We started our grow kits on Sunday. It was such a nice afternoon activity for the family & got us excited about all the fun in the garden we will be sharing. 

For those of you who have purchased our grow kits, I thought I'd put this little post together with step by step directions and progress on our little seedlings- we are already seeing them begin to sprout! 

Grow Your Own Little Marvel(ous) Peas:

You'll Need:

• Kit components: seeds, coir pot, soil wafer, plant marker, biodegradable germination bag & t-shirt to get messy in!
  
• Additional items: container to mix soil with water, Measuring cup (to measure  2 1/2 cups water), rubber band, paper towels, Sink
  

 Directions:

DAY 1

Arrange components on your kitchen counter

Fill measuring cup with 2 1/2 cups water & add soil wafer to container. Gradually add water to container with wafer and mix. Note the mixture will be almost like soup if you add all 2 1/2 cups of water. This will allow to easily pour the mixture to your pot and the mixture to be nice and moist to properly sprout your seedlings.

Place your pot in your kitchen sink. Pour mixture into pot. (NOTE: Excess water will pass through coir pot - so you must do this in sink or outside)

Place several paper towels or old kitchen towel on counter. Take coir pot from sink and place on towel in preparation to add your seeds!

Place pea seeds on soil. Next, press in about 1" into soil. Then, cover with soil from each side of where you pressed the pea seed. 

Place plant marker in pot. Place coir pot in germination bag and then fasten with rubber band. Place in sunny spot in doors. 

Place in sunny spot in doors. Once the plant reaches 2" tall, open germination bag, fold down & keep soil moist. After approximately, 6 weeks, and soil is still cool, remove germination bag & plant outside in a planter or ground. DO NOT REMOVE FROM BIODEGRADABLE coir pot!

Pea Progress

DAY 5

 DAY 8

DAY 10: Our pea sprouts are 2" tall. It's time to roll down the germination bag and keep the soil moist.

DAY 26: Our peas are just lovely. This weekend we are planting them outside! The pea plants will do best 5-6" apart. As your plants get taller and start to climb, you may want to help wayward branches find their vertical support system. Gently coax them onto your support.

This recipe is for all the 'lil dippers out there. This is an idea we got courtesy of babble - why not throw in some peas to your homemade hummus for an added nutritional boost?!! Your children do not have to be the wiser  - or you can get them involved in the meal preparation and through the process they may come to realize - peas can please!

The options are really endless here as for add ins to your hummus- so, if you are feeling ambitious or just have some additional time - why not create a trio of hummus dips? Peas to one, roasted red peppers to another and maybe even some edamame or white beans and pine nuts to the third?! I'll add those recipe options on another post! For now here's our basic hummus recipe we use at our house with the added peas:

Ingredients:

• 1 can (19 oz) chick peas/garbonzo beans drained
• 1 clove garlic 
• 2 tbsp tahini (if you don't have tahini which is preferred - some people throw in peanut butter with some sesame oil as a substitute)
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice (we like lemon around here so scale this back or gradually add it to your preferred taste)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup peas
• pepper to taste (we use white pepper so you can't see the pepper)

Directions:

• In blender, chop garlic. Pour drained chick peas into blender, reserving a few for the garnish. Place tahini, salt, lemon juice, peas (also reserve a few for garnish), pepper and blend until creamy and the ingredients are mixed well. Add olive oil till super creamy and fully distributed.
• Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with reserved chick peas & peas.
• Serve with your favorite pita chips & crudite!
  

Like most kids, my two girls are mac n cheese fans. A great  and easy way to up the nutrition on this meal is to add some vegetables. We find when it is mixed in with the cheese and pasta, eating their veggies becomes less of a chore! You can also add broccoli, carrots or even spinach instead of the peas. The recipe below is for a basic macaroni and cheese. If you are short on time, just grab your favorite boxed variety and add fresh or frozen peas at the last 2-3 minutes that you are boiling your pasta - and then fold them in to your boxed cheese sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole grain pasta of your choice
  
• 1 cup peas  (sugar snap, little marvel, etc)
  
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1 tbsp all-purpose whole wheat flour (or white)
• 1 tsp butter
• Small dash of white pepper 
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups cheese (Cheddar, American, Gruyere - whatever your family's taste buds prefer)

Directions

• Cook pasta in boiling water per box directions. (generally about 8-10 minutes) We like to add a little extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt to our water, but this is entirely up to you! At the last 2-3 minutes of boiling your pasta add your peas. (3 minutes for frozen and 1 to 1 1/2 minutes for fresh peas). Drain well.
• While your pasta is cooking, get started on your cheese sauce! In a medium saucepan cook the finely diced onion in butter till tender but not brown. Stir in flour and a dash of pepper. Add milk all at once and stir till slightly thickened and a bit bubbly. Add cheese or blend of cheeses your family enjoys most.
• Stir in pasta and peas into cheese sauce. Cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes or till heated through.
  

• Another option is to transfer pea mac to casserole dish and bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes and bubbly. And if your children are  a fan sprinkle with breadcrumbs and for the last few minutes turn the oven to broil and watch as your mac n cheese gets nice and crunchy on top! 
• Throw in a cup of diced thickly sliced ham