Growing Sprouts for the New Year

This post has been updated as of Jan 13,2014 

Happy New Year everyone! What better way to start the new year than with fresh, green, new life in your home? It's a common tradition in the Middle East, Iran and other parts of the world as well, to grow sprouts from fenugreek seeds or black lentils. It's a very fun and simple project, brings new life and color in the home and you can eat it later too! Let's get started!

The supplies: 

shallow bowl such as an ashtray or condiments bowl/plate

small hand full of fenugreek seeds (or black lentils)

a few cotton balls

water to water your seeds

 First, take your cotton balls and stretch them out nice and thin. 

 Then, spread them out as flat and evenly as possible in your bowl.

 After we placed the cotton we sprinkled seeds on top.

Then we evenly poured water all over the cotton and seeds. I suggest however, that you pour water FIRST over the cotton to flatten it out and then sprinkle the seeds over. The second method flattens the cotton better which makes it easier to sprinkle the seeds evenly across the surface. You can see in the pic below that my seeds were in piles because the cotton wasn't flat enough.

 We planted these exactly 7 days ago and they've sprouted a lot since then. They will continue to sprout and grow even taller. I will update this post once they've reached their maximum growth.

Aren't they lovely? I love plants and planting just as much. The best part is that it's entertaining for kids, and quick for their short attention spans. Do any of you plant seeds or lentils for special occasions? Would love to hear about it so please leave a comment below! I wish you all health, love, prosperity and a better understanding of life in this new year. Thanks for stopping by! 

-Debora 

P.S. Updated Photos Below...

These pictures were taken about 7 days after the original photos above and they are even taller now--more than two weeks since they were originally planted. 

Hope you enjoyed the updates. 

-Debora