One of the greatest gifts we received this year is a turtle Chia Pet! It came with a digital alarm clock that plays the Ch-ch-ch-chia! song when it goes off ... 
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So I followed the instructions and this morning, our pet turtle is admiring the scenery outside while waiting for its "hair" to sprout.
Hopefully it will have a chance to grow a lush coat before our cat, Havi, eats all the seeds off its body!
I never knew the story behind the name, Chia. Chia (salvia hispanica) is a plant of the mint family. Eaten as food and included in medicines, it was popular among the Aztecs. Chia seeds were ground into flour and pressed for oil ... interesting. Who would have guessed it would also serve a purpose as "hair" covering for a terra-cotta clay pet!
The care instructions suggested that seeds of similar herbs can be used including basil, alfalfa, marjoram, and thyme which is great because I had purchased some herb seeds several months back to start an indoor garden but haven't had the chance to do so. Now I'll be able to use the seeds on our Chia Pet!
5 reader comments:
How is Mr. Turtle doing today? Did he survive Havi's attention?
Since you're interested in chia seeds, I thought you might like to ch-ch-ch-check out my chia website at http://www.chiativity.org
I've posted a link to your blog, and would love to include more photos of Mr. Turtle as he grows.
BTW, Basil seeds will sprout very nicely on your Chia Pet, because they have a gelatinous seedcoat similar to that of chia seed. However, they won't grow big enough to harvest.
Are you familiar with a basil seed drink from Southeast Asia? In Mexico, they make a similar drink from chia seeds!
Happy New Year!
Hi Margaret,
Mr. Turtle appears to be dormant and Havi has lost her interest (at least while I'm not looking ... LOL). He was halfway full of water so I topped him off. No sprouts yet. Thank you for the tips. I will use basil seeds next and definitely order more chia seeds from you when I run out. Mr. Turtle will not be left naked and embarrassed. I don't remember having a basil drink but will have to ask my parents as we are from SE Asia. I love basil!
Happy new year and I'll be in touch with photos of Mr. Turtle.
angel boy-O got a Chia Shrek Head from Santa this year...can't wait to see it grow!
How's Mr. Turtle doing? I'd love to post an updated photo on my website!!
Photos are finally here! Yay! Chia Pet Turtle: Day 8
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