Sprouting Up, Digging In...

"During each of the three seasonal harvests that make up the annual cycle, nature produces the seeds with which to heal the ills of that season and help prepare the body for the season that follows. In the West we look on nature as a cruel force that must be subdued...but the Native American and Eastern traditions see in nature the potential solutions to every imbalance."

- From The Three Season Diet, by John Douillard

Spring is beautiful on many levels. That rush of hopefulness, a day of warm sun, crocus pushing through a thick bed of pine needles, a child on a swing... with no jacket! One of the most beautiful things about Spring for me are the gifts of the edible green world, seen and unseen.

In those crazy olden days, nothing green would have graced a plate for the many long, dark days of winter. Roots, meat and fat filled the stew bowls and then eventually just a couple of roots, if you were lucky. By the time ramps (wild spring onions), dandelion greens, watercress, and tender spring kale were finally enjoyed, there was a seasons worth of mucus build up in the body to be broken down. The winter foods supplied bulk and warmth and now the astringent Spring foods would do some necessary cleaning out.

Sprouts like wheat grass, alfalfa, and mung are great bitter, astringent foods to add to your diet around this time. So are the delicious spicy greens like mustard and watercress. Dandelion greens are very detoxifying so you might notice an increased urge to pee. The original French word for this plant was 'Pisenlit' which means 'pee in the bed' because that is exactly what would happen if the roots, leaves or tea were taken before bed!

What better way to spice up your salads than by saving a ton of money and growing these sprouts yourself! Here is a good general sprout guide with a sprouting chart:

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/easysprout.html

After a couple of days you will have enough sprouts to get quite creative with!

Mung, Wild Rice and French Green lentil


Alfalfa sprouts will blow your mind after starting with just a couple tablespoons of seeds...


Here's one breakfast we can't get enough of:

2 Poached Eggs
Watercress Greens
drizzle of lemon vinaigrette
walnuts
Fresh Alfalfa Sprouts
***
Let me know if you can solve this one:
For the last bite, walnut or poached egg?