Microgreens are easy to grow indoors on a windowsill Marina Bogachyova/Alamy
FOR several years, I have had a collection of greenery growing on my windowsill, a bunch of tiny leaves that provide me with freshly cut salad and a sprinkling of garnish on my meals.
These miniature versions of traditional herbs, vegetables, grains and grasses are known as microgreens. They are easy to grow – you plant them much like outdoor produce, but cultivate them indoors and harvest them after the first set of true leaves shows. There is a lot of variety, from cauliflower to kohlrabi, and they taste great too.
I am not alone in embracing the microgreen lifestyle. Worldwide, . But they aren’t just for hobbyists: .
The reason? Microgreens have grown a reputation for being the superheroes of the nutrition world. Tens of thousands of articles have been published about their potential as that offer health benefits over and above that of mature vegetables. “If microgreens are included in our meals, it enriches our [health] because of the diversity of species used and the amount of nutrients they contain,” says , assistant professor of vegetable crop science at Pennsylvania State University. But, until recently, research into these plants has been sparse. So before investing further energy and money into developing my crop, I wondered: are they really doing anything for my health, or are they just another food fad?
What are microgreens?
Keen…
