Cheri Eaton of Poulsbo Sprouts

Down in Washington State, nestled between the foothills of the Olympic Mountains and the earthshaking metropolitan city of Seattle, there is the small Nordic town of Poulsbo. It's tucked away from the shipping lanes of Puget Sound on Liberty Bay. At the turn of the Twentieth Century, a large number of Norwegian and Finnish families came to this region to continue the tradition of fishing and farming. Although time has brought development, there are still areas of extreme natural beauty where people care about their environment and how they will leave it for future generations.

In Poulsbo, there is a new organic farmer who believes that soil is being wasted on certain short-term crops. Her name is Cheri Eaton, the owner of Poulsbo Sprouts. "I feel that organic soil is better used for long-term crops, 30 days or more". She grows only certified organic sprouts using: water, an organic fibre mat(for certain varieties), and an OMRI listed fertilizer. Cheri's Sprouts are ready to eat in less than 2 weeks, usually 3-5 days, depending on the variety of seed. Certified organic seed is essential, "I use Sproutpeople of Wisconsin and Mumm's of Saskatchewan" states Cheri. Since day one, I've been adding Sea Spray Kelp Fertilizer to the sprouts, and as a result there are no contamination issues, the sprouts are stronger, tastier and will last twice as long as conventional sprouts in your refrigerator.

I initially used an extra layer of the Baby blanket as a moisture pad for the sprouts, and as an alternative to the plastic or foam pads used conventionally. After growing a couple of the more delicate sprout varieties on an entire tray lined with the Baby Blanket, I realized I was producing such a strong sprout that the foam pad (nor the extra layer of the Baby blanket) was required. Both the Arugula and Mustard sprouts are doing extremely well. During the harvesting, I gently pull the sprouts from the Baby Blanket keeping an eye out for an occasional loose fiber, which is easily removed. Again, these sprouts are much stronger, more vibrant and tastier than conventional sprouts.

The next step was to try wheatgrass. Appropriate composting of sprouts, grown in soil, can be an issue for commercial growers.Wheatgrass is easy to compost at the farm, soil grown or not. But to send it out commercially, soil grown creates a composting problem for the retailer. The cutting and storage of the Baby blanket makes it very easy to pursue this new soiless method. I soak the cut Baby Blanket in a solution of Sea Spray Kelp Fertilizer. I believe this is the most direct approach to providing the seeds' mineral requirements. As you can see in the pictures, the Baby Blanket provides a strong base for the 6 day old wheatgrass which will be ready to harvest within days.

Our clients are very happy with the results! Composting at a retail juice bar is difficult at best. Having less to compost after the wheatgrass is used, cuts down on unnecessary waste. The Baby Blanket holds moisture longer and when used in combination with the Sea Spray Kelp Fertilizer, the problem of mold, associated with soil-grown wheatgrass, becomes virtually non-existent. I see the Baby Blanket providing wheatgrass growers with a solution. There will be some discussion on the virtues of soil-grown wheatgrass, and I would probably agree with all of them. There are still studies being made.

I believe we will find that the minerals wheatgrass absorbs from the Sea Spray Kelp, will be equal if not greater than the minerals absorbed from the soil. As a commercial grower I believe it is my responsibility to search for ways to conserve water, and preserve the soil. The Baby Blanket has allowed me to grow wheatgrass successfully, without introducing soil into the greenhouse environment. The FDA regulates that sprouts cannot be grown next to a soil product because of the potential contamination of the sprouts. In the recent visits to my facility by the FDA, I have developed a good working relationship with them and they are pleased with these initial results.

If you want to learn more about sprouts and wheatgrass, check on the web for www.sproutpeople.com or www.sprouting.com or email PoulsboSprouts@lycos.com