How to Grow Microgreens

Some time ago, I was really intrigued with some food photography that I would often see that included tiny bunches of microgreens. Now if you are not aware of microgreens, they are essentially the first few leaves that sprout from a herb, or vegetable that you seed and grow. I was not only intrigued by the beauty of these microgreens, but also the health benefits. After doing a bit of research, I found that these little sproutlings pack a punch in flavor, and more importantly, nutrients. With that said, I set out to grown a fairly large amount of microphones that I included in many of my meals.

Microgreens are really easy to plant, and can be used in pretty much any recipe.

Ingredients:

• Plastic container(s) greater than 2 inches deep
• Organic Potting Mix
• Water
• Array of Seeds (I used Mesclun, Green Leaf Lettuce, Arugula)
• Sunlight
• Non-leak container to house the plastic containers

Begin by fully soaking the potting mixture. You want it to be really wet as your goal is to never let the potting mix to go dry as you are growing the microgreens. Once the mixture is fully wet, add some of the mixture, at least 2 inches deep into the containers. I asked the folks at my local Sendik’s store for the large strawberry plastic containers as the containers have slits in them which would allow the moisture to escape, if needed.

Take a seed and plant it about 1/8 to a 1/4 inch deep into the soil, and repeat, about 1/4 inch apart. Repeat with however many seeds you want to plant.

Place the container near a window that gets plenty of sun. Keep the water moist throughout the growing process.

You will be amazed at how quickly these sprout. You can begin harvesting as soon as the leaves sprout. Simply trim from the stem, and give a simple rinse. Use them on soups, salads, sandwiches, or heck, pretty much anything.