🌱 Happy December!

My oh my, life is different for me (Gil) and Lori. After 50+ years in harness - we basically now have only customer service and educational responsibilities. The big thing is that there’s no set schedule. We’ve been 9-5ing (and way more) it since we were in our late teens. Removing the yolk after all those years - well - it’s just mind altering! I’ve spent more time in our garden this last month than I did all year. I now have time to really smell the roses, meet strangers and their dogs, and gaze at or ponder - well - anything - - at any time. I am so overjoyed that I’m actually finding it difficult to translate the joy into text. Shocking, no?!

We spent all of October clearing out our warehouse. Since I told you about that last month, I won’t tell you again - but since we returned our keys to the landlord, we’ve been on cloud 9. We’ve always been working people. We think nothing of all the years we have worked. It was just the thing to do. That the last 32 of those years have been working for ourselves has been a blessing - but you’re always thinking about it when it’s your’s - so I suppose this freedom is somewhat more intense than if we’d only been 9-5ers the whole time. Our parents were depression era folks, who conveyed their work ethic - so we have basically hit a new landmark. We’re still Sproutpeople - and so we’re still working - but we’re not doing any of the heavy lifting anymore. It’s as close to retired as we ever expect to be - but it is Awesome!

I’ll come back to this subject later, in the picture section - and it’ll be a common theme in future Newsletters. Not having to do all the day-to-day work will allow us to focus in ways we’ve not known previously. I can see that these publications will henceforth be all about education and sharing. We’ve passed the baton to our partners. They’ll be taking care of business - and so I’d love you to sign up for our short Newsletters (like the one we sent on the 25th) - because we want you to know everything that’s going on at Sproutpeople, and like I said in that one - they’ll be running more sales than Lori and I have been able to manage in recent years - and since this monthly publication won’t have anything about sales, inventory, and all the other day-to-day stuff - you’d be kind of incomplete without it, Sproutpeople wise =;-)

Sproutpeople has been shrinking for years (except for the boom year of 2020). Over 32 years it’s had ups and downs, like any business - but due to so many factors (which I’d prefer not to bore you with yet again), it was declining precipitously and faced extinction, so the two of us were desperate for help. We weren’t going to let just anyone take over. We had only one company in mind - and that’s who we got. We have The Prefect partners now - and they have so may profoundly wonderful people working for them - - which was always our dream for Sproutpeople - - that we can see a long and bright future again.

I have been bemoaning the horrible economy for years now - so again - I won’t bore you with repetition, but a couple things happened recently that made us more fully aware of how precarious the situation is for some/many people. We’ve never made or had a lot of money, but we have been very secure when it comes to food - especially these past 32 years.

I always think of 1999 - when the little town we were in (Gays Mills, Wisconsin) was actually formulating a plan to deal with the coming havoc of Y2K. The town hall was right across Main St. from Sproutpeople. We had so little space for seed storage that we had stacks and stacks of seeds in our office. They were literally a wall between us and the outside world. We felt like it was our bunker. We were never fearful of the change in millennia - but we had tons of seed, so we didn’t even have to consider it.

The government shutdown wreaked havoc on our transition, but it caused so much hardship for so many, that our woes seem nothing in comparison. The disruptions in the SNAP program made it so many people didn’t even have money for food. A lot of these people have jobs but can’t keep up with rising costs. Not having food is just not okay - especially if you’re working and have a family to support.

A friend who was visiting from Brooklyn told us about a homeless encampment in Stockton, CA - where his mom lives. He showed us video he shot. He was in shock. Another friend had to pull over on a highway, because his trunk came open. He said that as soon as he opened his door, a couple young men came running towards him - arms waving and shouting; can you spare a buck?!

Our doorbell rang one night last week when I was sound asleep. I assumed it was Alice (both our kids are currently living at home), and that she’d forgotten her key. I stumbled down and buzzed the gate (which are common in houses like ours - which have a “garden entry” that leads up steps to the front door) and stumbled back to bed. Realizing I’d not unlocked the front door too, I went back to do that. I heard Sam (who had come through the garage from his room on the lower level) and so looked out the window. He was leading a young man out. This guy asked him; can I get a meal?

I am unable to draw a good word picture of this. Sam was kind and gentle - saying “no dude, I’m sorry you can’t be here right now” - but the half-asleep image I have in my head - well - it rattles me. This 20 something fellow was confused and hungry. He rang our doorbell in the middle of the night - looking for a meal. Really! Times are tough.

I can see that this subject is not going to fit here. I will have to write A Lot of words to talk about how we feel about working, societal structure, and all the many elements involved. The basic point is - that it made me painfully aware of how truly desperate some people are - and how untenably precarious their situations are. I’m talking about people with jobs - or trying hard to get one. Times are just too tight for too many.

We no longer have tons of seeds - so we’re not as secure as we’ve had the luxury of being these past 3 decades, but we still have a lot of seeds - and we have been saving what $ we could (it’s part of those lessons from our parents) over our 50+ working years, and if Sproutpeople gets stronger - well - we’re certainly more secure than many - - and thanks to our partners we’ll add some security for others - starting at the source of food - the farm.

The main reason we needed partners was the loss of our second biggest seed source, in 2024. We went to Lisa Mumm, at our biggest seed source and we worked out this partnership over several months. Lisa, as I’ve said in previous Newsletters is carrying on and expanding on what her parents started. She not only grows seeds - she works directly with other small organic farmers to grow seeds. This provides family farmers with security - which is hard for them to come by in the age of Big Ag. It can take years for a farmer to get totally in the groove with a new crop - but she’s on the farm with them, and everyone involved expects and enjoys hard work - and they are all endowed with a gift that has become all too rare - perseverance, so over time there will be more and more farmers growing more different seeds. Security isn’t easy to come by - but we’re all doing what we can, day-by-day to do all we possibly can.

I am sorry to harp on this again, but we are so worn out by this that I must. Too many customers email us saying they received no Order or Shipping confirmation from us. We know where they are - in their junk/spam - but our responses (asking them to check their junk/spam) go there too - so they think we’re ignoring them.

I spend (literally) 30-60 minutes answering a single email sometimes. Growing questions can require that, and I’m happy to share my knowledge - but I absolutely abhor when those go to junk/spam! So, if you’re ever waiting for any kind of email from us - please remember to check there too. We never ever ignore anyone (unless they’ve violated our no-assholes policy =;-) who comes to us - - even if they bought their seeds elsewhere.

I have told you about this dish before, but I still haven’t gotten around to editing our online recipe (which is also great). I will, soon - and really I should do that instead of sharing it here - but I just feel like doing it this way right now, so here is an updated version of the recipe. This is the one Lori has made for our annual neighborhood block party for years. She made the online version for several of those years - but has modified it dramatically over time…

• Lentil Sprouts - 2 pounds of dry Lentils, sprouted to your preferred size

• 1 large Red Onion - diced coarsely

• 1 bunch Italian Parsley - leaves chopped

• 1 pint (or more) Cherry Tomatoes - cut in half

• 1 Tbs. Curry Powder

• 1 Tbs. Dill Weed

• 2 tsp. Salt

• 2 tsp. ground Black Pepper

• 3/4 cup Olive Oil

• 1 Cup Vinegar (Lori uses an Anjou Pear Balsamic)

This recipe creates about 2 quarts of food - so adjust down for a smaller serving. Try it at your next pot luck. The one year Lori made something else for our block party, people kept asking - Where’s the lentil sprout dish?

Sprout your choice of Lentils to whatever size you prefer (we like them short - at about 36-48 hours, post-Soak). Dice onion (Lori does a large dice) and chop parsley leaves to desired size. Mix the curry and dill into the oil and vinegar - and then blend all together. As you see in the picture (atop this Newsletter), she used the cherry tomatoes as a ring - but you can mix them in too. It’s your food - so do your thing.

Before sharing pictures of our 4 legged family and friends - I’m going to share a glimpse into how deranged I am. Once we were done with our warehouse, and had our garage vaguely organized (it looks like a miniature version of our warehouse), I spent every minute I could, preparing our garden for my fall garlic planting - and for next year. My friend, Jason - who built our greenhouse (with my assistance) in 2020, had steered me to a You Tube gardener with a no-dig method. I’m not opposed to digging, but our soil is horrid - despite ten years of my efforts to improve it. Our part of San Francisco has really sad soil. It’s basically water repellent sand, and it’s cool and foggy through the summer - so it’s not an easy place to grow much, but like the farmers we so admire - perseverance is something I have in abundance, so I went nuts!

We had hundreds of brand new cardboard boxes left, so those came and became the first layer of mulch. The theory is that the cardboard decomposes, over several months - and that - when covered with 3 plus inches of soil, compost, or mulch - will kill off the vast majority of weeds under it. Additional material has to be added every year - but - if I understand correctly - the cardboard is a one time thing.

I was going to try this on a small part of the garden - but we had a lot of boxes and I got carried away, as I’m wont to do. I ended up using all the boxes, and went hunting for more. I spent hours peeling tape and labels from used boxes - because I just had to make the paths weed free too. In the end - if nothing else - I surely changed the look of the garden. I sure hope it works! I live to grow food.

Lori moved as much of the 5 yards of soil we had delivered as I did, but she let me go to town on the paths. I made 6 separate trips to get cedar mulch, and had one delivery. Truly, I’m certifiable.

For reference - as you go through these fisheye photos - our greenhouse is 10 x 6 feet.

I even did the whole thing to another bed in the back of the garden. This is much bigger than the test I was planning - but given all the soil issues we’ve had - it’s fun to have a winter to, at least dream of a glorious season come 2026. If it is successful, I’ll surely share what I learn. If it’s not - well, you’ll see that too - - but I’m envisioning glory for now =%^)

Come to Sproutpeople

Sproutpeople.org is an encyclopedic resource of our creation - for indoor farmers of Sprouts, Microgreens, and Grass. It is so enormous that it gives some the impression that we are a big business. The reality is that we are basically 2 people who eat and breath Sproutpeople - and 2 part-time helpers (one being our son). Our site has been online since 1996. It’s the employee that allows us to serve all of you.