Winter Sprouts

What is winter like? Cold and wet or icy, with maybe some snow and wind? Winter is not a good time for a garden to grow, because the ground is hard and the air is so cold that the seeds wouldn’t want to sprout. But you don’t have to be gloomy; there is something you can do. You can grow sprouts in your kitchen!

Sprouts are seeds that just have begun to grow. They are very good on salad or sandwiches and they are easy to start in a jar or sprouting tray. If you don’t have the tray, you will need to get a wide-mouth quart jar, a canning ring, and a piece of loose-weave cloth. You will also need some seeds. Use an alfalfa seed mix for a good flavor.

It takes less than a week to make sprouts. Isn’t that much faster than lettuce, which takes two months? Follow this recipe for a quick crunch you grew all yourself!

Day 1: Measure 2 tablespoons of seeds into the jar and add enough water to cover the seeds an inch. Put the jar in a cupboard overnight—but don’t forget it!

Day 2: Lay the cloth over the jar top and screw on the ring. (If you are using a tray, pour the seeds into it instead.) Tip the jar over into the sink and pour out the water. Now rinse by pouring water into the jar (through the cloth) and shake your seeds around. Dump the water out again and set the jar on its side in the cupboard. In the evening rinse the seeds again.

Days 3 and 4: Rinse the seeds a couple times a day. The seeds use that water to grow—don’t you see their roots getting longer?

Day 5: After rinsing one last time, set the sprout jar on the counter so the new little leaves can get a bit green. Now they are ready to eat—try grabbing a pinch to see what they taste like. To keep them fresh, put them in a closed container in the fridge.

Just like the other times in the King’s Garden, there is something for us to learn while we grow things. Don’t you know that there are lots of times it is hard to be cheerful and kind? It is like a stormy winter day when plants don’t want to grow. Maybe someone scolded you or stepped on your toe, or you couldn’t do something you had planned on. It doesn’t seem like a good time to grow obedience or smiles, does it? But Jesus has a way for us to “sprout” on those stormy winter days. He wants us to grow in His house—by staying near Him and asking for His help. He has a special “living water” that will help our little roots grow when there is no good, soft soil around. The “living water” is the grace and patience and kindness He will give us if we ask Him. So let’s be “sprouts” for Jesus on those cold winter days!