First Shoots Harvest of the #WinterGrowingChallenge

On Saturday I harvested─and ate─the first shoots of my #WinterGrowingChallenge. Yay me!

I started that first round of seeds 2 weeks ago on Saturday, December 9th. It took 14 days to harvest the first salad. I was initially concerned with the cooler temperatures in our home slowing down the growth of the shoots, but according to the Johnny’s website the projected Days to Maturity for pea shoots is actually 7─21, so 14 days is not bad at all.

It was so easy to harvest my greens. I simply used a pair of kitchen scissors that were already nearby. I snipped the stems while collecting the shoots in my other hand and laid them on a plate.

Nope, I didn’t even bother to wash them! I have “a thing” against wet salad, and I wasn’t going to wait for them to dry before eating them. I skipped the washing, confident in the fact that these greens were grown right there on a shelf in the middle of my kitchen and should be clean anyway. When you’re a farmer, “clean” is a spectrum and your tolerance depends upon your own personal threshold lol.

Yes, I shared them with Paul lol. We each had a small salad comprised simply of the pea and radish shoots drizzled with a honey-garlic vinaigrette I’d made right here at home. It was amazing. Pea shoots are tender and flush with nutrients at that stage, while the radish shoots were equally tender and added a nice burst of flavor. The whole thing left me feeling fresh and energized.

You can grow your own shoots too! The #WinterGrowingChallenge runs through February, so there’s still time to get in on it. Did you read 13 Reasons to Grow Your Own Shoots This Winter? Once you have the soil and the seeds it’s so easy to produce these fresh leafy greens that you’ll be wondering why you didn’t start sooner!

Join me in taking up the #WinterGrowingChallenge! Feed your family shoots for a healthier, more sustainable self-sufficient life. Subscribe by email for the latest and greatest from Runamuk directly in your inbox!