Early Spring

See that picture up there?  The one of Washington Park, looking lush and green?  It's hard to remember what green looks like :(

I'm home today because we're supposed to get 1/4" of ice, and although an extra day off is nice, I'm so over winter.  Sadly, I have months to go.    

             

However, my friend Andrea came up with a great way to bring a little green into January.  She began planting micro-greens, tiny versions of our favorite vegetables and herbs.

My own little garden of micro-greens!  Thanks, Andrea!

You eat them when they're "larger than sprouts but smaller than 'baby' greens,"* and they're very intense in flavor.  They taste just like their full-grown counter parts.  So far I tried one snip off of the tallest plant and it was really spicy!  It feels good to have something green and fresh when most of what I've been eating is heavy and roasted.

According to Andrea, the shoots only take a week or two to sprout, and are great atop a salad or sandwich, to add a little zest. She was generous enough to give me a container of her Spicy Italian Mix, and they're delicious!  In case you're interested, she ordered her mix of seeds from superseeds.com.

It feels like spring has come early to my apartment.  The eager sprouts follow the sunshine through the window, and remind us to hold on... spring is coming.


*"How does your indoor 'micro' garden grow?" USA Weekend insert, Jan. 7-9, 2011.