Microgreens....
You've seen them here and there – at the grocery store, the farmer's market, or maybe even through a local subscription service.
You already know what microgreens are and that they're an incredibly nutrient-packed superfood.
But who eats them – and how are they supposed to be eaten?
We're here to help!
Who eats microgreens?
Many types of people have discovered the joys and benefits of eating microgreens:
Adults who need help eating healthier
Kids who don't like eating "adult" versions of the same vegetable
People who don't have the desire or time to spend on cooking
Professional chefs
Health-conscious adults wanting to maintain a healthy lifestyle
Microgreens are a very nutrient-dense food. So just as is true with certain other foods – the following people and age groups should always check with a trusted healthcare provider to make sure that eating microgreens will support your unique health conditions:
Pregnant women
Toddlers
Older adults
People with special medical conditions
The fun part: How to eat microgreens
If you happen to be a gourmet chef, then...surely you will be able to top every one of these ideas below and elevate each dish's level of sophistication – and we hope you do! The creative application of microgreens to meals is really endless.
Here is just a starting point – easy, basic ideas for anyone to start regularly incorporating microgreens into any individual or family diet.
The litmus test for including each concept below was very easy: "Would it pass the 'Jenny test'?"
You see, Jenny does not like cooking.
But then, that's one of the glories of microgreens. They don't need cooking or even chopping (YESSSSS!!!) – just a quick rinse, and then they're ready to go. In fact, the less cooking you do with them, and the more you eat them raw – the more nutritional value you'll gain from your microgreens.1
So here we go. And as proof of concept, I will handicap myself and only include microgreen meal pictures that I have taken from my own meal prep at home (don't laugh, you professional chefs!):
1. Make a salad (let's get this one out of the way)
I'm guessing that salad is one of the first (or only?) dishes that comes to mind when you think about eating microgreens. Of course, you can get creative with your salads, and use microgreens as the entire salad or add them in more sparingly to complement the rest of the salad.
I personally enjoy microgreens best in a salad when added to a salad that contains other foods in it besides just green leaves.
2. Toss some microgreens into the wok, into stir fry, rice or quinoa
Microgreens taste amazing in any wok, stir fry, rice, or quinoa-based dishes. Toss in the rinsed microgreens at the very last minute or after cooking to preserve nutritional value. Stir fry might be one of my favorite ways to eat flavorful broccoli or salad mix microgreens.
3. Add to noodles & pastas (homemade or takeout, mind you!)
What's your favorite or default noodle or pasta dish at home? Do you like rice noodles? Whole grain noodles? Quinoa pasta? Regular old pasta? The flavor style of the dish may even inspire you to pick out a specific microgreen variety that would complement it (for example, Asian-flavored dishes go great with pea microgreens).
But really, don't think too hard ("Jenny litmus test," remember?). You can add most any microgreen to any noodle dish – either as a garnish or by mixing microgreens into the dish for adding excellent flavor and nutritional boost. Again, add microgreens at the very end of cooking or after cooking the main dish to preserve the most nutrition in your microgreens.
4. Garnish sushi
Or better yet, include them in your sushi, if you make sushi from scratch at home yourself (you know, like I normally do...).
A natural microgreen to use here is shiso – a minty-tasting microgreen with amazing health benefits – as the adult shiso leaf is not uncommonly used as a bed for wasabi in some sushi and sushimi dishes.2-4
If you try putting this combo together at home, yourself – then you, too, can call it "shiso sushi" and ponder how quickly you can pronounce this phrase 5 times in a row.
5. Throw some on top of a pizza (even a frozen pizza...shhh!)
Instantly boost your froz– I mean, *homemade* pizza's health value by topping it with some microgreens after it comes out of the oven or after you bring it home to eat.
I don't think I can think of a microgreen variety that doesn't taste good on top of pizza. Maybe if tuna came in microgreen form?
6. Add to sandwiches and burgers
Try adding microgreens in place of where you might normally add a lettuce leaf to a sandwich or burger. Try them with meat sandwiches or burgers, vegetable sandwiches, egg sandwiches...which brings me to #7....
7. Garnish or mix into any egg dish
Hard-boiled eggs, over easy, scrambled eggs...you can't go wrong adding microgreens to egg dishes. Mix microgreens into scrambled eggs at the last minute (to preserve nutrient value).
8. Experiment with desserts
Granted, not every microgreen variety will taste good in a dessert, but certain varieties such as amaranth, shiso, sunflower, or pea microgreens may complement certain sweet dishes.
9. Garnish a soup
'Nuf said.
10. Add to a smoothie or protein shake
This idea is elaborated a bit further down below as one method for using up a lot of microgreens. Scroll down if you can't get enough of these homemade meal pictures and just need to see one more.
Well...hopefully those ideas should get you started! Read on to learn how to best store and preserve your microgreens.
How to store microgreens for fresh and safe eating
Microgreens should be kept refrigerated – unwashed, and in a sealed container. Moisture will quickly shorten shelf life. To prolong shelf life, you can insert a paper towel or food-safe "dessicant packet" at the base of your microgreen container.
Preservation
If the above storage conditions are met, most microgreens will preserve well for 7-10 days post-harvest – although shelf life for each individual microgreen variety tends to vary.5 Some varieties may last a bit longer; some may need to be eaten sooner.
Little Leaf Pharms has observed that: the fatter the microgreen stem, the longer the shelf life. For example, thick-stemmed sunflower and pea microgreens appear to have an exceptionally longer shelf life.
The delicate, health-packed but skinny-stemmed garnet amaranth tends to do better when eaten sooner rather than later in its life cycle.
If you start noticing microgreen deterioration, smells, dampness, or color changes – then your safest route will be to discard those microgreens. If none of the above signs are present but the microgreens appear to be slightly wilting and not quite as *perky* as before – my personal choice is to prioritize eating those microgreens right away so I don't miss out on them (although if you choose to follow suit – eat at your own risk!).
Maximizing nutrient value
To get the most nutrients out of your microgreens: the fresher, the better – just like any other fruit or vegetable.1,5 Eating a fruit or vegetable Day 1 post-harvest will always retain more nutrient value than eating that same fruit or vegetable on Day 7. This principle is one reason why ordering or buying microgreens fresh right after harvest can help you maximize the nutrition your body gains from your produce purchases.
Got LOTS of leftover microgreens to use up quickly?
Need ideas on how to quickly use up or preserve higher volumes of leftover microgreens before they go bad? Assuming we're talking about more than just a few microgreens, here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. Make a drink
No, not that kind of drink, silly (although we're not here to put a lid on your creativity, should you decide to put on your bartender cap).
If you have a blender or a juicer – you can think about how to blend or juice your microgreens.
Think: green smoothie or juice – like you would make a smoothie with adult greens (kale, spinach, lettuce, etc.).
Or: add a flavor twist to your main smoothie or juice components. For example, sunflower microgreens can add a bit of a nutty taste and would go great in anything where you might want to add nuts – berry smoothies, chocolate smoothies, banana smoothies.... Or the flavor from pea microgreens can really complement apple juice flavors.
If you need a longer-term preservation method – try making a microgreens tea by first dehydrating your leftover microgreens.
I admit here that not every microgreen variety will necessarily make a *tasty* tea, but certain varieties like minty shiso microgreens would make a delicious, antioxodant-rich tea that just might also help with any inflammation, anxiety, depression, and even diabetes you may be struggling with.1,4-5
2. Make some pesto
Now, who doesn't like pesto? And there is no shortage of pesto recipes to try. You can throw in whatever leftover microgreens you have to replace whatever greens your pesto recipe calls for, keeping in mind however you might be altering the flavor profile with the particular microgreens you add.
Not eating your microgreen pesto right away? Save it for later by freezing it in small containers or ice cube trays for up to 2-3 months!
3. Make a fermented microgreen relish
If you haven't canned, pickled, or fermented anything before, this option may sound a bit intimidating. But for you veteran fermenters or for those of you who are intrigued by practicing some fermenting skills – microgreens can be fermented, too!
4. Learn if your any of your particular microgreen varieties are safe to give your pets
Do a little research and find out if any of your animals have the green light to eat some leftover microgreens. We advise checking with your vet first to be sure your particular pet – in his or her current health condition – can eat the particular kind of microgreen variety you're looking to offer.
Some people have found certain microgreen varieties to be safe and beneficial for their pet's general nutrition as well as for helping specific conditions.
5. Win some allies: Give some to your neighbors and/or food banks
Or, you know – just do it because it's an unselfish, kind thing to do.
Together, we just might shift the ole trend from borrowing sugar to giving away microgreens to the neighbors.
6. Add them to your compost
If you have any garden space, your soil and plants can at least reap the benefits from the nutrients in your spare microgreens.
Ready to add some microgreens to your home menu?
Try growing your own microgreens so you can eat them fresh right at harvest time!
Short on time? Buy some microgreens where you know they are freshly harvested. If you live in Vero Beach or Sebastian, Florida – check out the Little Leaf Pharms local microgreens subscription options for fresh microgreens that are delivered right to your doorstep, right after harvest!
References
1. Mir SA, Shah MA, Mir MM. Microgreens: production, shelf life, and bioactive components. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017; 57(12):2730-2736. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26857557.
2. Deguchi Y, Ito M. Rosmarinic acid in Perilla frutescens and perilla herb analyzed by HPCL. J Nat Med. 2020; 74(2):341-352. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31848798.
3. Deguchi Y, Ito M. Caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid contents in genus Perilla. J Nat Med. 2020; 74(4):834-839. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32488608.
4. Kishi H, Komatsu W, Miura Y, Kawanobe T, Nonaka T, Ohhira S. Effects of habitual perilla (shiso) tea drinking on the incidence of diabetes mellitus in spontaneously diabetic Trii (SDT) rats. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2010; 74(12):2490-2493. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21150101.
5. Paradiso VM, Castellino M, Renna M, Gattullo CE, Calasso M, Terzano R, et al. Nutritional characterization and shelf-life of packaged microgreens. Food Funct. 2018; 9:11):5629-5640. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30298894.
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