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Down the Garden Path: Microgreens are a big deal · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Down the garden path. Microgreens are a big deal. Written
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  by Jamie Viiebach and University of Illinois Extension. This article
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  is being read by an automated voice brought to you
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  by Everlett. Have you seen microgreens on the menu of
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  a fancy restaurant and wondered what they were? Or maybe
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  you saw them over the summer at a farmer's market
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  but passed them up because of the hefty price tag.
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  It turns out, with the right setup, you can have
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  this fresh, nutritious add on all year long with very
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  little effort. Simply put, microgreens are young plants. They differ
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  from sprouts, and that sprouts are the result of germinated
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  seeds often grown in the dark, and the entire seedling
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  is eaten. With microgreens, only the tops of the plants
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  are eaten. There are a variety of plants that can
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  be eaten at microgreens, and each one will add a
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  slightly different flavor to your meals. One good choice includes
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  things in the brassica broccoli family, like radish broccoli, kale, cress,
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  et cetera. These will have a similar flavor to their
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  more well known versions, but slightly more delicate. Other examples
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  of microgreens include red beets, beans and peas, sunflowers, spinach, carrot, clover,
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  and flax. Aromatic herb. Microgreens like basil, cilantro and dill
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  also can pack a light punch when added to meals.
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  Once seeds are planted, they are usually ready for harvest
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  within ten to fourteen days, depending on the species. Microgreens
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  are a great source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants,
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  and can be grown year round right in your kitchen.
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  Finding seeds for microgreens is easy, as many companies have
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  developed lines specifically for this purpose. Chew seeds with good
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  german ability and that have not been treated with chemicals
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  or coatings. Next, get a wide, shallow container and use
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  a seed density calculator like the one developed by the
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  Penn State Extension to determine how much seed you will need.
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  You also can figure this out on your own by
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  multiplying the recommended seed density by the area of your
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  planting container. Once you know the right amount of seed,
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  fill your container with an inch or two of moistened
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  potting mix. Sprinkle the seeds evenly across the surface, and
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  then cover with a thin layer of soil, miss lightly
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  with a spray bottle, and then cover with a clear
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  lid or plastic wrap. Water daily, keeping the soil moist
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  but not soaked. Once the seeds have sprouted, remove the
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  cover and continue missing once or twice a day as needed.
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  Seedlings will need at least four hours of light every day.
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  If your seedlings are leggy, they may require supplementation with
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  a grow light. Once the first set of true leaves
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  have formed, they are ready for harvest. Use kitchen shears
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  or scissors to cut the grips at soil level, eat
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  the same day, or store in a bag in the
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  refrigerator for up to a week. For more information on gardening,
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  check out the University of Illinois Extensions microgreen growing activity
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  at Extension dot illinois dot edu, sized sitestash default sash
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  Borrowing microgreens dot pdf. Also check out the University of
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  Illinois Extension Horticulture YouTube channel for videos on other horticulture topics.
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  Jamie Vibock is the University of Illinois Extension horticulture educators
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  serving DuPage, Cane, and Kendall Counties. Vibok's primary areas of
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  expertise are native plants. Landscaping, pollinators and rain gardens