The Best Way to Repurpose a Strawberry Container

Sometimes the best applications of a tool are not the intended ones (think: using a hammer to crush graham crackers for a cheesecake crust, or repurposing an old flat file to hold kitchen linens). We celebrate these innovations, even when we don't see them coming.

So when I was doing my daily scroll through the new posts in our (Not)Recipes app last night, I halted on—and then did a little happy dance because of—a post that used our app in a completely new way.

Puja about 8 years ago

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Microgreens - sprinkle 1/4 tsp spicy lettuce seeds on soil and water. Close lid and keep watered every few days. One week later you'll have yummy greenies!!

4 comments

Instead of describing how to make a dish on the fly—as the app was created specifically to help you do—Puja's post shares how to grow microgreens. As someone who once edited a thousand-word article on the matter, I know that the indoor gardening of microgreens is easy to overcomplicate. So what I love about Puja's method is that it's got all the information you need in about 26 words and an image.

Here's Puja's excellent post, broken down to show exactly how helpful each part of it is.

The image.

• Sunlight. I can tell that these little sprouts are naturally-lit, which reminds me that I'd want to plant them somewhere near a window.
• Container. "Is that a salad container?" I asked in the comments, amazed and delighted, and Puja responded that it's actually a strawberry container—wow! I wouldn't have thought you could use a vessel that small to grow anything, but its deep shape and drainage holes are perfectly suited. You might already have one in your fridge!

The caption.

• Seeds. Puja's comment tells me that I'll want to get seeds of a spicy lettuce—like mustard green or arugula rather than Little Gem or another mild lettuce—which makes sense, because good microgreens add spice to salad!
• Method. Rather than pushing my seeds into the soil, I know that all I need to do is sprinkle them right on top—easy.
• Care. Watering some dirt in a strawberry container "every few days" seems like something I can handle, especially because it sounds like they'll sprout in just a week.

The comments.

• Skill level. "This was my first go," Puja says, which encourages me since I've never grown any microgreens before.
• Expectations. Puja offered a more granular timeline of events, saying they'd grow a few inches in just 4 to 5 days.

And the good news is that the conversation need not stop. You might chime in yourself to ask Puja which tools are best for harvesting (I know that plain old scissors work, but there might be a better solution!) and storing them. So despite the fact that it's not dinner—yet!—this post is exactly the kind of quick and easy good advice that we're hoping to see more and more of on (Not)Recipes.

Have you ever grown your own microgreens? Share your tips in the comments!