Microgreens in the kitchen

Microgreens are small vibrant in color and full of flavor and nutrients perhaps you have had the pleasure of enjoying these amazing herbs before or seen them used as a garnish at your favorite restaurant adding style and flair to your plate or perhaps you are one of the many that have never heard of them before or had the pleasure of experiencing and benefiting from these amazing herbs.

No matter your experience with them here are some of the many reasons you should know about them and why you should consider buying or growing them yourself and making them a standard part of your diet.

Microgreens first began showing up on menus as early as the 1980s in San Francisco in southern California the first few varieties that were grown include arugula, basil, beetroot, and kale Today we have success with many more including sunflowers, radish, mustard, carrot, and many more.

They are vegetable greens similar but not the same as sprouts or shoots that are grown by sowing regular vegetable seeds thickly in a small pot with the intent to harvest them after they sprout their cotyledon leaves or sometimes a little longer when their first true set of leaves appear.

The reason for the early harvest is that the nutrient levels are often found to be much much higher than baby or regular-sized vegetables some claiming it to be up to 4x more which is an amazing reason in its self to consume these herbs.

They are most commonly seen used as a garnish in restaurants where surprisingly in my experience the health benefits are not talked about and are mainly prized for their color and lift they can give to a beautifully plated meal they are also a great addition to salads and sandwiches and can add texture and flavor to your food. The potential these herbs have in our future can not be underestimated an example of the nutrients contained within one small herb would be beetroot microgreens they contain Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Folate, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, and potassium. They also contain thiamine, riboflavin, zinc, and beta carotenes.

That's pretty incredible don't you think.

Due to their size, it is incredibly easy and simple to add to a daily smoothie or meal and reap serious nutritional benefits some varieties host more of each specific nutrient than the other but if you grow or purchase for the flavor you can't go wrong and if you are in the health food niche or just care about your general health and wellbeing this is not only the future of food and healthy living but the taste is amazing as well.

The flavors vary in strength and intensity with my personal favorites being either mustard or radish for their bite and the almost spicy and aromatic flavor that they bring to the meal and their ability to be grown with ease just about anywhere. The best part is they grow extremely fast with a fresh harvest being available in as little as 14 days some even sooner and the ability to cut and eat them as you go means they stay fresh for a long time both in and out of the fridge. they are also very easy to hide into a fussy kid's meal to ensure they are getting the essential nutrients and vitamins they need to thrive.

If You haven't tried them before I highly recommend them with grow guides and supplies easily found online there is no reason you can't start your little micro-farm at home today it is an investment in health without all the sacrifice and bland boring foods

your future self and body will thank you for it.