🌱 Happy May 🌱

the days are getting longer

I (Gil) Love Seeds! Mixing them is a joy I’ve had for over 30 years - and is how I first fell in love with sprouts. I see constellations when mixing Mother’s Mix. Gorgeous!

OUR LEAFY SPROUT SALE CONTINUES

Though we have already removed Alfalfa from our sale - we’re going to keep our other Leafy Sprouts on sale for a little while. Really this is more about our inventory (we have a goodly supply of all the seeds involved) and our lack of time to get in and edit prices. I (Gil) am also wanting a customer (Hi Kristi!) who is on the brink of ordering - but who is on a tight budget - to get some while they’re marked down.

PRINTED GROWING INSTRUCTIONS

A customer asked last week why we didn’t include printed instructions with orders. I explained that we’d stopped doing that many years ago and wanted people to use our website - which always has the most current and detailed information.

But I did send here a PDF file of our Growchure - which we did include with every order for many years - and I thought some of you might like it too - so here’s a link: Sproutpeople’s Growchure

If you want to print it - it’s 2 sided - and when printed folds in thirds - like a brochure.

PEANUT & SUNFLOWER SPROUTS ARE BACK

We have some Peanuts again for those of you who want to grow them straight - and our Sunflower Sprouts (hulled sunflower seeds) are also back - and sprout wonderfully. We consider both of these seeds to be Soaks - - seeds that only Soak up their fill of water and are then eaten, but the Sunflowers will likely show their root in less than 24 hours - if you want to grow them longer.

The biggest nutritional gain in sprouts happens when a seed soaks up its fill of water. Further sprouting will produce more nutrients, but the gain will be nowhere near as amazing as that which takes place merely by Soaking. So eat your Soaks and know you’re getting amazing nutrition too.

The Peanuts will germinate but it takes several days and they are nowhere near as delicious at that stage as they are as Soaks - so really - don’t go for that unless you want to do science - or live in a place where you can grow peanuts in your garden (we did so when we lived in deep southern Illinois in the early 90’s). They are one of our favorite garden crops ever - - they send shoots out of the main plant - horizontally - which bury themselves in the soil and grow the actual peanuts - - but if you are lucky enough to be able to grow them you are likely better off not sprouting them first because they become fragile and may not transplant intact.

Peanuts have the best example of True Leaves (see our Glossary) - which you can see if you split one open…

The seed itself forms the first (Cotyledon) leaves. The bulge at the bottom is the Germ (that part of the seed that shows us germination) - which grows the root. The several “things” coming out of its top of the Germ are the True Leaves. I LOVE THIS STUFF! Study our Glossary to learn more.

CHANGE MUST COME

I (Gil) have a problem. Obviously I have more than one - but it’s this particular one that’s my focus today. It’s probably definable and has something to do with obsession - but I’m too old to care for a diagnosis. This is just who I am. The issue is that we (Lori and I particularly) have way too much work to do. This has caused Sproutpeople to suffer because - though we’re used to spending almost all of our waking hours on our business - we’re now 32 years into it - and we can no longer so easily do all the little (and some of the big) things we have always done. We need more help - but employing people is no longer an option here in San Francisco. The business is just too slow to afford it and the costs are So High here.

Since our main concern is the survival - and hopefully growth of Sproutpeople into the future - we have to think about it differently. So, we’re thinking about fulfillment. The actual packing of seeds in bags, of bags in boxes, and shipping those boxes - that’s fulfillment. Amazon is that (the shipping part) for many businesses - but we have never been interested in selling through them. Besides the huge cut they take - the idea of having our products in some massive warehouse where no one is concerned about the storage of seeds - or cares anything about them is just unacceptable to us.

It occurred to us however, that there are probably places like us that do fulfillment - Mom n’ Pop small businesses who care about the little things. So, we’re going to begin exploring that avenue. To be sure, we don’t want to let any part of Sproutpeople go. We’ve always prided ourselves on doing everything by hand. We love mixing our seeds (see the picture at the top of this newsletter). We love packing them well in bags and packing those bags and other items - like Sprouters in boxes - and then shipping those boxes.

I need to make sure that every box I ship has the address is verified, typo free, and doesn’t have extraneous junk (a byproduct of technology). I confirm that all ordered items have been accounted for and that the weight matches the contents. Then I want to see where it’s going (I also love geography), I want to see who it’s going to and if I remember the name. I want to see if there are non-humans who are getting stuff (Cat Grass, Bird Sprouts, etc.) - and if so, I consult my list of the names I know - so I can further customize the address - ie Clara the cat, Rupert - Chief Beak, Cecil & Finley...

I don’t add such personal touches to boxes shipping to apartments or units because some people have told me that their “roommates” are secret - or they have mediocre neighbors and/or tight landlords. I will occasionally replace my smiley face with a kitty - but only when I think it’s safe for the recipient.

After all my fussing with the address I then have to print and place the label “just so” on the box. That’s when I add my smiley face or kitty (the only thing I can draw) - and if time allows - write a note. I adore writing notes! When I was responsible for printing the orders and prepping them for fulfillment I would spend unimaginable time writing notes on those. Now that I often don’t see an order until it is boxed and sealed - I write my notes on the box or, most often the shipping label. I desperately want to welcome new customers and wish them Have Fun on their indoor farming journey.

I wish I could write everyone a note! For those of you who think I’m just silly - I’m sorry. I think humanity is hanging by thread. Civility and courtesy have been ebbing for many years and if everyone just stops trying - it will be gone - once and for all. We are not leaving this mortal coil without trying to make the future at the very least not horrible for future generations - like our kids.

Sorry. I don’t mean to preach - and I loathe virtue signaling. I’m just an idealistic person who cares too much about little things - and doing anything to make anyone’s day better. I now see that this will not work while all I have are shipping labels and boxes. So - if we can find the perfect loving fulfillment center - we will finally give up on mixing our seeds by hand (though our recipes will remain intact) and will look into machines that can do it - as long as said machine is being run by a person who loves seeds like I do. We’ll let machines put our seeds in bags - and we’ll let other people put those bags and our other items in boxes - and finally we’ll let someone else print shipping labels and affix them to those boxes. They won’t have time for smilies and notes - but if they are working for Sproutpeople - they’ll have to care - - and we can use the time to greater affect.

If we can put this all together we can spend our time on emails (I answered 4 emails this morning before starting on this newsletter and it took me 90 minutes!) which I love to answer thoroughly. We’ll have time to spend on seriously polishing up our website - which just Has To Be Perfect before I depart this plane of existence (hopefully not for a couple - few more decades). We’ll have time to make better videos. Maybe we’ll even have time to get around to writing that book. There will be so much time! I’ll miss adding the little things I live for now - but I’ll be able to reach more people - or more than one at a time anyway. I love one at a time - but I simply must reach more!

Since we’ll be 70 and 67 this year - it’s well about time we started living our future. Sam and Alice want to remain involved - but we all know that they can’t take over Lori’s and my life. They (like us) are both holders of degrees in filmmaking - so we’re all very excited to get that media engine fired up - and all together we can share our knowledge of indoor farming and the joy of growing our own food. Maybe we’ll even include our garden. The possibilities are seriously invigorating!

MY PROPENSITY TO FOCUS ON ANIMALS

I think I’ve alienated customers with my fixation on non-humans. I love people - but the other species love unconditionally - which is a very difficult thing to find in humans, so I often turn my focus to those beings. I apologize if that offends anyone. I love people too - and as already stated - I need to do what I can to better society - so I promise to focus on humans more - if we find all this time we’re hoping to.

I’m so drawn to non-humans that I’m actually (literally) working on a spreadsheet of names - so I can more quickly see which beings live with which customer. It’s just a joy to me. There is so much less personality nowadays. So much less person to person communication. I simply have to do my part to convey that we are loving beings sharing this amazing planet. My idealistic hopes are largely dashed by this stage of my life - but they are not forgotten - and despite my almost 7 decades of experience - I keep trying. I just won’t stop saying “Hi!” to strangers or acknowledging someone who intersects my life. I know this will never be the wonderful world it could be - and should be - - certainly not in my lifetime - - but I will keep trying by spreading kindness.

If everyone did…

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YOUR OPINION MATTERS

We would like to know what you think about the possibility of us changing our process and using other people to fill our orders and ship them to you. I like to assume that you’ll all miss my smiley faces, kitties, and notes - so I didn’t address that in the following poll - but if you have more to say about this - you can always drop us a line.

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THE 4 LEGGED FAMILY

I sometimes think that many customers have come to this section of our newsletters over the years and thought - what is wrong with these people? Why all the animals - and the same few animals?!

Honestly - I wish we could have a test that we made customers pass before they could buy anything from us. such a thing is a very bad business idea - but it would be a way of serving only Kind people and would be the perfect iteration of our ‘No Assholes Policy’ (someday soon - when I have time - I’ll explain that). That’s the kind of thing I’ll be able to do when I no longer have to print shipping labels and such. Oh, what fun I’ll have! =:-)

I find it very difficult to not add 50 pictures here. One little “photo shoot” with Ira usually yields several that I ‘heart’. Maybe we’ll do photo books in the future too. Pet photos, Sprout photos, Sprout calendars - and - well - all things about growing food - - and love. Ive gotten way ahead of myself. We’ve not even determined we can make all this change happen. For now we will continue to love doing all the little things one person at a time.

and finally - here are some pictures of our unconditional love providers…

Ira likes to be wrapped up while riding to and from work. He’s not much into cars.

Django loves his Scratch Lounge! Everyone - including Ira knows it’s his “safe spot” - so if they’re playing chase and Django gets in - Ira puts on the brakes (sliding across the floor like a cartoon character) and leaves him be.

Our magnificent Gus. We’ve always had a black cat - including our first pet, Dziga.

He is just LOVE!

Django kicking back in his window basket bed. When the weather is gray, foggy, wet - the boys prefer to look at it from a warm place.

I so wish I could capture his gorgeousity.

Ira is beginning to stand like a ballerina - like Chester before him.

A lucky morning walk where we ran into Ira’s buddy, Chauncey who walked several blocks with us. They always have to greet each other - wherever and whenever they see each other.

Ira laying with Chester’s toys - and on his favorite - a little purple dinosaur who has a squeaker. Ira is So Good. He never squeaks too much. Never.

Ira waiting for me to get everything together for a trip to our garden.

Ira in the garden.

Our garden doesn’t look like much - but things are coming along nicely. The black screen around the beds is to keep all the visiting wildlife away from our vegetables.

A flower that defies description.

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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

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