Mighty Microgreens

Summer is done, fall is here! Don’t think though you’ll have to start cutting on homegrown goodness. Microgreens to the rescue!!

Research proves it! The “baby-fication” of our food nets a denser number of nutrients. That’s right; gram for gram, eating baby red cabbage provides you with more phytonutrients then consuming the mature leaves. 

Researchers in Maryland, United States, analyzed the nutrient make up of a variety of micro-greens. Four popular mini-veggies: daikon radish, amaranth, cilantro and red cabbage came up as nutrient hot dogs, in some cases more than doubling the profile of the mature plant. 

With their intense flavour, color and texture microgreens are becoming a new salad ingredient adding an extra nutritional punch. But don’t wait until you go to a high-end restaurant to enjoy them, grow them on your windowsill and snack on them throughout the day.    

My favourite are sunflower microgreens. They have a rich and satisfying flavour while the pac choi sprouts add a slightly spicier taste. Added to a scrambled tofu wrap they add a mild flavour and extra nutrients including vitamins C and E. 

I’ve been growing micro greens for many years using seed from my garden and seed I purchase. Here is what I’ve learned to grow the best and to even get a couple of harvests form some micro greens!

1.     Use only about ½ inch of soil.

2.     Use small plastic platters with a lip around the edges to keep the dirt contained.

3.     I find starter mix works well for growing the best and juiciest micro greens.

4.     Recycle plastic salad greens containers. Cut it down to about 2 inches deep. The sprouts will grow taller than the sides and make cutting them in clumps easier.

5.     Cut pea shoots above the lowest green leaf shoot to get two more harvests. Eat them raw or lightly stir fry with a couple of garlic cloves and a bit of soy sauce!!

7.     Brassicas make fabulous micro-greens but after a certain age won’t stand straight making it difficult to clip in a clump. So use when they first develop two leaves.

8.     Watering can be challenging with small amounts of dirt. Avoid overwatering. If mould develops on the dirt, start over!

9.     Grow the micro-greens in a variety of containers for an eclectic windowsill look. I’ve used recycled cans with rocks in the bottom and dirt on top and old chipped cups.

10. When cutting the greens watch for seed casings that have stuck to the leaves, they offer an unpleasant crunch!

11. You can eat the roots of the greens but it is fiddly work, as you’ll need to wash off the dirt. Handle the plants gently.

12. When growing in the winter you may need a grow light for herbs and some of the other types of greens especially for the last few days. If you have a sunny windowsill don’t worry about the grow light.

13. Basil is incredible as a micro-green. It has a distinct flavour but is much milder than the adult plant. But develop patience as they take longer then other microgreens to grow and if the seed is old, you’ll find they don’t sprout and end up growing mold.

You can even let Pac Choi grow bigger. I’ve got a couple of Veg Trugs on our deck next to the house and they will produce all winter long!

14. Some seeds can be planted more thickly then others. I planted one set of sunflower seeds but put too many in the container. Cutting individual plants was challenging. Pea seeds can be planted densely, beets and chard more sparse. Pac Choi….thick as you want and whatever you don’t eat plant outside in a box close to the warmth of the house and you’ll have fresh greens first thing in the spring or throughout the winter.

15. Grow brassicas and sunflower in your garden and save seed! As their popularity grows so will their price! 

16. I order my seeds from West Coast Seeds and in bulk. For the nutritional value to get, they are a great price.

Enjoy these nutritional treasures!