH OUR SEEDS
I tell you this every year - but since some of you are new to Sproutpeople Iāll say it again. You can use the seeds you get from us in your garden too. We do.
Every year we grow these seeds into full sized plants in our garden: Arugula, Basil, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage (Green and/or Red), Cilantro, Collards, Dill, Kale (Green - ourās is a ruffled leaf variety named Lacinto and/or Red Russian), Kohlrabi (Purple), Mizuna, Mustard, Tatsoi, and some years Turnip. We donāt use our Radish seeds as we prefer small round radishes - and none of the 3 varieties in our blend (Daikon, Ruby Stem, Triton) produce those.
In our garden we grow everything from seed - except Eggplant, Peppers and Tomatoes - which we buy as starts from a small local nursery. I would start them from seeds, but our kitchen is too full of Sprouts, Microgreens, and Grass. There just isnāt enough room. Someday when we move to a rural location - weāll grow everything from seed.
SHOPPING & COMMUNICATING ON OUR NEW SITE
I think most people have figured this out on their own - but since weāve had more than a few people ask - Iām going to show you how to get to your shopping cart and how to leave us a note when shopping on our site.
If youāre using a computer - whenever you add something to a shopping cart - a sidebar opens on the right of your browser window. Here is an example - Iāve just added Alfalfa to my shopping cartā¦
You can close the sidebar by clicking the main (grayed out) area or the X in the top right - or you can scroll down to see the rest of the sidebar -which looks like thisā¦
Write us in the empty field under the words Gift Message and/or Comments. Anything you write there will stay through checkout - and you can add to it or edit it every time you make an addition.
As you can see - there are also buttons at the bottom which offer you to View Cart or Checkout. After youāve added everything you want- click the Checkout button in thesidebar.
If youāve finished shopping and are browsing the site for education - you can also get to your shopping cart and checkout anytime by clicking the icon in the top right (of every page) - which varies ($ wise) depending on what is in your cartā¦
As Iāve said more times than you can likely count (including just last month) - we love hearing from you - so leave us a note anytime youāre inspired. We love knowing your non-human family members by name - so even if youāre not overly inspired you can tell us those. I swear - one day - when I have time I will gather all the pictures youāve sent us over the years and Iāll compose a newsletter with those pictures - and stories if we have them. In the meantime - knowing their names helps me make more personal shipping labels for you - which makes my day better too.
If youāre shopping on a phone - every addition to your shopping cart fills your phone screen with the sidebar content - so all you need to do to write us or checkout will be visible if you scroll down.
If youāre using a tablet - it depends on whether youāre using it vertically or horizontally. In the former way - youāll see the entire sidebar, while in the latter itās just like the computer - you have to scroll down. Your tablet may be different. We only have one old one - so my guide may not work for the one you have. Just know this - if you donāt see the View Cart and Checkout buttons - Scroll Down.
A NOTE ABOUT THE EASY SPROUT SPROUTER
We met Gene Monson, the inventor of the Easy Sprout Sprouter when we were vendors at the Dane County Farmers Market in Madison, Wisconsin (1993-2003). He used to visit us not infrequently - because it was a phenomenal market and he lived only 30 miles away. Gene is an engineer. In the mid-1970ās he had a dream that led him to invent this remarkable sprouting device. He woke from that dream and said āIām going to sell a million of these.ā Years later - he added to this story - saying āI didnāt realize it was going to take 3 decades to do so.ā
All of us sprout lovers are very fortunate to have had his invention make our lives so much better. Gene is The Sprout Man! No offense meant to SproutmanĀ® Steve Meyerowitz, who was another great person in the sprout universe - but Gene changed our lives and the lives of everyone who owns an Easy Sprout Sprouter. Sadly his longtime manufacturer shut down a couple years ago - so he had to find a new one.
The device is still the exact same marvel he invented in the 70ās, but the manufacturer leaves something to be desired - as the Small Seed Insert (used for Alfalfa, Broccoli, Clover, and all other small seeds) snaps less well into the Growing Vessel than the older versions. Fortunately there is a very easy fix for this - so if you have this problem - grab your Small Seed Insert (Alfalfa Insert is what Gene calls it) and a pair of pliers (needle nose is nice but not required) and crimp the thin outer edge in 2-4 places - spaced roughly equally around the circle - thuslyā¦
Crimp hard so you make the plastic (Easy Sprouts are made out of one of the only non-leaching plastics on Earth) protrude visibly.
We have over 2 dozen Easy Sprouts in our home. Some were made in the 90ās while others are newer. The parts are all mixed up - so Iāve had to do this many times over the years. Itās a super easy fix. Given the inconsistency of Geneās new manufacturer you may have to do this to a brand new one. We suggest that you test it before Soaking. If the insert snaps in and requires some work to remove - youāre good to go. If it doesnāt snap or is too easy to remove - crimp it.
A STORY OF SURVIVAL
The fires that devastated so many around Los Angeles recently impressed us greatly. Truth be told we felt the same way for people in SW North Carolina and Florida who were ravaged by hurricanes last year - and our governmentās lack of help Disgusted us (FEMA where are you when we need you?!) beyond words in all cases. The LA fires were closer to home for us - in large part because our daughter, Alice (who does most of our social media) lives there. She was able to flee to San Diego for a few days - but many were not so fortunate.
One of our loyal customers in LA, Paul L. sent us something we want to shareā¦
Hi Lori and Gil,
I thought you might be interested to know, in case you didnāt already, that your stainless steel sprouter is fireproof! Itās hard to tell from the photo, but the mesh is completely intact. Iām hoping that a vinegar bath might wash off the soot, and even though I will probably never use it again for food purposes (due to the toxic stuff that was burned around it), it will be a nice decorative souvenir that symbolizes resilience and future growth.
Unfortunately, none of the seeds or beans in my recent huge order made it. For some reason, this is one of the most emotionally salient losses, probably because it represents so much potential growth being cut short. Right now, Iām staying with friends and family, and often not in one place for long enough to be able to grow anything. But once I get settled in a new place to live, I will be placing another giant order to resupply, including a fleet of replacement easy sprouters. Wherever I end up, it will definitely feel like home once Iām sprouting again
Love,
Paul
We wish we were in position to help all of you who have suffered hardships this past several months. Sadly we lack the time and money to make a real difference - but weāve been worrying about our long-time customers in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and now California - so let us know - and if there is something we can do - we will be gratified to do it.
OUR 4 LEGGED FAMILY MEMBERS
Here are the pictures of Ira, Django, and Gus - and some friends - from February.
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
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.
In addition to a section that teaches the Basics of Sprouting and Growing, a goodly section of Recipes, a bunch of Videos, and a whole lot more -
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
