Microgreens

By Tara Kate Linnane

As the saying goes, ‘there’s a great stretch in the evenings’. The brightness encourages some late afternoon walks and allows a bit of pottering in the garden to enjoy the fresh air. Although the early spring days do limit choices for growing quick edibles, there are still options for those looking to give their green fingers a workout after a quiet period.

Microgreens offer a fast fix for growing nutritious food with zero air miles. They don’t require lengthy periods of sunlight to grow and can be used in a variety of ways from salads to curry, pizza toppings to juices. They don’t just add fresh colour to dishes but they genuinely add flavour too.

Microgreens are young plants or shoots that have been allowed to develop their first leaves. They are harvested early and as a result are packed full of nutrients. Examples of microgreens include pea shoots, mustard, sunflower shoots, broccoli and watercress.

Microgreens should be grown close together, there is no required spacing between plants. This makes them an expensive crop to grow, but worth it while you wait for the weather to warm up.

To sow seeds, fill a seedling tray with potting soil. Soak the seeds overnight to get them started germinating and then cover them with a thin layer of soil in the tray, or just press them into the surface of the soil.

Place in a sunny spot, ideally a south facing window. Keep moist. Harvest once the first leaves emerge by cutting them with scissors just above the soil.

Temperature is probably the most important factor to keep in mind when growing microgreens this time of the year. If the surrounding temperature is too cold, your seeds won’t germinate well, if at all.

Keeping your germinating trays warm during the first few days is of key importance and is half the battle.

Greens of all types are ideal for harvesting as microgreens, even root crops such as turnips, beetroot, and radish.

There are plenty of ways to incorporate them into meals. Here is a recipe to try out with your quick crop of micros.

Recipe for microgreen kimchi

When fermenting, it is important to get the salt to ingredient balance correct. The amount of salt required is 2.5% of the overall mixture of veg, water and other ingredients. An example; if the total ingredients weigh 100 grams, you will need 2.5 grams of salt.

• Combine grated carrot and microgreen sprouts of your choice. Weigh the mixture and multiply by 0.025. This number will give the amount of salt you need to add.

• Massage the salt into the carrot and sprouts for 2 minutes. You should be seeing lots of liquid being released which will become part of our brine. Set aside.

• Add garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and 200g water to a blender and process until smooth. Weigh this mixture again for the amount of salt you need to add.

• Add this to your sprout and carrot mixture and mix well.

• Stuff your mixture into a jar ensuring there are no air pockets There should be at least 2 inches of space from the mouth of the jar. Make sure everything is submerged under the brine at all times.

• Leave in a dark place. Fermentation should occur after 3 or 4 days. You can tell by the bubbles of carbon dioxide forming. The longer the mixture is left the more tangy the flavour will become. Once you are happy you can refrigerate your kimchi and it will be good for several weeks.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tara Kate Linnane is passionate about sustainability and growing all things edible. Together with her husband Barry, she has embarked on a journey of designing edible spaces and getting others started on their gardening adventures.

Follow their journey on Instagram @twopeas_inapolytunnel or visit thefoodscapedesignco.com to make contact for information.