8 Edibles You Can Grow Indoors This Winter

It’s a sweet sort of melancholy that drives the home gardener while putting summer garden beds to sleep. And for those who have caught "the bug”—the insatiable, undeniable craving to conjure green things from the soil—a long winter can feel like an exquisite torture. Luckily, several foods can be grown indoors, even in the dead of a frosty winter. Here are a few of our favorites. How to Grow: Even if you live in a windowless box with no view of the outside world, you can still grow sprouts. Cover 2 tablespoons of sprouting seed in a wide-mouth quart jar with water. Let stand overnight, then strain the seeds through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer (a strainer works better for tiny seeds). Return the seeds to the jar, add a little water and swish around to rinse the seeds, then strain again. Repeat this process twice a day until the first tiny leaves appear on your seeds. This may take from three to seven days depending on the variety of seed. Cautions: The biggest risk to your sprout crop is mold. Rinse your sprouts at least twice a day, and once they're grown, hold them in the refrigerator for no more than three days, wrapped in a paper towel.