Microgreen nutritional value is high. PICTURE / SUPPLIED
Many people are growing their own vegetables.
With a widening array of options, many have been trying coloured carrots, purple broccoli and orange cauliflower among other more unusual vegetables.
With a lot of cooking programmes and cuisine from around the world becoming commonplace, our interest in growing the vegetables for these meals has also been sparked. There is a lot of interest in growing your own microgreens, however a lot of people are unsure where to begin and how much work and time will it actually involve. Today's column will go through all these.
Microgreens were first used in Californian fine dining restaurants in the 1980s, to enhance the flavour and visual appeal of dishes. They are no longer just a novelty item - they have since spread to restaurants all around the world. They are great as a garnish to soups, stir-fry, added to a salad or alongside a meal. They are also great in a sandwich.
What is a microgreen?
These are vegetable seedlings that are grown and harvested when they are small and leafy. The seed itself is not eaten. They are harvested later than sprouts but earlier than baby greens. The vegetable seedlings that are regularly grown as microgreens include basil sweet Genovese, beetroot ruby queen, cress moss curled, radish rambo, pea Fiji feathers, rocket, cabbage rubies, Rocket emeralds and Mizuna red gems. They are sold in seed packets, conveniently labelled as microgreens in garden centres. You can grow any vegetable seedling as a microgreen by harvesting them at this stage of development. A microgreen can range in size from 2.5cm to 7.5cm including the stem and leaves. This usually includes a central stem, fully developed cotyledon leaves (baby leaves) and one pair of small true leaves.
At this point they should be harvested with scissors just above the soil.
Microgreen nutrition
Microgreens look great, add texture and provide a flavour boost, but these are only part of the reason that the home gardener should consider growing and eating them.
The first scientific study on the nutritional value of microgreens was published in 2012 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
"The microgreens were four to 40-fold more concentrated with nutrients than their mature counterparts," says researcher Qin Wang, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Maryland in College Park. For example, red cabbage microgreens had 40 times more vitamin E and six times more vitamin C than mature red cabbage. Cilantro (coriander) microgreens had three times more beta-carotene than mature cilantro.
"All of these nutrients are extremely important for skin, eyes and fighting cancer and have all sorts of benefits associated with them," says researcher Gene Lester, PhD, of the USDA. Lester said he was surprised to find microgreens were superior in nutritional value than the mature plants.
"To find that the levels were not only detectable but in some cases four to six times more concentrated than in the leaves of a mature plant, I find that quite astonishing."
Although more research is needed, Wang says there may be a good explanation for microgreens' high nutrient content.
"Because microgreens are harvested right after germination, all the nutrients they need to grow are there," says Wang. "If they are harvested at the right time they are very concentrated with nutrients and the flavour and texture is also good." (ref: www.webmd.com).
How to grow
Growing microgreens from seed is relatively straight forward. Select your seed, fill a tray with seed raising mix, ensure it is spread out evenly and firmly. Sprinkle the seeds across the mix and then cover with a thin layer of seed raising mix as indicated on the seed packet - this may vary depending on the variety. Water the mix thoroughly and place the tray in a warm, dark place, or cover with newspaper in a warm place. Check regularly. As they are germinating, remove the newspaper and shift the tray to a light, warm area. Water as necessary and in 10 to 14 days from germination you should be harvesting your own microgreens.
Microgreens are best sown in seedling trays, ensuring that the seed raising mix fills the tray nearly to the brim. It is far easier to trim your harvest off just above soil level, than if they are sown in pots that are only part filled with mix.
After harvesting your microgreens, they unfortunately do not re-grow. The tray of seed raising mix along with the base and roots should be emptied into the compost bin.
Microgreens being so quick to grow from sowing to harvest are great for kids gardening, a project for the classroom or the school holidays. They grow well indoors as long as they are given good light so make a good vegetable for growing and harvesting during winter.
Four easy to grow varieties from Mr Fothergills (a New Zealand seed company) are:
Flavours of the Orient; blend of mustard ruby streaks, garland chrysanthemum & coriander.
Flavours of Eastern Europe; blend of pink kale, red cabbage and peas.
Flavours of Western Europe; blend of cress, amaranth red garnet and peas.
Flavours of the Mediterranean; blend of Italian mixed basil varieties, rocket and sunflowers.
Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale Garden Centre.