Small but mighty

planting micro greens

We are growing micro greens in the greenhouse behind "the fig."

Besides how good they taste, "the advantages of these tiny leaves 

less than 14 days old are many, their proponents say. 

They make vibrantly hued garnishes to salads, sandwiches and soups. 

And whether they're spinach, pea, beet or purple mustard, 

micro greens are rumored to pack even more nutrients that their adult versions." 

In this recent story on NPR, a researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

revealed startling results of the first scientific analysis of the nutritents in microgreens.

our arugula micro greens

"The researchers looked at four groups of vitamins 

and other phytochemicals – including vitamin C, vitamin E, and 

beta carotene — in 25 varieties of microgreens. 

They found that leaves from almost all of the microgreens had 

four to six times more nutrients than the mature leaves of the same plant."

Bull's Blood Beet micro greens

Beets are one of our most beautiful and especially healthy vegetables, 

supporting cardiovascular health and possibly lowering cholesterol. 

So the recent nutritional study means the popular Bull's Blood Beet

scarlet micro greens that adorn a salad are not just looking pretty! 

When these mature, their deep red (albeit) tiny leaves are sweeter than radicchio.

micro greens are different than sprouts 

And then there's the taste. 

They can have surprisingly intense flavors 

considering their small size, though not as strong as mature greens and herbs. 

Micro greens range in size from one to one and a half inches long, 

including the stem and leaves. A micro green has a single central stem 

which has been cut just above the soil line during harvesting. 

It has two fully developed cotyledon leaves and usually one pair very small, 

partially developed true leaves. The typical stem and leaf configuration

 for micro greens is about 1” to 1½” in height, and ½” to 1“ in width across the top. 

Small but mighty indeed!

Here's a list of varieties and descriptions of micro greens  

And the video below shows you step by step how to plant these babies. 

Micro greens don't last long, so our chefs check the greenhouse 

and harvest them as soon as they can.

So, they might be incorporated into a salad or garnish 

any of our dishes, whatever inspires the wizards in the kitchen. 

You'll just have to see what's on the menu each day or better yet, 

stop into our restaurants at the girl & the fig or the fig café and winebar. 

Have you tried growing micro greens? 

Let us know how you use them or any tips for growing.