Crisp, Crunchy Fresh.. Greens in the winter.

Today is the day, December 6th of 2021 and the snow is falling here at the farm. We always love the first real snowfall of the year around here. Maybe it's the familiarity of an approaching Christmas or the sign of quieter and more restful times to come... but whatever it is EVERYONE on the farm seems to smile a little brighter at the sight of a fresh snow fall.

Around here, winter means hearty, warm, comforting meals. Luckily, that doesn't mean that we go without fresh, green, veggies. Since it can be tricky to get all those fresh healthful foods in on a winter diet and our microgreens are grown indoors all winter, I figured I would do a little post on some of the ways we are using our microgreens to stay healthy all winter long!

If you aren't familiar yet, microgreens are the young plant form of many edible plants. They are highly nutritious ( up to 40x the antioxidants of their mature counterparts) and are praised for their cancer fighting, immunity boosting, blood pressure balancing... I could keep going, but I wont... affects.

But the best part is... they are delicious. We love that microgreens are crunchy, colorful, and highly flavorful. In fact, my kids eat the pea shoots and sunflower greens like popcorn!

So, what can you do with these tiny little sprouts of healthful goodness? Let's dive in!

1. Tacos: I don't know about you... but meals that I do not have to think about (at all) take top priority on my list. Having a set date for Taco Tuesday every week is my saving grace. Keep it fresh by changing the meat here and there like using; ground beef, shredded chicken, carnitas, shredded red beef, or fish. What are the best microgreens for tacos? We love leeks on ground beef or chicken tacos, cabbage on fish tacos, and our favorite "everything" mix on shredded red beef. Ready for a ton of flavor? Try mustard microgreens on carnitas. Yum!

2. Soups! You had to know this was coming.. we are talking about winter meals after all! Greens in soups may not immediately come to mind when you are thinking of healthful vegetable options but MICRO-greens are incredible in soups. Mustard, radish, or leek in a broth-y soup adds a ton of flavor and improves the texture and nutrition content. Toss some pea shoots in an Asian inspired soup, leeks in a potato chowder, radish on a beef stew, and broccoli in some chicken noodle. Or do like we do and toss a mixture into every bowl!

3. Sandwiches! You know you need with a broth-y soup? yep, a hot sandwich. Toss together a grilled cheese with your tomato soup and squeeze some mustard greens in between the layers for a soft crunch and extraordinary flavor. Microgreens have a way of removing all the guilt from a big juicy burger. Pile high broccoli, sunflower, and leeks to replace that boring piece of lettuce.

4. Casseroles, pasta, and more! Broccoli is incredible on enchilada casserole, pea shoots top off chicken alfredo or chicken and rice wonderfully, and sunflowers are good on eggs any way you like them. Quiche, scrambles, omelets, or fried!

Hopefully that gives you some ideas to add a whole-lot of nutrition to your winter comfort foods! The options are endless and if you are feeling a little less creative toss micros on top of some salad mix for a show stopping, highly satiating side to any dish.

Wishing you and yours a life that is happier, healthier, and more delicious!

The Stevens Family