Carrot Cupcakes Everyone seems to love Carrot Cake, what I also like about them is how wonderfully moist they are and how flavorful they taste. I love this Carrot Cupcake recipe because it's so easy to make. No mixer is required. The time consuming part is the grating of the fresh carrots. I have included applesauce in the cupcake batter which, along with the oil, makes these cupcakes so moist. But, if you like, you could use an equal amount of grated apple or even crushed pineapple. You can also add 1/2 cup (120 ml) of currants or raisins to the batter. Carrot Cakes became popular with the health food craze of the 1970s. There are many theories on the origin of this cake, some say it descended from the English's baked carrot puddings or European steamed carrot puddings. Others say it may have come from German carrot breads. Carrots were used in European sweet cakes since the Middle Ages when other sweeteners were hard to find or just too expensive. In fact, carr...
Microgreen Series - How to grow MUSTARD SEED MICROGREEN
Microgreens are not new, but relatively new to me. They became popular in the mid 1990s in California and moved eastward. As a gardener I always planted seeds to get the full-grown plant.
Microgreens are harvested after they sprout and develop a central stem, the cotyledon leaves (first set of leaves) and the first pair of very young true leaves, about 1 to 2 inches high and 1 to 4 weeks old, depending on the variety. They are used for their flavor, texture, and appearance. Microgreens have stronger flavors than sprouts, and come in a wide selection of leaf shapes, textures and colors.
Microgreens are healthier than the fully grown plants of the same variety, containing higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols when young, helping to improve heart health and a decreased risk of chronic disease. In general, microgreens contain considerably higher levels of vitamins and carotenoids--about five times greater--than their mature plant counterparts, an indication that microgreens may be worth the trouble of growing, harvesting, and eating them fresh during their short lives. The deeper the colors, the more nutrients.
Growing microgreens is relatively easy. Start with a very clean shallow plastic tray with drainage holes like the ones you get plants in from the nurseries or if that size is too big, use the plastic container you get salad greens in or use a divided nursery tray and put different seeds in each compartment. Put 1 to 2 inches of soil in the tray, moisten with water and pat lightly until it is flat. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of seeds over the soil and gently pat them to make sure they have come in contact with the soil. Thoroughly mist the seeds with a spray bottle. Cover with another tray to keep them dark and keep them at room temperature. Mist the seeds 1 or 2 times a day, returning the cover. When seeds sprout so you can see them, remove cover permanently. Put in the light, indirect natural light or under grow lights, with good air circulation, watering as needed. Different lighting conditions can change the flavors of the microgreens being grown. For instance, corn microgreens are sweet when grown in the dark, but become bitter when exposed to light due to photosynthesis processes taking place in the sprouting plants.
When the first leaves appear, start tasting the microgreens every day so you can taste the difference as they mature and choose when you want to harvest them. For harvesting, trim the microgreens with a scissors just above the soil and a second harvest is possible. Use quickly or they will lose color and flavor.
The best way of storing microgreens is in clamshell containers. They will last one or two weeks. The clam shells protect the microgreens from getting crushed like they may in a plastic bag. However, wrapping them in a moist, not wet paper towel and putting them in a plastic bag in one of the refrigerator drawers also is a good plan.
Add microgreens to your salads or wraps for some extra crunch or blend them into smoothies and juices. You can sprinkle some microgreens as a garnish on almost any dish. Try them on top of pizzas, soups, curries, omelets, stir fries, pasta, and other hot dishes.
LETS SEE HOW TO GROW THE WITH STEP- BY - STEP PICTURES
Microgreen Series - How to grow MUSTARD SEED MICROGREEN
Pictorial:
Take any shallow pot, into that add soil, you can use even cocopeat too
Sprinkle some mustard seeds which you have in your kitchen, do not over sprinkle the seeds
Cover the seeds with thin layer of soil on top of it
Sprinkle the soil, do not over water it
Keep moistening the soil, water only when the soil becomes dry
Place the pot near light or dim sunlight, probably near your kitchen window
It will start to germinate within 2 days
After 1 week it will be grown with only two leaves
Harvest them when it is grown with two leaves
You can cut the leaves and reuse the plants for 2 cutting, don't cut completely with the roots, they can re-grow if only leaves are been cut.
Cut them with scissors above 1 inch , dont damage the roots
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| And you can use them in your regular salad Click here for this recipe Mustard Green Salad |
to a nutritious life
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