HEALTHY AT HOME
SPRING’S a sprouting... Cathy Munroe in her kitchen at Bramble Hill Farm. Every week Cathy grows and harvests sprouts and shoots for her health conscious customers at the New Glasgow Farmers’ Market and local eateries.
How to grow your own sprouts or where to buy them BY TRACY STUART PHOTOS BY STEVE SMITH, VISIONFIRE STUDIOS
S
tanding on my deck, the sun is shining, the snow is melting, I take a deep breath in and fill my lungs with the beautiful fresh air of spring (ahhh). I love the spring; it is full of possibility and potential. Nature is showing evidence that it too is finished with being bundled up, as everything is getting ready to sprout! I’ve got my seeds ready and I am excited to get my hands in the soil. But, why wait for the perfect conditions in the great outdoors when you can enjoy the amazing flavours of new spouts (or greens) anytime of year? Unlike me, Cathy Munro at Brambill Hill Farm has been reaping (and sharing) the beautiful bounty of her greens and salad veggies all winter! Some of you may have even enjoyed the delights of her labour while picking up a bag of green goodness from the New Glasgow Farmers market; consider yourself lucky if you have since she sells out each and every week! Cathy found her passion for farming after a move back east several years ago.
The North Shore
…are you? They purchased an 1800s farmhouse not farm from Greenhill. She and her husband toiled to bring the tired but loving home back to life and set their intentions of being true to the era of their new/old home to produce as much of their own food as they could just the way things used to be. Today they are producing more than enough organic greens for their growing family and have established a faithful clientele at the markets and also supply a few local restaurants. Cathy thrives with this “radical homemaker” lifestyle through her business and she is loving it! So the question is, if we want to get a head start on summer and begin enjoying fresh homegrown food now where do we begin? I believe that the answer is sprouts. They may be small, but sprouts are intensely flavourful, ranging from sweet to spicy to tart to sour. Having so much nutrients and flavour in such a small shoot really packs a punch. It only takes five to six days to reap the benefits of the harvest, so you may enjoy the instant gratification of growing your own food. To begin any new venture, when it comes to life as a foodie, I stand firm to the belief that you must source the best quality ingredients. I had a great conversation with Cathy about sprouting and she was happy to share that her source for seeds is a homegrown Canadian company who offers organic,
ah! Spring 2017 - 46
