It’s about time to get acquainted! More than just a garnish or “pop” of color on a dinner entrée, these tiny heroes are a powerhouse of nutrition and flavor. “Microgreen” refers to the first two-leaves produced after a seed germinates. If you were in biology class, your professor would ask that you call them “Cotyledons” but let’s be honest, that does not sound appetizing. All plants that produce flowers will produce cotyledons; which would mean all of our vegetable plants produce cotyledons when grown from seed. Plants that do not produce flowers (ferns, cone-baring plants like pine trees, etc.) do not produce cotyledons which is probably for the best since a Blue Spruce Microgreen sounds like a lot. In the grocery store, you may see a few options for microgreens these days such as broccoli or radish micros. While these two varieties are certainly nutritious, there is a whole world of microgreen flavors to explore and our microgreen producers go way outside of the box!

After a short January vacation, Skye Farms will return to The Shed the first week of February with fresh, crisp microgreens that you definitely won’t find in the store such as cilantro, basil, sunflower, and arugula. Through out the year Skye Farms even grows sweet corn, cucumber, and cantaloupe microgreens! With a little creativity, nearly any vegetable can be sprouted into microgreen. If you’d like to give a try, be sure to choose edible plants that are typically consumed in their entirety. Tomato plants, for example, are not a great microgreen option since we typically only eat the fruit.

Microgreens are a great starting place for learning to grow plants from seed. One of the biggest setbacks for would-be gardeners is access to space. Thinking on a micro-scale is sometimes the best approach if you’re short on space or time. Microgreens are an excellent project to get your green thumb going without needing much area at all. In fact, you can grow vibrant healthy microgreens in a space as small as a food storage container in as little as 5 – 7 days. Small to-go sushi containers are the ideal shape and size to repurpose for growing a week’s work of microgreens! Follow along with out instructions below to grow your own microgreens.

 

MICROGREENS TO-GO:

Materials –

  • Clean sushi to-go container with lid (or glass small storage container for plastic-free option)
  • Seed starting soil
  • Spray bottle filled with water
  • Microgreen Mix (we used Botanical Interests Jazzy Mix)

Instructions –

  1. Fill bottom of the to-go container with seed starting soil to about ¼ inch below the rim of container.
  2. Press the soil down firmly to create a flat surface for the seeds. This allows the seeds to grow more evenly.
  3. Sprinkle an even layer of microgreen seed mix over the top of the soil.
  4. Cover seeds with another shallow layer of soil, just enough to cover the seeds.
  5. Mist the soil and until is it quite moist. Set the clear top of the container over the tray to act as a small greenhouse.
  6. Place the microgreen kit in a warm sunny window and mist the soil daily.
  7. Microgreens will emerge in start to emerge within a couple of days. Allow them to grow until they are about 1 inch tall (5 – 7 days).
  8. Harvest by cutting the microgreens about 1/8 inch above the soil with kitchen scissors.
  9. Reuse the container by composting the soil and roots left behind, and restarting the growing process with fresh soil and seeds.
  10. Top any dish with delicious fresh microgreens!