One common misconception is the statement that out Microgreens provides 40X more nutrients than their regular mature plants. A lot of people assume we mean 40% more, but it’s actually 40 TIMES more. To cleat that up, to get the same goodness as you’d get from 100grams Microgreen Kale you’d need to eat 4kilos of standard Kale... and while kale is delicious, I’m not sure anyone finds it that delicious.
Of course, you’d need to grow 4kg of Kale first, and then harvest it. Think of the space and energy required for such a project... so yeah our super nutritious microkale is more efficient and effective by far than growing, gathering, and gorging kilo bags of kale.
Look at the contrast... anyone can grow 100g of super micro kale in about a week and you don’t even need a garden. Heck, you can grow it on top of the fridge! And it grows all year round, so it’s easy to grow and harvest microgreens on a regular basis . They are also cheaper, more palatable, and more versatile.
Picky kids?
No problemo, most children eat them without a fuss and it’s easier to sneak 100g than 4kilos past even the fussiest kidlets.
Add it to soups, stews, salads, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, paninis, blend it into smoothies, or sneak it on as an edible garnish.
There’s also the added bonus of getting your kids (and kidadults) to sow and grow their own harvests. They even inadvertently learn how seeds germinate and how plants grow as they tend their little veggie patch.
There is a real joy watching kids getting involved and learning where their food comes from.
Sure, they can also do that by growing kale – but a tray on top of the fridge is more accessible than a greenhouse, an allotment or a cold wet garden... and that’s assuming you have any of those...
Having had years of experience and a background in organic farming and operating an urban farm. During lockdown I wondered how I could share my knowledge and experience with others who may like to grow their own microgreens in small spaces, indoors or outdoors and all year round.
Sprouts, Microgreens & Babyleaf greens: what’s the difference?
Microgreens grow in soil or the equivalent and sprouts germinate in water. The leaves and stems of microgreens, and the stems and seed of sprouts are edible, nutritious, and delicious.
Microgreens take between one to three weeks to grow depending on the variety, while sprouts take under a week to grow. Baby leaf greens take a bit longer as they have a longer growth cycle and are harvested 20-40 days after germination. when they have developed more than one set of true leaves.
Summing up, microgreens are older than sprouts, but younger than baby leaf greens.
Science has found Microgreens contain, per 100g, up to 40X more nutritional value compared to their fully grown varieties because we harvest microgreens before all the food in the seed is used to fuel a mature plant’s growth. i.e. the cotyledons are also nutrient dense. In addition, they are flavoursome because they contain many antioxidants and polyphenols, principally to prevent them being eaten by predators, but we humans love the taste and also gain many valuable nutrients and pleasure in eating them.
You can find some super helpful links to the research at the bottom of our Health Benefits page here if you want to read further.