By Greg Illes
For some time now, we have become increasingly health conscious, especially with respect to our foods. Gluten-free, grass-fed, no-preservatives and so forth have all become part of our daily lexicon as we deal with trying to eat what’s best for us.
On the road, things get especially challenging. In the out-of-the-way places we travel to, even fresh produce tends to be a bit wilted. It’s not uncommon to find boxes of greens on the shelves past their “consume by” dates.
We understand that shipping times and local turnover rates are at fault — but it doesn’t make us feel any better about those slimy green leaves on the bottom of the container.
Fortunately, we’ve discovered one way to have really fresh produce (at least one kind, anyway) anywhere we travel. We grow sprouts. We actually grow lots of sprouts. Both of us like the flavor, and they go well with salads, solo with some dressing, or even in soups. And they’re amazing nutritionally — packed with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.
We bought a couple of containers made especially for the purpose by Sproutamo (at Amazon). There are many choices (Amazon). The special containers keep the seeds properly damp and illuminated, and all we have to do is rinse them periodically (only small amounts of water needed) and put them in some daylight. In our class A, that turns out to be on the dinette or on the dash.
We have two containers, which allows us to rotate the crops. Each container produces enough sprouts for a couple of days, and it takes about four days to raise one crop. By staggering the start times, we never run out of sprouts.
These days, when we find a campsite, one of the first things we do along with leveling, slider out, etc., is set the sprout jars out in the sun. We’re rewarded with fresh, tasty, vegetable nutrition whenever we want it.
photo: Greg Illes
Greg Illes is a retired systems engineer who loves thinking up RV upgrades and modifications. When he’s not working on his motorhome, he’s traveling in it. You can follow his blog at www.divver-city.com/blog.
