What are Microgreens
What the heck are these little things?
Microgreens are young vegetable greens that are approximately 1–3 inches (2.5–7.5 cm) tall.
They have an aromatic flavor and concentrated nutrient content and come in a variety of colors and textures.
Microgreens are considered baby plants, falling somewhere between a sprout and baby green.
That said, they shouldn’t be confused with sprouts, which do not have leaves. Sprouts also have a much shorter growing cycle of 2–7 days, whereas microgreens are usually harvested 7–21 days after germination, once the plant’s first true leaves have emerged.
Microgreens are more similar to baby greens in that only their stems and leaves are considered edible. However, unlike baby greens, they are much smaller in size and can be sold before being harvested. This means that the plants can be bought whole and cut at home, keeping them alive and fresh until they are consumed, providing the highest nutrition.
Microgreens are packed with nutrients. While their nutrient contents vary slightly, most varieties tend to be rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium and copper. Different varieties have been found to be anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory, with such benefits as reducing autism symptoms, promoting heart health, warding off environmental stress, and help building strong bones. Don't just trust us, feel free to google the multitude of studies and findings available on the internet!
Although vitamin and antioxidant levels varied, levels measured in microgreens were up to 40 times higher than those recorded for the mature plants. Imagine consuming 40 times the nutrients in such a small package. Imagine how that could apply to your kids food consumption. No more squabbling over a big pile of broccoli, they can eat a small amount of microgreens used as a garnish to their meal and get more nutritional benefits. Or maybe those microgreens were consumed already earlier in the day in that awesome smoothie you made for them as a snack and they never even suspected a thing. Our lips are sealed.