Welcome back!
I’ve grown microgreens for 3+ years in my garage. The whole process started when I was searching for diet options to keep the deep orange color and exceptional flavor in our farm eggs for the winter. Research led to microgreen wheat grass. It seemed it would fit the requirements I was looking for, so I set up a simple hydroponic tray system using wheat I had grown on my farm. The chickens liked it and I achieved some of the results I needed. While looking for ways to become more efficient I stumbled into microgreens and the science supporting the health benefits intrigued me. That was 3+ years ago and I still believe in the value and benefits of including these little plants in our diet.
What are they?
This is how I do it…..there’s lots of options!
Microgreens are young plants grown in soil and harvested around 10-18 days depending on variety. They are NOT sprouts. Sprouts are grown in water, and you eat the entire plant. The seed, soil, water and photosynthesis combine to grow a nutrient dense little plant crammed full of vitamins, macro and micro nutrients. Each variety I grow have different nutritional profiles and are a great way to enhance the flavor and value of your meals. Plus, when the grow cycle is done I let the chickens scratch through the used soil for seeds and whatever. Zero waste.
How do I use them?
Eat them! There’s no right or wrong way! Straight up as a snack. On top of anything….eggs, pizza, stew, chili, sandwiches, and so on and so forth. Maybe be careful adding them too early in cooked foods. Heat diminishes the nutrient value of a lot of foods.
SMOOTHIES!! Don’t like greens in general? Toss them in the blender with anything you want. Make a super healthy drink to kickstart your day.
Anything I can’t sell fresh I cold dehydrate (under 110 degrees) to preserve the nutrients. When you take nutrient dense foods and remove the water it really shrinks how much you need for your daily requirements. I recommend ½ a tsp for adults but that’s just my best guess. Super Vita Spice is an easy way to get natural vitamins into small people without all the theatrics! Sprinkle it on top of anything like you would pepper and BOOM. Vitamins gone without hiding it in jam or whatever.
Why include them in your diet?
Microgreens are nutrient dense foods. At the microgreen stage all the nutrients that plant will have are there. As a plant matures it spreads available nutrients through the entire plant, it doesn’t grow more. It’s a quantity versus quality scenario and quantity usually wins. However, in some instances it would be nice to put a cup of broccoli microgreens in a smoothie instead of the whole plant!
Microgreens supply a diverse natural vitamin, mineral, macro and micro nutrient benefit. Instead of a manufactured pill, microgreens can provide the same health benefits. By carefully choosing microgreens, you can adapt your meals to successfully improve your general health. Microgreens are awesome for keeping your immune system at full strength!
Kick meals up a notch. Add microgreens to boost flavor. Hot, spicy, tart, mild, middle of the road. Microgreens will do it. Experiment until you find what you like!
Specific health benefits! Ill touch more on this later but microgreens aren’t called super foods for nothing. You are in charge of your health so build your diet to help you.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Ill dive into specific micros and why I feel so strongly that everyone should be eating them! Until next time…Cheers.
Thanks!!! Great read.