I’m not going to lie.  I’m quite nervous and excited about this test.  Four trays were seeded and stacked in darkness late on Monday.  I was hoping they would be a bit further along before Friday when I placed them into the 4’x4′ ebb and flow grow bed for the automation testing.

Under two of the trays I have coconut coir mats and two of the trays I decided to place in the bed without the mats underneath.  I’m hoping the coconut coir mats will act as a filter so preventing the majority of particulate mater from draining out through the water pump when the flood cycle is completed.  Perhaps I should have washed the mats prior to placing them into the grow bed as these mats, when dry, seem to shed some debris.  I’m also concerned with taking the water level too high on the flood cycle thinking a higher water level might induce more debris to fall from the small holes in the bottom of the trays.

The organic gardening soil might retain moisture better than standard hydroponic grow mediums, so I will certainly need to be observing this system closely an make adjustments.  The goal of this system is to keep the microgreen growing process going even if I am unable, or unwilling, to tend to them for a few days (like being able to not go into the office on the weekends).  Wish me luck!

James 1:2-3
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

So far so good on the installation of a 4′ x 4′ ebb and flow growbed at the office!  Next project will be to get the LED light panel installed over it and then get some microgreens growing!

What you see below is the the business are of this ebb and flow growbed.  One of the fixtures is for the water to pump into the growbed from the water reservoir below.  The other fixture is the overflow which will prevent catastrophic flooding should the water pump stay running in a malfunction.  We’ll get the timing dialed in when we are actually growing microgreens in here, but the pump runs for 3-5 minutes 2x per day, and that should keep these little delicious plants hydrated during its growing cycle.

At full capacity, we should be able to harvest up to 8 trays per week from this system!  For the first part of the growing cycle, the seeded trays sit covered in the dark.  On the following Monday, I plan to transfer the trays that were in the dark into this automated growbed.  The hope is by Friday we will be able to harvest and distribute over the weekend.  The best laid plans of mice and men … we shall see how this vision culminates.

Wheat grass is grown.  About an eighth of the tray is harvested.  The manual cast iron juicer is assembled and clamped down on the counter.  And the first two ounces of wheat grass juice have been extracted.

I must admit, it was a more pleasant experience that I had imagined.  The wheat grass juice did taste grassy, as expected, but it wasn’t quite as pungent as I thought it would be.  There was a mild citrus flavor in the background as well.  The tip I saw about licking some cinnamon off the back of my hand to take the grassy after-taste away was spot on!  It worked like a charm.

The twins, although super excited to try it, must have had higher hopes for this green concoction and were subsequently disappointed with the grassy flavor.  I think dad will be the sole beneficiary of this new source of highly dense nutrients.  Go GREEN !!

Just a couple more days until I can try out our new cast iron manual wheat grass juicer and find out if I can stomach its grassy flavor.  I hope so.  This is so packed with nutrients, it’s insane.  I’m reading that my good friend, cinnamon, can remove the after taste and make wheat grass juicing a more pleasant experience.  We shall see!

Move over lettuce and make room for the better sandwich green, radish microgreens!  One of my favorite things about sharing our microgreens with friends is seeing how they end up consuming them.  How does this lunch look to you?

Lightly toasted multigrain bread with a little mustard, several slices of deli turkey with a slice of baby swiss, this delightful open face sandwich gets a burst of color from the daikon radish microgreens on top.  I’m a big fan of radish microgreens on sandwiches because their quintessential radish spiciness really comes thru in a pleasing after taste.  Complimented with a few wavy potato chips and some stuffed green olives, and you’ve got a winner for your dinner!

Would you delight in having this as your mid-day meal?  Comment below.