Make the Most of Microgreens

Our warm “greenhouse-within-a-greenhouse” for growing microgreens in the Winter.

Microgreens/shoots are young plants harvested between 7 and 21 days after germination. For being so small, they pack a big punch in terms of appearance and nutrient density at a scarce time of year.

We grow them in winter for a couple of reasons. For one, they are relatively easy to grow! The hardest part is keeping them warm. We have ours on heat mats in a "greenhouse-within-a-greenhouse" (pictured right.) Another good reason is to offer our customers another "fresh" item to supplement the limited amount of storage crops from Fall (potatoes, root veggies, etc.) and high tunnel greens, like kale, collards, & chard. 

We grow 4 different types: pea shoots, sunflower shoots, radish micros, and mixed micros. We’ve selected these varieties for a few reasons including taste, color and ease of growth. There's a little more about each variety below.

Radish Micros (Shown above right, in our giant salad spinner.) Medium size; green/pink/purple color and delicate structure makes them an excellent garnish; slightly spicy bite pairs well with many flavors (tacos, soups, eggs, fish, & more.) According to this study, radish micros are high in vitamin C, phenolics, and flavonoids. They are also high in magnesium.

Mixed Micros (Shown above left.) A mix of mustard & brassica seeds, much smaller than the radish; green & dark purple leaves; very similar nutritionally to the radish micros, but the addition of mustard seeds in the mix make these a little spicier. Mustard microgreens in particular are high in lutein, a strong antioxidant.

Pea Shoots Sweet with a mild pea taste; use either fresh or cooked, i.e. sauté them with garlic and eat with rice or an egg.) Bulk fresh pea shoots are a great Winter pesto ingredient.

Sunflower Shoots Sweet, nutty and mild; larger and more robust than the delicate radish/mixed mircos, so these make a great crunchy snack all on their own; all-around nutritionally dense, packed with protein, fiber, fats, vitamins & minerals.