Fenugreek is predominantly used in Indian cuisine and can be used fresh or dried for spice (think curry powder)! Fenugreek microgreens are a bit bitter, spicy, & nutty all at once. Our Fenugreek seeds are Organic too! From our experience with this beautiful Hamama crew, you’re either a lover or hater of fenugreek microgreens lol! No matter what, it doesn’t hurt to try it once and see which camp you’re in! Let us know if you’re Team Fenugreek or not - we can’t wait to hear what you think! Oftentimes these little fenu-greens can be a little confusing to watch grow - they’re definitely very different from all the other Hamama microgreens! It may take a bit longer to sprout up and balloon the Seed Quilt than other varieties, its seeds typically don’t fall easily from the leaves, and the more golden-brown color can be surprising to first-time fenugreek growers. Your Fenugreek microgreens will be ready to peel in about 5-6 days from their initial soak and are typically ready to harvest in about 10 days! Your Fenugreek greens will be about 3-4.5 inches tall when they reach maturity. Day 1- Planting your Fragrant Fenugreek Seed Quilt For setup, just follow the regular simple Hamama instructions like you always do! Here is an electronic version of our instructions if you need a quick refresher. The initial soak is always the most important step in the process as it provides the seeds in your quilt with the water to jump-start the germination process. You want to first add water (filtered is best) to the fill line which is about 3 cups of water. Then you want to add the quilt! To ensure that it is adequately soaked, be sure to hold it down long enough for the quilt to turn a shade darker (10-30 seconds). A good trick is to flick the seed quilt! If the seeds roll around in their pods, that is a good sign it is too dry and could soak for just a touch longer. After the soak, you want to be sure that the quilt is properly propped on the tray's bottom ribs so that neither side of the quilt is dipping into the water. You also want to be sure the seed pockets are not underwater after the dunk! Here are some extra watering tips! Fenugreek seeds are larger than most other microgreen seeds, so just be extra sure to really soak this quilt sufficiently. Day 2- Still Cookin'! Day 3 - Seeing some action! You should start to see your seed quilt ballooning up at this point! This means your seeds are starting to germinate and produce small roots! Day 4 - Right on Track :D Perfectly puffed paper! Peel time for this variety is 5-6 days, so I am going to wait another day to peel. They are getting ready to bust out! Day 5 - Ballooning in Sight! You can see that the entire quilt is starting to puff up by now! This is a great sign that your Fenugreek is right on track to be peeled! We want to make sure we don’t open these before they have finished “cooking” so we are going to give it another day or two to balloon entirely before peeling the top layer off. It is super important not to peel too early! As the roots begin to grow, they need that top layer to encourage them to penetrate the bottom of the mat. Without it, the roots risk staying above the mat, which would cause them to dry out and die. Not only does it help the roots but it is also super beneficial for the greens themselves! It keeps moisture in from the initial soak, regulates temperature and humidity, and also shields the seeds from light during the germination process! Day 6 - Peel & Grand Reveal! Definitely ready to peel the paper top now to give these microgreens the necessary airflow and light they need to continue growing strong! You can see the clover seeds have germinated beautifully already! The color right after peeling tends to be more golden/yellow because the greens have not been absorbing light until this point! They will green up quickly after the peel. :D There are two ways in which your quilt can peel as demonstrated in the image below. This particular Fenugreek Seed Quilt is a great example of a “ballooned” quilt which allows you to just peel the cover off in one motion! Depending on growing conditions, some quilts will rip through the top layer rather than balloon. All you have to do in that case is remove the pieces individually. In the above example, the Cabbage (center) ripped through the paper and the Kale (right) ballooned. If you are curious to see what the ripping looks like in more detail, check out our refreshing cabbage growing diary! Don't be alarmed if you see some fuzzy/furry, white ROOT HAIRS! These are commonly mistaken for mold due to their similar appearance, but they are totally safe & healthy (and way cuter than mold 😉). Root hairs are bright white and always appear to congregate around the root itself. They help the greens grow by giving them nutrients and absorbing water! See what all the Fuzz is about here! Our little friends are showing their green/gold colors! (Any other Green Bay Packers fans out there?) I carefully peeled the top as to avoid pulling the roots up. Day 7- What a big difference a day makes! Now that your greens aren’t hiding under that top layer, you can see just how much they grow day to day! They will also turn greener as they absorb more light. As the greens get bigger they also tend to take up a lot more water. That makes this the perfect time to check the water level of your greens, especially if you live in a drier climate! If you notice that the water level has gone below the halfway point of the fill line and bottom of your tray, you can add enough water to reach the ridges at the base of the tray. This gives those roots enough water to sustain the greens without over-watering them! *Remember, this only applies to dry or really hot growing conditions - the normal function is that you just add water once! :) Day 8- Getting taller and taller! At this stage, they don’t look like they are necessarily “thriving” like some of the other thicker & greener micros. Don’t worry - this is normal - just be patient & hang in there! :) Day 9- Greening Up! They are about 4 inches tall at this point! So close to harvesting! The seeds stuck on top of the grown microgreens are the “hull” - this is normal! Lots of people like leaving the hulls and enjoy the extra crunch. If you prefer to remove them, you can move the greens around in a bowl of cool water after harvesting. This should make most of the seeds detach. Properly dry the greens on a paper towel after removing from the water then use or store as desired! Another tip for removing them is to “pet” the tops of the greens to loosen occasionally. Ensure your hands are washed when handling, just like any other food item! When growing Fenugreek, you can supplement your regular indoor ceiling lighting with a desk lamp for a few hours per day after you peel the cover if you’d like to see juicier, lusher leaves for aesthetic reasons! This addition would let those leaves bush out a bit more and also help loosen the seed hulls if you don’t like those! Day 10 - HARVEST DAY! I harvested my Fenugreek greens on day 10 and they were almost 5 inches tall. As you can see, I got a nice lush & tall harvest. How to eat your Fenugreek microgreens: Fenugreek microgreens can be used fresh or dried & are typically used in Indian dishes. A pinch of dried fenugreek leaves in a curry or dal will add a perfect fragrant touch. Click here to get Fragrant Fenugreek recipe inspiration! Storing your Fenugreek Microgreens: If you find you can’t use all of your fresh Fenugreek microgreens right away, you can freeze or dry them for later use! To freeze, simply place your harvested microgreens in a tupperware or a baggie (like the Stasher bag!) and store in the freezer for later use in smoothies, stir fries, or curries! To dry, spread your microgreens on a sheet and bake at the lowest temperature setting for 20 minutes. Then mix into sauces, use for tea, or sprinkle on top of dishes as a curry-like spice! Caveats: Eating these could make you smell maple-syrup-y for up to a few days! You might like it, you might not! We recommend starting with a small serving (maybe ⅛ of a Seed Quilt) and seeing what you think :) There are a lot of claims out there about fenugreek - be sure to do your own research and consult with your care provider if you have existing conditions or are looking to use fenugreek for medical reasons: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/fenugreek
