Helen, Lilly and Dottie

Sprouting Grains

Why Sprout

·       Source of entertainment for the girls

·      Fresh greens filled with chlorophyll and beta-carotene 

·      Vitamins, minerals and proteins

·      40-50% more digestible

·      More nutrias eggs

·      Year 'round fresh greens

·      Zero waste

                                                                       Materials Needed

Untreated grains of your choice, whole grain wheat barley, oats, sunflower seeds, alfalfa, lentils, etc. They should not be hulled, husked, pearled, rolled, flaked or altered. 

Fresh water and clean containers

Measuring cup and quart jar

Bowl for soaking and a bowl for catching draining water

No special lights required, can be done on the kitchen counter tops

Sprouting screen, or you can use cheesecloth for a lid - to allow for draining and air to circulate

Steps – Takes up to Six Days to produce sprouts

·      Rinse and drain Place the grains in a strainer or colander, rinse well, and drain.

·      Soak Place the grains in a bowl and cover with water by a couple inches. Let stand overnight or at least 12 hours.

·      Drain the grains, rinse well and drain.

·      Place the grains in a 1 quart jar.

·      Cover the jar: Cover the jar with a sprouting lid/screen, or a double layer of cheesecloth secured with rubber band.

·      Invert the jar -  upside down and at an angle so that excess water can drain and air can circulate. Place the jar in a bowl to catch the water.

·      Keep it out of direct light and ideally at a temperature between 68 to 75°F.

·      Rinse and drain twice a day: Every 12 hours or so, pour water into the jar and swirl it to evenly rinse all the grains. Pour off the water and invert the jar

·      Wait and watch: The grains should sprout in 1 to 5 days and ready by 6. You will know they are ready when they have little tails.

If you do not give to chickens immediately- can be store in the refrigerator for a few days to a week

Happy Trails

We are working on getting our LLC for a dog walking business, Happy Trails Dog Walker.  Research is complete, pricing set, web site started, Facebook set to go live...First customer is set and we are officially in business as of Thursday the 28th of December!

Chickens Are Coming

One year ago, I asked for a chicken coop for my Christmas present.  A neighbor has extra chickens and the 12 week old chicks will arrive today!  Looks like I will be picking out names for the three new additions to our family - I am thinking after three of my favorite women that have passed away - Lilly Dottie and Helen - my grandmother, aunt and mom.  Everyone of them kept chickens, but mainly my Grandmother Lilly is who I actually spent time with around the chickens.  We collected eggs together with my aunt Sissie's dog.  My grandmother was a soft spoken lady, but also, a no nonsense person.  When my sister was about 3 and the level with a chicken, one rooster took after her and was trying to peck her.  My grandmother picked up the rooster and wrung his neck.  She looked at me and said, "I have no patience for a mean chicken, and I didn't like this one anyways"  I know for sure he would up in the stew for dinner that night.

2016 Year Ending

Things happen as they are meant to happen.  There is no grand plan, just flawed human beings bumbling through life. Bumbling through day to day is forgivable compared to being uninformed and disregarding the consequences of ones actions. The election for president did not go as 2.5 million people hoped it would.  Today, I read that this election is being called the Election of Hate.  How sad is that...every news agency has posted articles and opinions on the referendum of hate.  To ignore the big picture of what your vote ultimately means for the future is a sorry state of affairs.  No doubt, many generations have come to live with what the masses surrounding them have done.  No wonder so many people choose to be a pilgrim in a foreign land just passing through.