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Grow Micro Basil at Home

11/27/2017

The growing project included in this month's Veggie Buds Club box is "Grow Micro Basil", and let me tell you, this one is fun (and yummy!). Veggie Buds Club members receive a seed packet of organic basil seeds, grow tray, and organic grow pad (seeds and pad are from Sprout People, a great company based in the US that has been providing 100% GMO-free organic seeds for over 20 years). Instructions are also included, but we wanted to elaborate on how to grow Micro Basil at home in more detail and provide some kid-friendly ways to incorporate these tasty sprouts into everyday meals. First we'll outline our basic instructions, keep scrolling for day-by-day photos and recipe inspiration!
You can grow your own sprouts plus 5 additional simple, quick, and indoor growing projects with our "Let's Grow" Box! All supplies and instructions are included.

How to Grow Micro Basil

Materials Needed

1 tsp basil seeds for sprouting
Plastic grow tray (a clear to-go food container with a locking lid works great)
Growing medium such as Baby Blanket Growing Medium, coconut coir, or soil
Recommended: spray bottle for watering

Instructions

With sharp knife, poke holes on the lid of the grow container for airflow
Place grow pad, coconut coir, or a thin layer of soil on the bottom of the grow tray
Sprinkle the basil seeds on the growing medium evenly in a single layer
Water the basil seeds (it is recommended to use a spray bottle so the seeds are not disturbed)
Close lid and place in a warm sunny spot, keep grow tray closed except when watering
Water every 1-3 days after seeds have germinated so they remain moist but are not drowning in water*
Your Micro Basil is ready to eat in 10-14 days when shoots are about 2 inches tall, snip with scissors at the base to harvest. You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Here is more in-depth information about growing Micro Basil from Sprout People:
*You are working with mucilaginous seeds. Every seed will take up water from the thoroughly moistened medium and will surround itself with a gel sack. That sack has all the water the seed needs to germinate. You won't need to water again until germination begins.
Once germination takes place - keep the medium moist by watering gently or misting with a spray bottle every day or three. The deal with watering is that the deeper your medium, the less you need to water, and the plants won't require a lot of water until they get growing big - at which point you may need to drench the medium every day.
Note: These amazing little plants have a unique root structure. They may show microscopic roots starting a couple days after they germinate. They are called root hairs and are most visible just before watering - when the plants are at their driest. These root hairs impress many people as mold - but they are not. When you water your crop the root hairs collapse back against the tap root. Viola! No root hairs!

Growing Micro Basil in Pictures

These are photos from our Micro Basil growing experience! My 4 year old had a great time with this growing project and thought the Micro Basil was super yummy. She enjoyed watering it with the spray bottle and smelling and patting the Micro Basil as it grew. It took us exactly 14 days to grow Micro Basil in Minnesota in November.

You Grew Micro Basil- Now What?

Micro Basil is a delicious garnish on many dishes such as pasta, tomato salad, pizza, and salads. Here at Veggie Buds Club we focus on kid-friendly meals, below are some ways that myself and the kids (ages 4 and 2) enjoyed our Micro Basil!

Boil any shaped pasta and add frozen peas for the last 2 minutes of boiling time. After draining, mix in butter and Parmesan cheese. Serve with micro basil on top.
Top veggie soup with micro basil! Check out our "Easy Alphabet Veggie Soup" here.
English muffin pizzas topped with Micro Basil- my kids gobbled these up, definitely kid-approved! This is a fun one to get your kids involved with. I made a pizza topping station stocked with English muffins, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and topping options. My son spread the sauce, sprinkled the cheese, and topped with peppers and sliced black olives. Next, bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes. Top with micro basil after they come out of the oven.

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Broccoli Nuggets

11/17/2017

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Enjoy this delicious recipe that was included in Veggie Buds Club's "Broccoli for Me" box! Here are some great photos from our members that have been shared with us, keep to Broccoli Nugget love comin'!

Photos from IG accounts: @sweetraspberries, @maschiopartyoffive, @icook_theyeat, @lunchesandlittles, @heather_kidskitchen, and @thekidseatkale

This recipe was developed by Heather Staller, a mom of two boys, ages 4 and 2, and cooking instructor specializing in bringing cooking into preschool classrooms. After college, Heather knew she wanted to be a teacher, but first followed her lifelong dream of going to culinary school. Teaching cooking combines both of her passions, and she truly enjoys introducing young children to the joys of cooking with fresh ingredients. Find Heather on Instagram (@heather.happykidskitchen), where she shares inventive kid-friendly recipes and ideas for cooking with kids at home.

Broccoli Nuggets

Ingredients

4 cups small broccoli florets (about 1 medium head of broccoli)
1 cup cooked quinoa or 1 1/4 cups cooked brown or white rice, cooled
1 large egg
1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a 24-cup mini muffin tin with oil or spray with non-stick spray. Using a silicone muffin tin is recommended, but if you don’t have one, make sure to grease your metal pan very well to avoid sticking.
Place broccoli florets in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, stopping a few times to scrape down the bowl and pulse again.
Add quinoa (or rice), egg, cheese, garlic powder, and salt. Continue to pulse until all of the ingredients are combined and uniform in size (this will only take a few pulses if you are using quinoa but will take 8 to 10 pulses if you are using rice).
Scoop about a tablespoon of the broccoli mixture into each muffin cup then push down the top with the back of the spoon to pack the mixture down. Sprinkle the tops of each ‘nugget’ with a little extra cheese, if desired.
Bake until lightly brown around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Allow nuggets to cool completely. If using a metal pan, you may need to loosen the edges of the nuggets with a butter knife to help remove them from the pan. Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce.

You can check out great tools and kits that teach kids to learn to love veggies in our shop!

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Veggie Memory Game

11/6/2017

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We created this fun FREE printable for you to do at home with your kids! Memory is a classic game that's appropriate for a wide-range of ages. Use fewer matching cards for younger kids and increase the amount of matching cards for your older children. Why not make veggies the star by playing a "Veggie Memory Game"?!
You can check out more great tools and kits that teach kids to learn to love veggies in our shop!

Make this activity more robust by first reading a book featuring veggies, here are some of our suggestions:
"Eating the Alphabet" by Lois Ehlert
"Growing Vegetable Soup" by Lois Ehlert
"We're Going to the Farmers' Market" by Stefan Page

Veggie Memory Game Printable

Simply print both sheets out at home, cut out the cards (bonus if you can laminate them), and play!

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Grow Micro Basil at Home

How to Grow Micro Basil

Growing Micro Basil in Pictures

​You Grew Micro Basil- Now What?

Broccoli Nuggets

Broccoli Nuggets

Veggie Memory Game

Veggie Memory Game Printable

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You Grew Micro Basil- Now What?