I consumed my last tomato the week before Thanksgiving. The rest of the story is about a tomato branch I picked from the greenhouse with a tomato that was starting to ripen, plus it had new buds forming. I was cleaning out the greenhouse and I just couldn’t toss it in the yard debris container.

You can tell how sheltered my life has been by revealing that it was exciting to wonder what the possibilities and potential were for this branch that still had growing capabilities. An empty spice jar that was sitting on the counter top became its new home on the kitchen sink.

Lo and behold, my branch is growing roots and the green tomato has ripened and is tempting my taste buds. All this has taken place since Oct. 22. The roots are strong looking and new leaves are a bright green.

Unintentionally, I think I have entered the world of hydroponics. Now what do I do? Do I toss in a few granules of tomato food, or a dash of an all-purpose fertilizer? Like the old family main dish recipes my mom gave me when I got married, I will just give the plant a pinch of this and a dash of that and see what happens.

I’m not ready to plunge into hydroponics. I will leave that to our local vendors who are filling that niche by providing us with containers of beautiful salad greens.

I will admit it has stirred the desire to see something actively growing. I have been told that I have too many gardening books and magazines. In my mind, they all serve their purpose at the right time.

This has been the right time to revisit Elizabeth Millard’s colorful book “Indoor Kitchen Gardening.” Millard grew up and lives in Minnesota. Millard writes, “Winter in Minnesota is notorious for wearing optimists down to a brittle nub, but the more experimentation we did with microgreens, pea shoots, radishes and other tasty vegetables, the more we felt we were extending summer into our house.”

Millard has many ideas for growing small pots of leaf lettuce, herbs, sprouts and microgreens without a tabletop greenhouse or expensive grow-lights. Because of limited space, I will stick to the growing of sprouts.

I have grown alfalfa sprouts many times and they certainly are a flavorful addition to a sandwich or a salad in the winter. Basically all you need are seeds, a glass jar and some cheesecloth or a thin dish towel. There are special sprouting jars available but any jar will do. Ordinary garden seeds are not used for sprouting. Check with your health food store for “sprouting” seeds.

Nutritionally, sprouts are packed with enzymes, fiber, amino acids, vitamins and other goodies that boost you immune system. Sprouts are easier to grow in the depths of winter than microgreens which I would like to try maybe in late March.

Alfalfa sprouts are the classic to grow. Their mild and nutty flavor makes a good introduction to eating sprouts.

The benefits of broccoli sprouts became known through the research at John Hopkins University. The research noted that broccoli sprouts are an exceptionally rich source of “inducers of enzymes that protect against chemical carcinogens.”

Sprouted soy beans are one of the most popular plus easy to grow.

Blends: You might find one called an Italian Blend which would include garlic, clover and cress or a grain mix that would include wheat, rye, oats, kamut and quinoa. The blends are more cost-effective to get multiple types of seeds without buying individual packets.

If you are feeling the need to watch something grow and at the same time add some new flavors, you might try growing sprouts.