Let’s Try Hydroponic Gardening: And Then Spinkle the Micro Greens on Garlic & Avocado French Bread

And we are hydroponic gardeners! Our little hydroponic garden greens are sprouting up like “Jack and the Bean Sprout.” This is a new adventure, and it is going quite well. In just two weeks, the micro greens on the left are ready to be harvested and used. We will let the arugula and sweet basil (in the center pods) continue on. I think that the lettuce (on the right) can grow further, too. We cut the micro greens (on the left) and sprinkled them on “Garlic & Avocado French Bread.”

Hydroponic Gardening

I have wanted to try hydroponic gardening for quite awhile. So, what did I do? I gave hydroponic garden kits to my two daughter-in-law’s as Christmas presents. One family got busy and they are growing all kinds of things. Basically, they are using the hydroponic garden as a starter for seedlings which they later transplant in their patio garden. The kit for the second family just sat there for a year or so due to extenuating factors. But, during a recent visit to Houston, I got their kit going. Here’s what I did.

Kits from Amazon

Although you can certainly make a DIY hydroponic garden, I discovered that there are a multitude of kits available to purchase from vendors online and sites such as Amazon. And some of them are quite affordable. I no longer remember the brands; it is the features which are important.

Here is the garden a day or two after planting.

Here we are 2 weeks later — after harvesting the micro greens.

This is five days later.

Hydroponic Gardening

Hydroponic gardening is basically growing plants in water — rather than soil. You supply the fertilizer and nutrients and a light source. All these kits have some sort of sterile, non-soil growing medium. This kit had a growing light which was adjustable in height. You set a timer for the light to cycle on for either 8, 12 or 18 hours. The reservoir held 4 liters of water and was easy to change; we used sterile water. A fountain circulated the water at various intervals. We changed the water every two weeks. The kit included two small containers — A and B — of nutrient granules. You added water to make a concentrated solution; then added a small amount to each water change.

This shows the seed pod and the micro greens when first cut.

Some of the kits include seeds; look closely at the fine print to see if the one you are purchasing has seeds included. This kit didn’t come with seeds. It was, however, easy enough to purchase the seeds from a gardening nursery. This local store gets seeds in bulk and then makes small packets for local gardeners and patrons. A few seeds go along way; and luckily, these seeds are still good after several years. We purchased a micro green blend; arugula, sweet basil, C’est Bon salad mix and Salad Bowl lettuce variety.

Our venture into hydroponic garden was really an experiment. I picked a variety of garden greens to try to grow. Clearly the lettuce and micro greens are the winners. However, I am hopeful that the sweet basil and arugula will catch up!

Is a hydroponic garden a practical way to grow your own produce? You decide.

Micro Greens on Garlic & Avocado French Bread

Now that we have micro greens; we need a recipe to use them. Perhaps the easiest way is just to sprinkle the micro greens on a sandwich. I made “Garlic French Bread” for supper. I found some wonderful, ripe avocados at the grocery store for “Guacamole.” Let’s just top the French Bread with the guacamole and sprinkle on the greens..

Here are the ingredients:

For the “Garlic French Bread,” I spread on melted butter — be generous with the butter. Then I minced up fresh garlic and sprinkled on. Wrap in foil and heat in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Then unwrap, and let bake for 5 additional minutes so the French bread with toast.

For the “Guacamole,” I used my mother-in-law’s recipe. It is great! Mash ripe avocados, then mix with lime juice, finely chopped tomatoes, chili powder, cumin and garlic. The recipe is so easy and it is just right.

The key to great guacamole is to use ripe, flavorful avocados. So, whenever I locate ripe avocados, I make guacamole!

After the “Garlic French Bread” is ready, cut into pieces; then let each person add “Guacamole” and micro greens.

I love garlic bread — using fresh, minced garlic is a slight twist; but makes the French bread so much better. Yum!

And, if your family isn’t crazy about serving Guacamole on Garlic French Bread, serve it with crackers; add the micro greens to any sandwich! Be creative.

Is the hydroponic garden worth it? I think it is sort of a novelty rather than a practical way to get food for the family. The advantage is that you can grow herbs — such as sweet basil — in the wintertime when the outside garden is not practical. In any event, it is exciting to grow your own produce.