"All I need you to do for my wedding is bring a big salad".
"Sure. I'll open three cans of beans for your big day"
Silence. It was tangible. I started to laugh.
"You are joking"
It was more a statement than a question. My friend knew me well enough to have only nearly fallen for my suggestion. I laughed even louder. I could feel her relief. She smiled.
"Do you even have tins in your house?"
I stopped laughing. "Of course not. Have you met me?"
It was her turn to laugh.
"How about a microgreen platter with roasted veggies and goats milk cheese?" I asked.
"Only if you don't forget some canned beans" She answered with a wink.
Two years earlier, my friend had lost her husband of 20 years after a battle with cancer. I was blessed to be able to support her during that time because I too had lost my first husband to cancer. The similar journey had bonded us even more than our health and homesteading lifestyle choices. Late last year I introduced her to the husband of a friend of mine who lost her own battle with cancer. Their shared sorrow as well as that of their children made it a match made in Heaven. And the date was set. It was a beautiful garden wedding with their 8 children, family and only close friends.
As with most natural foodie recipes; you need to plan ahead. Microgreens are basically young seedlings that are harvested in their first or second week of growth. This is when a plant is at its absolute maximum in nutritional value. The tender microgreens make for the most delicious and nourishing salad. While most veggie seeds can be grown into microgreens my favourite; for being both the fastest growing and most "unfloppable" microgreens, are sunflower seeds. Onion and broccoli microgreens are among the most potent in nutritional value but a good choice is to plant a mixed blend of seeds. For my wedding salad I chose to grow sunflower microgreens.
SUNFLOWER MICROGREENS:
- 5 cups sunflower seeds (in the hull!)
2 large shallow gardening trays (mine are about 20cm x 40cm wide)
1 small bag of potting soil
1 spray bottle with clean water and a dash of sea salt
Give yourself roughly a week from soak to salad for sunflower microgreens - less in summer, more in winter. For other seeds it usually takes a couple days longer before your microgreens are ready.
Soak your seeds overnight. In the morning half fill the gardening tray with potting soil. Compact it flat and soak it with your spray bottle. Pack the sunflower seeds on the level potting soil and place the second gardening tray on top. Keep the seeds wet and in the dark for about two days. Once they begin growing you can remove the cover. However make sure to keep the microgreens wet. Placing them in a tray of water is a good idea, but be sure not to flood the microgreens.
In summer the sunflower microgreens can be harvested after just five days. In winter it may take around 8 days. You know they are ready when the primary leaves are beautifully green and strong - however - they must be harvested before the secondary leaves form. If you pick them too late they will be bitter. Cut at the base of the stem. Rinse and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. After harvesting I let my chickens clean up and then I plant the next tray of microgreens.
WEDDING SALAD DRESSING:
5 medjool dates
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon carob powder
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon juiced
1 pinch of sea salt
Blend your salad dressing ingredients together. It makes a very unique and creamy dressing. I roasted butternut and beetroot with macadamia oil, paprika and cumin. Once cold the roast veggies were laid on top of the sunflower sprouts. Chop in a handful of dried figs and another handful of olives. Our pomegranate trees are dripping with wonderful fruit so I added the seeds of one pomegranate. After sprinkling a cup of goats milk cheese and half a cup of roasted sesame seed I liberally drizzed the yummy carob and date dressing. Then it was off to the wedding.
The wedding table stood in the herb garden and was laden with a variety of incredible salads. Under another huge tree was a smaller table full of beautiful bottles of chilled mountain water with fresh herbs as well as freshly brewed iced tea and wine to celebrate. Laughter filled the air blending harmoniously with each musical family member who took turns to sing. It was a perfect day.
