RECENTLY I’VE BECOME FASCINATED BY MICROGREENS. Last week I was treated to some radish greens featuring pink stems that topped my breakfast avocado toast at Mundos Coffee. Did I ever enjoy their spicy little kick – wow! The coffee wasn’t bad, either.
The microgreens added such a fresh flavor as a garnish. It is amazing how these new finishing touches add to the culinary expression. Who would have ever thought they would become so popular?
Intrigued by these little wonders, I gathered a collection of the most recommended seed varieties to try germinating them myself so I can have a firsthand experience in my kitchen watching and attending to them as they progress from scattered seeds to sprouts, to microgreens. I think that is the correct terminology for their order of appearance.
I have had a fondness for seeds since childhood. My mother introduced me to the excitement of growing a vegetable garden at our home. She introduced me to the wonderment of vegetables where we would be fascinated by the changes that plants would undergo. One of my favorites was waxed beans. We would plant the white seeds with their telltale black spots in ten-foot rows in the garden. I remember the double rows of waxed bean plants that would display their leaves growing an inch a day and soon under their canopy of leaves produced little yellow pods that would grow to the size of pencils. What a hoot. We would gently pick the pods and within minutes they would be placed in steaming hot water readied to accompany a baked potato and a slice of Mom’s famous meatloaf.
Microgreens offer another approach to enjoying this miracle created from seeds. Essentially, the seedlings of any vegetable or herb plant can morph into edible treats after the first set of leaves appears. I’m working on the proper media and lighting approach to enjoy these wonders. Even if I choose to buy them in the future, I will have learned from my experimentation in my kitchen.
How fun is that?