Not much grows in mid-winter, but for a blast of fresh green flavour, nothing beats microgreens.
Microgreens can be sown all year round, but in winter they step in as the freshest greens on the plate. Although tiny, microgreens pack a nutrient punch, more intense that their mature counterparts and are flavourful too.
Growing your own means that you can use them lavishly as a garnish or topping for almost everything, to add extra crunch to salads, in burgers, dips and spreads, even your home-made sushi.
All you need…to get started
- A warm, sunny room, windowsill or enclosed patio. In warm frost-free gardens, the microgreens can be grown in a bed that gets full sun.
- For indoor growing, use an indoor/outdoor planter or large seed trays containing a seedling mix for growing successive batches of microgreens.
- For convenience, try ready-made microgreen seed mixes that combine herbs and veggies for texture and flavour.
Try these!
‘Old Mexico Mix’ consists of coriander, red beets, cabbage, radish and pepper cress. It’s a combo that delivers a powerful punch of flavour, not just for Mexican food but any dish that needs a spicy lift.
“Oriental Mix’ pairs peppery rocket and red mustard with the more exotic flavours of Asian cabbage such as Mizuna and Hon Tsai Tai. This mix is particularly good for growing in the cooler months. Sprinkle this mix over roasted veggies, Asian stir fries and meat dishes.
‘Rainbow Blend’ is a colourful and unusual combo of beetroot, Asian cabbage, kohlrabi, Italian broccoli and radish. This mix is easy to grow and snip with scissors when the tiny leaves are 2 – 4cm tall. Sprinkle over salads, fish, as a topping for sushi, for adding crunch to burgers, and anything else could do with a green fix.
- All three microgreen mixes are from RAW seeds.
Sowing…to harvest
Sow thickly and keep moist during germination. Seeds germinate within 7 -14 days and can be watered with a liquid fertiliser at half strength once a week. Harvest when the greens are 5 – 10 cm tall, generally within 15 days.
Sow a new batch of microgreens every 10 days for a continuous supply. You can also let a batch grow into mini-leaves that are harvested when the leaves are about 6cm –10cm tall.
Harvest by snipping off the greens with a sharp pair of kitchen scissors and use as soon as you can for maximum freshness.
Soil-less planter
Working indoors with soil and water can be messy. ‘Harry Herbs’ planter from Gusta Gardens takes a lot of the fuss out of growing microgreens and other edibles from seed.
It has the option of a soilless planting mat and its 5-litre water reservoir with four water wicks supplies the right amount of water. A window in the reservoir makes it easy to monitor water levels. A transparent lid with adjustable openings provides a warm microclimate.
What’s handy about this planter is that it can be kept in a warm sunny room during germination and then moved outdoors to a patio, deck or balcony for the plants to grow on.
For seed information visit www.rawliving.co.za or buy seed and ‘Harry Herbs’ planter online at www.gropak.co.za
Article and images by Alice Coetzee.
