Read: Irish Examiner | Tiny but mighty microgreens
First published in the Irish Examiner on 20 August 2021.
Frequently encountered on a gorgeously plated dish of restaurant food, microgreens have often been pushed to one side with a fork by diners, dismissed as mere garnish. But they are far more than just decorative vegetable confetti. For many years these baby veggies were a chef’s secret weapon: colourful, elegant and flavoursome – if you did remember to eat them – they punched above their weight when it came to plate additions. Now, with a new focus on their nutritional benefits, microgreens are making the break from tweezer-led restaurant dinners into the home kitchen.
Former chef Denis Manzke has made a similar journey. He set up Nufields in January 2020 as an indoor vertical farm supplying restaurants and then, in a Covid-forced move, started to produce windowsill grow kits for microgreens. He explains that “microgreens are essentially the seedling of any edible plant. Usually the term refers to a seedling that has developed their initial seed leaves, called cotyledons, and prior to having developed their “true leaf” the leaf that will resemble the foliage of the mature plant.” They’re not to be confused with the lentil and bean sprouts that have been popping up on supermarket shelves over the last few years. “The stage before this is a sprout,” explains Manzke, “and the stage after is a baby leaf. The method with which sprouts and microgreens are grown differs also. Sprouts are grown using only water…[while] microgreens are generally sown on a growing medium like soil, special grow mats or even tissue paper. Microgreens require sunlight to photosynthesise and develop the energy to grow. They take slightly longer, 6 to 10 days on average, and you harvest them above soil level and don’t eat the roots.”
A 2012 University of Maryland report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that “…microgreens contain considerably higher concentrations of vitamins and carotenoids than their mature plant counterparts, although,” they added, “large variations were found among the 25 species tested [including red cabbage, coriander, basil, red and purple mustards].” Focusing on nutrients like beta carotene, along with Vitamins C, E and K, researchers concluded that there were between four and 40 times more of these nutrients in the microgreens than in the mature vegetables. A follow up study in 2018 stated that “…microgreens contain greater amounts of nutrients and health-promoting micronutrients than their mature counterparts.”
Healthy box ticked, microgreens are also a tasty addition to the diet. They come in a variety of flavours and textures, often resembling their grown up equivalents. Some have a gentler flavour, others are more punchy and concentrated: pea microgreens are sweet, mild and crisp; radish microgreens have all the intense spice of their grown roots, albeit in a small stem; beetroot microgreens have an earthy flavour. None of these need cooking and they can be added to salads and sandwiches, blended up in smoothies or sprinkled, chef-like, on top of a pizza or across a platter of roasted fish and vegetables.
There’s also the thrill of growing these mini veggies for yourself. Manzke is a passionate proponent of people being able to grow their own food indoors, all year round, no matter what kind of space they have available. “We have customers that range from young people living in 10-story apartment blocks…to parents whose kids are finally eating a wide variety of vegetables and helping grow their own food.” Whether you source them from a local grower or start your own indoor garden, microgreens are a small but mighty tasty addition to the diet.
Where to get your microgreen fix
Adare Microgreens: Brian Faulkner grows varieties like pink stemmed China Rose Radish, sweet pea shoots and crunchy sunflower microgreens at his Co Limerick microgreen farm. He operates a subscription service, doing weekly deliveries of freshly harvested organic microgreens to customers in Adare, Dooradoyle and Limerick City. You’ll also find his products available at selected local outlets and in Limerick’s Milk Market on Saturdays. www.adaremicrogreens.ie
Cork Rooftop Farm: Cork city’s 630 square meter urban farm, which was set up during lockdown by Brian McCarthy and Thay Carlos, grows microgreens as well as regular veggies. Both are sold via their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) veg boxes and at the Coal Quay market, with the microgreens being cut to order. www.corkrooftopfarm.ie
Culinary Microherbs: this Dublin-based company offers nationwide delivery, selling mixed packs of microgreens from their website. Their coriander microgreen comes highly recommended by Lily Ramirez Foran of the Picado Mexican boutique Mexican grocery and cooking school. culinarymicroherbs.ie
Eve’s Leaves: Yvonne McKay of Eve’s Leaves grows her micro greens, including Red Veined Sorrel, Chervil, Dandelion and Chard at the base of Cnoc na dTobar mountain, near Cahersiveen in Kerry. She supplies chefs and retail with cut and growing microgreens and also sells direct to the public. evesleaves.ie
Nufields: the spot to pick up all the paraphernalia for growing microgreens at home. Their starter kit (€29.99) includes four packets of seeds – Pea, Radish Mix, Mustard, Broccoli – growing trays, organic coir growing medium, a spray bottle for misting plus, very importantly, detailed instructions so that you’ll be able to enjoy a harvest in 7-10 days. When you get hooked, you can experiment with the wide variety of refill packs and certified organic seeds that they also have available. nufields.com
