The what and why of Microgreens!

I remember vividly when I had my first bite of microgreens. I (Jennifer) have been an avid lover of arugula for years and my wonderful husband (Dustin) ordered arugula seeds for his adventure into microgreens as a sweet gesture. The amount of flavor in one tiny bite was incredible! Crunchy, spicy, I was hooked! Microgreen flavors are often described as concentrated. A small amount of arugula or cilantro with health-boosting broccoli makes for a delicious addition to a chicken taco! A sprinkling of radish with iron and protein-rich sunflower adds texture and flavor to even the most boring sandwich. But the best part, one serving was packed with vitamins and nutrients. In fact, one serving of microgreens has about 25 times the nutrients as its mature counterpart. Now don't tell him I told you this, but Dustin hasn't always willingly eaten his vegetables. These days I catch him sneaking microgreens out of the fridge in between meals. Better yet, our children, who take after their father in many ways, joyfully shovel fork-full after fork-full during breakfast each morning. Now, that's what I call a win. Microgreens are a young vegetable plant, harvested at a sweet spot between the sprout and baby green phases when nutrition and flavor are at their peak. Most microgreens are rich in potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and copper. Microgreens often have a wider variety of polyphenols (cancer-fighting plant compounds that also improve digestion, and fight against heart disease and type 2 diabetes) some studies show microgreens have as much as 40 times the antioxidants contained in more mature greens. I'll take mine on a salad with homemade ranch and black pepper. How are you going to have your vitamins today?