BLOEM - JULY 2024

Fresh & fragrant
Snap away the winter blues with fresh, flavoursome garden peas,
bright Bumble Bee flowers and the fragrant aroma of lavender.
Text: ALICE COETZEE
Veggie of the month
Add fresh spring flavour to
your food by growing garden
peas as microgreens. They can
be grown all year round, even
in winter, in a warm, bright
spot. The crunchy shoots, small
leaves and tendrils have the
same sweetness as peas, and
they are just as nutritious. All
you need is a warm, bright
room, a damp growing
medium in a container and
Kirchhoffs bush pea ‘Greenfeast’
or sugar snap ‘Sugar Charm’.
Soak the peas in water for 12
to 24 hours. Place them on the
growing medium and cover
to keep the peas out of the
light for 3 to 5 days. Check
daily and spritz the peas to
keep them moist. Once the
peas have sprouted, remove
the cover and move them
into bright light. Keep them
moist until ready to harvest
when the seedlings are about
6cm tall. Harvest the first true
leaves or let them grow on to
form shoots and tendrils. Using
scissors, cut the seedlings
just above the ground,
rinse and use immediately
or store in the refrigerator.
Garden pea micro greens are
a delicious garnish, good in
sandwiches, salads and stir fries.
Details: www.kirchhoffs.co.za
22 Get It Bloemfontein July 2024 getitmagazine.co.za/bloemfontein