The Fourth Sister
As an indigenous foods activist, many of my teachings revolve around the Three Sisters: corn, beansand squash. Included in many of our oral stories, these three vegetables have been cultivated together for generations for their ability to get along so well as plant relatives. The cornstalk acts as a trellis for the beans, which makes nitrogen more available for the soil by cultivating beneficial bacteria. Meanwhile, the squash’s wide leaves carpet the earth, preventing weed growth and loss of soil moisture. Not only do these three sisters grow well together, but they are also nutritionally complete, offering a mix of fiber, protein, and natural sugars.
However, there is one other sister that is oftentimes left out, and I feel she is just as valuable: the sunflower. All the many varieties of sunflowers are indigenous to North America and have been cultivated for food and medicine in many tribes. Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers, especially Helianthus annuus, the ones with the big, round faces. The seeds are delicious and nutritious when eaten raw or roasted, but it’s the microgreens that hold all the chlorophyll, which harnesses the sun’s ultraviolet light. It is believed that chlorophyll is the life force of a plant, which may help increase the flow of oxygen throughout your body. Chlorophyll in sunflower microgreens and other greens helps in neutralizing the pollution we breathe in every day.
Growing your own sunflower microgreens in your home is relatively easy as you can purchase sunflower seeds at most grocery stores in the bulk bins. Just be certain they are not roasted so they germinate. There are many methods to grow sunflower microgreens, but this is one of my favorites because it’s small enough to have in my tiny kitchen.
Amount varies
1 cup raw sunflower seeds, in the shell
Potting soil
2 pie pans
Spray bottle of water
Soak your sunflower seeds overnight in tap water and drain them the next day. Set aside. Fill one pie pan with about an inch of potting soil. Sow your seeds evenly across the whole tray. You do not need to cover your sunflower seeds with soil. Just be certain they are gently pressed down, so they make contact with the soil. Use the spray bottle to mist the seeds and soil so they are moist. Nest the second pie pan on top of the seed pan so it gently rests on the soil. Place your seeds in a dark space such as a closet or pantry.
Each day, lift your pie pan cover and mist the seeds to keep them moist. You don’t want them soaking wet. After 4 or 5 days, take off the top pie pan and allow the seedlings to be exposed to sunlight by placing them near a bright window for 8 or more hours per day. They will quickly turn bright green, and from this point, you can water the soil directly rather than misting. Your sunflower microgreens will be ready to harvest in about 10 days, depending on the conditions. They will be about 4 inches tall.
Harvesting Your Microgreens
The easiest way to harvest your greens is with scissors. Simply trim the most mature greens just above the soil level, leaving the immature ones to grow another day or two. If you see some of the shells still attached to the microgreens, simply remove the shell. And if you’re lucky, you may be able to get a second round of microgreens! After you harvest your microgreens, rinse them gently and store them between a moistened towel. Keep them in the refrigerator in a glass container. They will last for up to 5 days stored this way.
From Earth Medicines: Ancestral Wisdom, Healing Recipes, and Wellness Rituals from a Curandera by Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz © 2021 by Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz. Photographs © 2021 by Nicky Hedayatzadeh. Reprinted in arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. www.shambhala.com.
