Easter Basket Idea: Grow Real Grass!
Forget the plastic stuff; real live grass is where it's at this Easter!
Submitted by
Kayla Chong
Kayla Chong
Here's a great Easter idea: Help your kid grow a patch of grass for his basket from wheatgrass berries. It's quick and easy to grow, better for the environment than those little plastic strips and won't even choke Fluffy when she nibbles on it.
- L'il farmer:Your kid.
- Wheatgrass berries:Find them at your local health food store or online at Dogwood Gardens Organic Farm.
- An Easter basket
- Tap water
- Plastic wrap
- A jar or bowl
- Soil:Pick some up at your local nursery.
- A bandana or colorful square scrap of fabric
- Colander
- Scissors
- Newspaper
- Spray bottle
Pick up or order the wheatgrass berries at least three weeks before the holiday, especially if you're ordering online. A 7-pound bag runs under 10 bucks and has enough berries to grow 10 trays of grass—which is perfect if your family resembles the Brady Bunch. If not, grow the grass and juice it! Wheatgrass juice has many amazing health benefits. See our Note below for more info.
Help your kid measure out about 1½ cups of wheatgrass berries. This should be more than enough, assuming your kid's basket isn't supersized.
Have Junior rinse the seeds and then soak them in a jar or bowl filled with water for six to 12 hours to sprout them.
Meanwhile, help your kid line his Easter basket with a nice-looking bandanna or a scrap of fabric. Then layer a piece of plastic wrap on top of it to make it waterproof.
When the berries have sprouted, have your kid cover the bottom of his basket with about 2 inches of soil.
Help him drain the seeds. You can just toss them into a colander and drain them like noodles. (And, as a parent, we're pretty sure you know how to drain noodles.)
Next, have your kid spread the sprouted seeds evenly in a single layer over the soil, being sure to cover all of the dirt. The seeds should touch but not overlap.
Then have your kid sprinkle a light layer of dirt over the seeds to cover them.
Have your kid lightly water the seeds with a spray bottle.
Then place the basket in a warm (65 to 75 degrees) spot in indirect sunlight in your house.- Cover the whole basket with a layer of newspaper. Wheatgrass berries need a little privacy, just like mommies. (Got that, kids?)
- The next morning, have your kid take off the newspaper, spray the seeds with some more water and replace the paper. Don't let him oversaturate the soil or he'll risk growing mold along with his grass.
- Have your kid repeat step 12 every day until green blades sprout through the soil. When the leaves sprout, have him toss the newspaper and leave the basket uncovered.
- Then all the wheatgrass has to do is grow, grow, grow! It'll take about seven to nine days for the grass to grow about 8 inches. Have your kid keep an eye on it as it grows and water as needed.
- If your kid has a green thumb that rivals Jack's and his grass has grown taller than the fabled beanstalk come Easter, just trim it down with a pair of scissors.
- Wheatgrass berries are famous for their medicinal and nutritional benefits. They're an excellent source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, cobalt and zinc. Believers chug shots of the green, intense-tasting (that's putting it nicely) juice to get energy, fulfill their vitamin requirements, cleanse the body and lose weight. Wanna try it? Simply juice a handful of wheatgrass with a juicer or stop by your local health food store for a shot.
- For another edible garden project, try NickJr.com's Wonder Pets! Egg Carton Herb Garden. Chances are you'll have a bunch of spare egg cartons after Easter, anyway!
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