7 Steps to Never-Ending Greens with No Special Equipment

Even if you don’t have a garden space, you can grow a wide variety of lush, edible greens in your own Secret Salad Garden, indoors. You DON’T need to invest in special shelves, trays, racks, fertilizer, or lighting.

You can use simple, everyday items you probably already have around the house to grow a never-ending supply of greens.

Approach your indoor garden as a system rather than a one-time experiment and once you have implemented it, minimal daily maintenance – around 5 minutes – will keep your salad bowl full.

You will also have greens for tacos, sandwiches, stir fries, and to add any every meal you desire.

Watch the video ~ I walk you through the system, step by easy step! It is so simple and organized anyone can do it.

Click the pink button below to print the Supply List and 7-Step Guide.

Indoor Salad Garden Supply List

Before you begin: gather these supplies

• 4 small jars (baby food size or half-pint)
• Measuring spoons
• Small strainer
• 20-30 shallow soup bowls, depending on size of family and desired harvest
• Quality, organic potting soil (I use Happy Frog)
• Something to scoop soil, such as a sturdy 1-cup measuring cup
• 2-4 gallon-size containers or Ziploc bags
• Spoon, a regular spoon from your silverware set
• Old seed catalog, newspapers, paper towels, or napkins
• Wide, shallow bowl or 9×9 inch (23 cm) glass baking pan
• Water can with a narrow spout
• Small dot stickers, optional, + a pen
• Seeds (pea, sunflower, buckwheat, and radish; see list below)
• Jars of appropriates size to hold seeds
• Scissors
• Salad spinner, optional
• Window with a ledge wide enough to safely hold the bowls
• Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening by Peter Burke, optional and highly recommended

Seed suppliers

• Azure Standard (my affiliate link; qualifying purchases help me earn credit toward a future order)
• Johnny’s Selected Seeds
• Sprout People
• High Mowing Seeds
• Starwest Botanicals

Transfer your seeds to jars with lids for ease of use. 

Fill the gallon-size containers or Ziploc bags with potting soil. Add 3 cups of water, then cover with lids or zip to seal. Turn the containers a few times over the next few hours to evenly moisten the soil. 

Now that you have gathered your supplies, give them a home. I use a drawer and cupboard in my antique hutch in the living room. You can use a cupboard in your utility room, a shelf in the family room, or a plastic storage bin. 

Clear out a shelf or two in a cupboard to place your bowls once they are planted. More on that in Step 4.

Indoor Salad Garden: 7 Step Guide

Step 1 Soak seeds

We start with the easiest seeds to grow that will produce a reliable crop of greens in your indoor salad garden. Measure a tablespoon of one kind of seeds and place them in a small jar. Add water to fill, stir, and soak 6-24 hours at room temperature.

• peas
• sunflowers
• buckwheat
• radish

Step 2 Prepare paper caps

Tear off 2 pages of an old seed catalog (one with soft newsprint-type of paper, not a glossy one). Fold the paper into a shape that will fit the bowl and come up the sides to cover the surface of the soil and the seeds. Paper acts as the top layer of soil. Prepare four caps, one for each planting bowl. Place folded caps in a dish of water to soak.

Step 3 Sow seeds, place in the dark

Scoop pre-moistened potting soil into a soup bowl and gently pat it down, smoothing the surface to create an even surface for planting. Soil should be about 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep. Repeat for remaining three bowls.

Rinse seeds, one kind at a time, in small strainer. Invert the strainer over the prepared planting bowl, and tap to dislodge seeds. Use fingers or the back of a small spoon to spread the seeds out evenly. It’s okay if they are crowded, but they shouldn’t be stacked on top of each other. Do not cover the seeds with soil. Do not add water.

Lift a paper cap from the water dish, let it drip back into the dish, then place it on the planted bowl right on top of the seeds. Press it in gently to allow the edges of the paper to come up the sides of then bowl. Repeat for remaining three bowls.

Optional: write today’s date on a dot sticker and place it on the pea bowl for reference.

Place all four planted bowls in a dark cupboard for 3-5 days.

Step 4 Move bowls to a window

When the seeds have sprouted and grown shoots 1-2 inches (2.5 – 5 cm) tall, move the bowls to a window. It does not need to be south-facing. Any window with a ledge wide enough to hold the bowls and light coming in will do. All four bowls may be ready the same day, or they may not. Check your cupboard daily and move them as they are ready.

Step 5 Water daily

Fill a watering can with a narrow spout with water and water the planting bowls daily. Average size soup bowls will need about 2-4 tablespoons of water each day.

Step 6 Harvest and eat

Brush your hand over the buckwheat and sunflower shoots to dislodge hulls. Pick off any that remain.

When shoots are 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) tall, they are ready to pick. Harvest before the shoots grow a second set of leaves – except for the peas, which will have multiple leaves and possibly curly tendrils.

Gather the greens in a bundle with your non-dominant hand and use clean scissors to snip the shoots off close to the soil. Place cut greens in salad spinner basket, if you have one, and wash with clean, cool water. Spin dry (or towel dry) and they are ready to eat!

Peas give 2-3 harvests, successively smaller each time, before the plants give out. The others are single harvest plants. Feed the root wad to chickens, ducks, rabbits, sheep, or the compost pile.

Step 7 Repeat

The beauty of this system is that it is duplicatable. You can keep soaking, sowing, growing, and harvesting greens as long as you want, as much as you want.

If you want larger harvests, plant more bowls. If you want a more continuous daily harvest, plant fewer bowls but more often.

For example, when our children were living at home, I planted 5-8 bowls every other day. Now with just two of us, I plant 6 bowls 2-3 times a week.

You can supply your household with its entire quota of fresh greens year-round or use this system to fill in when your outdoor garden is not producing. 

6 Helpful tips

• Watch my video tutorial where I walk you through the process multiple times if needed. Use the time stamps in the video description and in the pinned comment below the video to help you locate the information you need.
• Print the Supply List and 7-Step Guide using the pink button above.
• Gather all the supplies before you start.
• Get a copy of the book Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening by Peter Burke.
• Keep planting and keep harvesting!
• See examples of incorporating greens into meals here, here, here, and here.

Happy gardening! May your harvest be bountiful!
Michele Pryse

Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Volume 2

Week 29: July 23, 2022

We are marveling over the blueness of our un-smoky skies! Sam and I remind each other almost daily how nice it is to not have smoke from wildfires polluting our air! How nice it is to breathe clean mountain air in the summer! To see stars at night and the moon a pearl instead of a pumpkin.

Sam’s projects

Sam traded in his plans to go fishing for a day spent replacing the radiator in his new-to-us (bought in December) truck. Very grateful he caught it before it overheated and blew a head gasket or ruined the motor. Later he was spotted (through a screen) surreptitiously washing my car.

Garden and food

The garden inspires our meals this time of year and I am conscious of a sharp thrill of sufficiency when I go with my basket to pick whatever is ripe. Zucchini daily, raspberries sometimes!

Harvests this week included zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, eggs, Meyer lemons, Zloty Lan chamomile, Persian basil, and garlic.

One special meal we ravenously enjoyed was a veggie-forward version of Spätzle (also spelled spaetzle), and Cream and Lettuce Salad. I find myself especially grateful for my heritage of thrift, received from my German-from-Russia (Ukraine) mom and Norwegian dad. Though they were not first generation immigrants, they held onto old ways of making do, nowadays known as sustainability. As an added bonus, I can make 49 different meals from flour, potatoes, cabbage, onions, and milk.

Hotter weather has arrived and we prayerfully hope no intentional fires will be set. The gardens are at least partially mulched, chicks and bunnies are shaded and equipped with cooling devices, the sheep’s water tank is on a drip.

Zucchini Moons are our quintessential start-of-zucchini-season dish. Egg battered and fried in butter, Zucchini Moons are delicately delicious and satisfying.

The sight of scale insects on my cherished Meyer lemon tree galvanized me into action. With persistence and know-how it is possible to squelch these parasitic insects. I have already wiped each branch and leaf down with a cotton round soaked in witch hazel (rubbing alcohol works, too). Next: spray thoroughly with my homemade All-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaning Spray, wait an hour, then rinse with a hose. Tree must be positioned in the shade. Direct sunlight can damage vulnerable leaves.

Family goings on

We were blessed with a visit from Cameo this week. In 3 days we squeezed in a visit with grandparents, dinner out, a girls’ movie night, lake day with paddle boards, and grasshopper pie. So much fun spending time with adult kids.

New video

Let’s solve those fruit leather problems so that your fruit leather turns out gorgeously leathery and delicious every time.

A favorite kitchen tip

Applying “meal prepping” principles and strategy to bread means mixing up an extra large batch of bread dough by hand or using my Ankarsrum Assistent mixer and freezing it in loaf-size disks. As needed, thaw one piece of dough and bake a loaf of bread.

In the summer I do my best to avoid using the oven, but we need bread in the house, so if I am going to bake I try to make my oven multi-task. Here I am baking a small pumpkin saved over from the 2021 harvest in a pie dish along with a loaf of whole wheat bread.

Thrifty swaps

Four pints of homemade Maple Vanilla Syrup added to the pantry. It’s not “real” maple syrup, but is made of simple ingredients and saves us quite a bit of money with recent price increases.

In need of a new curling wand, I checked the stores and was shocked with the price! This particular wand is regularly priced $55. I paid $8.50 at Goodwill and it still felt like too much, for a used item. 

Long before the Pioneer Woman, there was Jane Watson Hopping, the Pioneer Lady. My all-time FAVORITE cookbook author, Jane retired to southern Oregon and I had the pleasure of meeting her in high school! The subtitle reads “A Celebration of Summer’s Bounty” and that is exactly what it is! Recipes use fresh produce from your garden or local farmstand; lots of simple meals perfect for hot weather, delicious fruit-centered desserts, and scrumptious baked goods. As with Jane’s other books, you will find quaint poetry and stories that will bring a smile to your lips.

Her books are out of print, but I would like to invite you to search for it at my favorite online seller of used books. I am sharing my ShareBookLove link with you. (If you make a qualifying purchase, we can each earn a free book!)

Wishing you a wonderful week, but also knowing some of you dear ones are struggling with anxiety and fear, serious health diagnoses, family problems, and financial difficulty. Please know you can message me anytime for prayer.

Blessings,

Michele

Week 13: April 2, 2022

Ducks and Dandelions

We were anticipating the hatching of a nest of Silver Muscovy ducklings this week. When I say “we,” I mean me. Sam is not as keen on ducks as I am. That’s okay, he has other admirable qualities and he doesn’t mind helping me take care of them.

We had an unexpected visitor to the henhouse, unfortunately, and the eggs have vanished. We suspect an opossum, because we regularly see opossums. It could also have been a fox or raccoon, but it is not likely as we didn’t lose any birds this week.

It is dandelion season, have you noticed? Known scientifically as Taraxacum officinale, the sunny yellow flowers are popping up everywhere. It is a little known secret that dandelions, both leaf and flower, are delicious and useful. Pop them in salads where their sweet/salty/bitter flavor will shine as brightly as their color, offering benefits to the digestive system and liver. Read further to see how I used these sunny yellow flowers in the kitchen! (Link to colander here. And visit my Shopping Guide, too!)

Sam’s major project this weekend was to service the small equipment. The chainsaw, splitting maul, wheelbarrow, lawnmower, weedeater, have been cleaned and oiled; where necessary spark plugs were sanded, blade sharpened, emptied of old fuel and refilled in preparation for service.

Is there anything prettier than sun shining through daffodils?

Indian runner ducks ponder running away. In the morning they make a beeline for the ditch across the way.

Have you ever watched a carpenter bee? They drill tunnels (holes) in my greenhouse, it’s true. They also do the work of pollination. Here in my vintage A-frame greenhouse, this fellow is pollinating blossoms on a Meyer lemon tree. See the teeny, tiny green lemon just above left of the bee?

Basil seedlings in the greenhouse, 5 kinds, for tea, pesto, cooking, and pure pleasure! By planting them a generous distance apart to prevent cross-pollination, I am able to save pure seeds for replanting each year. Except for Pesto Party basil, which is a proprietary variety, a hybrid, developed by Burpee.

Processing wild milkweed seed, Asclepius fascicularis, means rubbing the (brown) seed free of the fluffy floss so that it won’t float away. The seedpods were gathered from plants growing next to a city sidewalk. (This colander gets used a lot.)

We had a special guest join us for tea at Mom’s this week, Joy Longiotti, my mom’s best friend of many years. What fun it was to remember when they were young mothers and I was a “youngster.” Joy bakes wonderful homemade biscotti, which we enjoyed with our tea luncheon.

Joy is the most creative person I know, with talents ranging from sewing and quilting, ceramics, painting, knitting, decorating, baking, and cake decorating, which she did professionally in her own business, Joy’s Creative Kitchen. In fact, she and Mom used to “do” cakes together! Mom baked cakes in round Wilton pans and base iced them, then passed them over to Joy, who did the decorating.

Joy is famous for her wedding cakes. Now retired from baking cakes, she is enjoying renewed interest in quilt making and brought several for Mom and me to ooh and ahh over, and I took pictures to share with you!

Grange Co-Op buddies: Mick McBride (center) and I used to work together at the Central Point store, Michael Villarreal (right) came on later. I stop in whenever I can to see what interesting plants are available.

We are nearing the end of last year’s feta cheese supply that has been stored in brine in the cool storeroom. Homemade feta adds a salty pop of flavor to this scrumptious Dandelion Salad with spring greens served alongside Mexican Meatballs with Creamy Salsa.

Spiralized zucchini and potato noodles step in for pasta frequently on our dinner table. (Link to a good countertop siralizer here.) We love the noodly deliciousness of zucchini mixed with potato. They’re light and filling, both! A generous amount of Freezer Basil Pesto was stirred into the veggie noodles which made a bed for poached wild Atlantic salmon received as a Christmas gift. (Now THAT’S a great gift!)

I hope you enjoyed this leisurely stroll through my week and feel a new zest to enjoy your own. The blessings are there, if we look for them.

Blessings,

Michele

Coconut Battered Fish with C.A.T. Salad is an easy and scrumptious way to enjoy the flavors of summer.

Of course, you can make the fish with a salad of your choosing, but these two complement each other well and I love easy combos. Just add some fresh fruit for dessert!

You will need firm, white fish fillets, like cod or rockfish, with a mild flavor. If you can’t find either at a fish counter, or your store doesn’t offer a fish counter, check the frozen food aisle.

My local grocery store carries a 5 pound box of Icelandic cod fillets for around $30. They’re flash frozen and individually wrapped and the flavor is superb: mild and sweet without fishy overtones.

Make the salad first to give time for the flavors to marry while you prepare the fish.

The fish is dipped in 3 bowls containing: coconut flour, beaten eggs, and coconut flakes. Your fingers will get sticky, but it works best to dip the fish in one ingredient at a time instead of combining them. (I tried.) And it’s so worth it.

My Coconut Battered Fish recipe employs a technique called shallow frying. A heavy-bottom skillet is heated with a small amount of oil, 1/4 cup coconut oil in this case. It’s just enough fat to make a nice pool in the skillet.

A cast iron skillet is perfect, but if you are cooking for the crew, an electric skillet works well.

The fish fries to a luxurious, golden brown, crisping the coconut and revealing a nutty sweetness reminiscent of another favorite of mine, coconut battered shrimp, from the best seafood restaurant at the Oregon coast.

Take care not to overcook the fish. 135F (57C) is just right.

A digital food thermometer that registers temperatures quickly is helpful. My favorite moderately priced food thermometer is Thermopop https://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop . It comes in 9 colors and boasts a large, easy read display. Be sure to buy directly from https://www.thermoworks.com/ . There are many imposters available elsewhere, they are cheap and worthless.

If you are willing to make an investment, consider the Thermapen https://www.thermoworks.com/thermapen-one?quantity=1&color=16, available in 10 colors it reads temperature in one second. (I don’t have one, it’s been on my wish list for years, but the Thermopop does the job well enough for me.)

When my friend Jenna made Coconut Battered Fish, she said her kids, “gobbled it up!” I hope you love it as much as Finn and Leif do!

Coconut Battered Fish with C.A.T. Salad (corn, avocado, and tomato)

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• Author: Michele Pryse, FNTP
• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 12
• Total Time: 42 minutes
• Yield: 2-3
• Category: seafood
• Method: shallow fry
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the salad:

2 ears of corn

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, washed

1 medium, ripe avocado

1 lime

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

8 stems cilantro, optional

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the fish:

1/2 pound firm white fish, such as cod or rock fish

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup coconut flakes or chips (unsweetened; I like a mix of small flakes + larger chips)

1/4 cup coconut oil

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Instructions

1. Make the salad first, so it has time for the flavors to marry. Shuck the corn and cut the kernels off the corn cobs. An easy and less messy way to do this is to place the corn cob stalk end down in the center of a Bundt cake pan. Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice from top to bottom of the cob, allowing the kernels to fall into the pan. Place the corn in a small (4 cup/ 1 liter) salad bowl.

 

2. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and add to the bowl. Dice the avocado and add. Soften the lime by using the palm of your hand to press down firmly while rolling the fruit on the counter. Slice the lime in half along its equator and squeeze the juice into the salad. Drizzle the olive oil and season with salt and pepper, adding chopped cilantro if desired. Stir gently and thoroughly to coat everything with flavor. Set aside at room temp or in the fridge while you make the fish.

  

3.  Place a heavy-bottom skillet (cast iron is great) on medium heat and give it time to preheat while you assemble the ingredients for the fish. 

 

4.  If the fish is moist, pat it dry with a clean dish towel, sprinkle with salt, and have ready on a plate near the stove.

 

5.  Place coconut flour, beaten eggs, and coconut flakes in separate shallow bowls for dipping and dredging near the stove.

 

6.  Once the pan is hot, add the coconut oil to melt and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.

 

7.  Pick up a piece of fish with your fingers and dredge it in the coconut flour first, being sure to coat it well. Next, dip it in the beaten eggs, again coating it entirely. Roll it gently in coconut flakes until all surfaces are covered. Place the fish in the skillet and repeat with remaining pieces of fish, allowing space between each piece. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Cook until fish is deeply golden brown on bottom, flip over, and finish cooking until fish is opaque and tests 135°F (58°C) on a food thermometer. Do not overcook.

 

8.  Remove the coconut fish to a wire rack immediately when it is done. Serve 1-2 pieces of fish, depending on size, per person and a generous serving of salad and enjoy immediately.

Notes

Leftovers: Coconut Fish is best the first day. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container. Eat cold or gently reheated in a warm skillet the next day. C.A.T. Salad last several days refrigerated.

 

Note: an electric skillet is handy for making multiple batches of Coconut Fish for a crowd. Set the temp for 325°F (165°C) initially and adjust as needed to allow the fish to cook through the center without over-browning.