You don’t need gardening knowledge to grow microgreens at home.Julie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
Tiny microgreens became popular in restaurant kitchens decades ago, grown by specialty suppliers (and often in-house) to add a final flourish to plated dishes. They’ve become more commonplace in grocery stores, where a small tub can put you back five or 10 dollars, but are quick and easy to grow yourself – no garden (or gardening knowledge) required.
The new shoots of edible plants such as peas, arugula, mustard, kale and radish have been shown to have a higher nutritional quality than their fully matured counterparts. With most of our leafy greens imported from the U.S., it’s an affordable, sustainable, year-round solution to boosting our intake of nutrient-dense greens, and as they are in a constant state of growth, there’s minimal waste.
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Save a container from your recycling bin and tip in a handful of soil. Then all you need is something to grow. Some seeds – plants that are known to grow quickly – are packaged up as microgreens, but you could use anything that will eventually grow into an edible flower, herb or vegetable: fenugreek, broccoli, sunflower.
Or forage for some freebies – anyone who has tried to limit the proliferation of dandelions on their lawn knows to pluck the golden heads before they transform into seedy white clouds optimized to spread their offspring far and wide. Dandelions are edible, so consider each puffball a free bundle of microgreen starters. The tiny sprouts are not as bitter as the larger leaves that have taken the time to establish themselves in your back yard.
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Whatever the variety, scatter your seeds over a thin base of soil, cover with another scattering of soil if you like, keep them moist and you’ll have tiny shoots in a week or two. Harvest with scissors as soon as you have little green leaves, or pluck them with your fingers, replenishing the seeds as needed.
Beyond their use as a garnish, tender microgreens are perfect for tossing into pasta or eggs, layering on sandwiches or pizza. And if you let them grow a little longer, larger leaves can be substantial enough to turn into a salad.
An Omelette with Microgreens
Tiny, tender microgreens are perfect in quick-cooking omelettes, and are beautiful scattered overtop, too.
- 2 eggs
- Water or milk or a spoonful of mayonnaise
- Microgreens (any kind)
- Bbutter, ghee or vegetable oil, for cooking
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Grated or crumbled cheese (optional)
- Any leftovers you’d like to use up (optional)
In a small bowl, stir the eggs with about half an eggshell full of water or milk (or a small spoonful of mayonnaise), using a fork or whisk. Stir in somewhere between a big pinch and a small handful of microgreens.
Set a small skillet over medium-high heat and add a small chunk of butter, ghee or a drizzle of oil. When the butter stops foaming (or the skillet is hot with the ghee or oil), pour in the egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and gently pull up the sides with a heatproof spatula to allow any uncooked egg to run underneath, poking any large bubbles that form to allow the same. When the egg is just set but still moist on top, scatter with cheese (and if you like, any leftovers you’d like to use up, and/or another pinch of microgreens) and slide it out onto a plate, folding the second half over itself. Garnish with more microgreens.
Serves one.
