planting wheat berries

last year, i had a spring party to plant wheat grass. this year, i could not find wheat grass seeds anywhere in new england. so, i chose to plant wheat berries {almost the same thing – i also used them for this recipe} instead. the only difference: you must soak wheat berries to help them start to sprout. this is not necessary with wheat grass seeds. fyi: you should be able to find wheat berries and/or wheat grass seeds for about $1/pound at most whole food/natural grocery stores.

our kiddos look forward to this little planting tradition every year + i like using the wheat grass for decor on easter sunday.

rinse wheat berries thoroughly before placing them in a bowl and covering them with twice as much water as there are wheat berries. place a towel or cheesecloth over the bowl and let sit for at least eight hours.
rinse the wheat berries and allow them to remain damp (but not wet) for an additional 12 hours. during this time period, rinse them at least once. after this time period, the wheat berries should have begun to sprout.

fill your pots with good planting soil – almost to the top.
spread the sprouted wheat berries across the surface of the soil. the wheat berries should cover the entire area and should be very close to one another in a single layer.

cover the wheat berries with about 1/2″ of soil, this is mostly to keep them out of direct sunlight while they continue sprouting. mist the wheat berries with water. {i used a water bottle, it worked great for indoor watering. and, made it easy for the kiddos to help water each day.}
continue growing for an additional four to five days, watering daily. at this point, the wheatgrass should be 3-6 inches tall! it can be harvested for juices, or trimmed for decor – either way, enjoy!

in one of KJ’s eggshells, he had the idea to plant a single wheat grass sprout. then when it grew a few inches, he added a little face to his baby egg with a single strand of hair!

this year, i made a lace-garland by simply pulling out some left-over lace i had + kabob sticks! how easy is that? no cutting little triangles, no sewing! plus, i used toothpicks for mini flags – with extra pieces of ribbon/lace.

i found lace tape at target {i can’t find it online, so if you go to the store look in the scrapbook/sticker section} and wrapped it around kabob sticks — presto! instant lace flags! isn’t that what we all want? something fast to create & darling – there you have it! ::smiles::

…now i’m thinking of all the other fun things to create with lace tape. cheers to pretty spring tables!

***

has the spring planting bug hit you? i would love to spend every day out in a garden. last year i planted all kinds of spring annuals in our patio pots. this year, i might find a few pots just for tomatoes here on our front porch in boston. i just love homegrown tomatoes for fresh bruschetta. my only concern: the ample wildlife might eat the plants!

{photos by me.}

Posted in easter, KJ, myla, sela, springtime, wheat berries, wheat grass | 4 Comments »

3.30.12

spring holidays…

easter is one of those holidays that comes so quick each year, and as it goes i feel blessed, happy – and – exhausted! do you agree? it’s a day filled with traditions that i adore: dying easter eggs + new sunday clothing for the kiddos + church services + the easter bunny visits + a delicious traditional meal is to be prepared/served + depending on where you live & who you might live by – you may even have more events/activities with friends/family/church/community/work/etc.

SO. last year i had to take control & spread out the activities a bit. we usually dye eggs & plant wheat grass the weekend before so we can have them on display in our home that week. {this helps.} to make life easier, my first idea was to start the celebrations on easter eve. also, i was trying to change things up a bit to keep the older kids interested. and not just interested, but really thrilled! the easter bunny hopped on by leaving baskets + flashlights on our back porch. you can see more pictures from last year here. last year was a blast! our kiddos went crazy & we were outside in the dark for over an hour looking for eggs! i smile, just thinking about it…

you will notice a color theme to our egg hunts. if you are a family with more than one child {especially kids over 3 years old}, i recommend this! it calmly creates fairness in how many eggs/surprises everyone finds. you don’t have one ambitious egg hunter with a basket holding 100 eggs & your toddler in tears with five eggs because the older kids all found the eggs first. also, the older kids don’t mind not getting so many because they are having so much fun just trying to find their twenty. the bunny can strategically hide certain colors with more difficulty to find and keep some colors all out in the open. our kids always have twenty eggs to find each + a few extra surprises. their flashlights {from Target} also match their designated colors.

for the egg hunt – our son KJ is blue, sela is pink, myla is yellow, and kiana is green. when shopping for easter, you will discover that these four colors are typically the four colors that everything comes in. if the easter bunny leaves stuffed bunnies with colored ears, bubbles, prepackaged M&M eggs, or pencils with ribbons holding them together, whatever it is – the sets/ribbons/wrapping will almost always come in these four choices of colors. it’s ideal. {if you need more than four colors, there is purple + orange too, but after that it gets tricky.}

this year, while i’ve been scheming to plan something new – i decided to add glow in the dark eggs! i tested them out last night & they work great! i used our large plastic eggs + glow in the dark bracelets in each of the egg colors. you can find these bracelets online, at almost any party store, plus Target/Wal*mart/etc. locally, i purchased ours at iparty on route 9 in natick. the bracelets easily fold up & fit inside each egg with plenty of room left for a treat!

here are three pictures i took with less & less lighting till the room was pitch dark. they work so well!

the kids will still have their flashlights to find the eggs at nighttime, but some of the eggs are going to be glowing. a glowing easter ambiance! we have a beautiful trail right outside our home & i’m thinking this year, the bunny will hop on by & leave these glowing eggs along the trail. the image i have in my head is so cute, i CAN NOT WAIT! really people, i get so excited about these kinds of things.

one last detail. i think we all ooooh’d and ahhhhh’d over the glitter eggs last year. the little “egg fight” looks so fun. i just don’t have the time to make them. i found these and these at iparty! once our big papi returns home from work, i just might start an egg fight!

you can find more ideas on my spring/easter pinterest board. my favorites: these paper bag eggs + how cute are these bunny tees + pails! i’m dying over those. i’m planting these tomorrow with the kids {remember my wheat grass/spring party from last year? it’s time to plant again!} & don’t forget to carve a watermelon!

please share your ideas for spring traditions!

{all photos by me.}

Posted in easter, holidays, springtime | 6 Comments »

4.12.11

wheat grass + spring party

do you plant wheat grass? if you get it planted any day this week, it should be the perfect length by april 24th. instructions to plant wheat grass are simple…

use good soil.

fill your planter/pot/jar almost to the top with soil. i like to go about 1″ from the top. or, use a thin layer of soil. this is your choice – you do not have to have a lot of soil to grow the grass. i have had success using pots with drainage and without. if you are concerned about drainage and your pot does not have holes in the bottom, line the bottom with pebbles.

lay a generous layer of wheat grass seeds.

cover with 1/8 to 1/4 inch soil. very little.

water daily.

the seeds should sprout within 3 days, and your grass will be growing fairly quickly after that… if you want to juice it, it should be ready within 15 days. i recommend purchasing your wheat grass seeds in bulk from a health food store or market, it will be MUCH LESS than buying it as seed packets from a nursery, etc. i found seeds locally for about $1.50/pound at sunflower market. my wood box planters are from ikea here. i also used these, so we are going to have wheat grass everywhere!

you can see more photos here.

{all photos by me and/or bex.}

Posted in jane, kiana, KJ, parties, plants, sela, springtime, wheat grass | 8 Comments »

4.12.11

potting.

this is my new term for gardening. i technically don’t have a garden at this house. i’m not square foot gardening anymore. now a days, i pot. i grow flowers & tomatoes in pots on my back patio… why only flowers & tomatoes? because i have a serious obsession with fresh flowers. and, tomatoes because we love bruschetta around here. i make it all spring & summer with home-grown tomatoes + muenster cheese… seriously-to-die-for-delicious!

so, this past weekend… amongst a little rain, snow, and just enough sunshine to be outside…

i spent one afternoon potting.

my helper. she is still refusing to look at the camera for pictures – which is ok, it’s more artistic, right?!?

my dad & grandpa were both gardeners & they greatly influenced my passion. my heart is so content after spending an afternoon digging in dirt. it fulfills me, in the most soul-satisfying way.