If you love microgreens, you’re not alone. More and more people are discovering the appealing looks, tastes, and nutritional profiles of these “small but powerful” plants.
These little wonders contribute a surprising amount of taste and texture to a variety of fare. A handful of microgreens can enhance simple and complex dishes by adding flavor, color, and volume.
The individual tastes of the microgreens depend on the individual plants. They can be mild, sweet, bitter, sour, or spicy; they can build complex flavors such as peppery or licorice notes. The flavors are also often described as concentrated forms of the vegetables. A spicy radish, for example, will normally be spicier in its microgreen form. Plus, you’ll often get a wider flavor profile, and the microgreen might just be the tastiest radish you’ve ever eaten.
The tiny plants can also add a nutrient boost to your meals. During the last few years, several studies have shown that microgreens are nutrient-dense, and a good source of essential minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. While there’s a lot of variability between species and growing conditions, microgreens often have a greater concentrations of micronutrients than their full-grown counterparts, pound for pound. Many microgreens are four to six times higher in vitamins and antioxidants than the fully grown plant, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
In a 2012 study, USDA and University of Maryland researchers evaluated the vitamin and antioxidant content of 25 common microgreens. The results stated that, although there was a lot of variation between the species, microgreens generally had markedly higher concentrations of vitamins and carotenoids (a type of antioxidant) than full-grown plants. For example, red cabbage microgreens had more than 40 times the vitamin E content and 28.6 times the lutein-zeaxanthin concentration (two types of carotenoids) than fully grown red cabbage.
Finally, microgreens are versatile and experimentation friendly. Cooks can use them fresh garnishes on a range of savory dishes including soup, pasta, grain bowls, stir-fries, avocado toast, eggs, baked potatoes, casseroles roasted veggies, meat, or fish. Our customers love sprinkling microgreens on freshly-baked pizza, using a bunch in a salad, throwing them in a green smoothie, or using them on a burgers or sandwiches. Some even make them into tasty pestos.
If you haven’t tried Mary’s Land microgreens yet, stop by the Farm Store. Plus, don’t miss the November Microgreens Special: Buy any container of lettuce and get any container of microgreens for only $1. Good on in-store purchases while supplies last. Expires 11/30/21.
