Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Micro Greens

Photo Jacqulyn Maisonneuve

The gardening season is winding down. Huge fig leaves are falling and lots of our crops have been pulled up and replaced by green manure. We still have kale, chard, cabbage, tomatoes and horseradish growing...but it seems to be growing in slow motion compared to mid-summer. I relish the change in season and look forward to a little less garden time but already miss just picked from our garden produce...especially salad greens.

In an attempt to keep growing greens throughout the winter we have set up a small micro green farm under a sky light in our house. We hung large window boxes on the wall, fitted them with 8 shallow trays, filled those with a layer of potting soil and sprinkled them with 8 different types of organic seeds. We covered the seeds with paper towels and water them a few times a day with a spray bottle. We planted Friday and the photo is of the seeds yesterday! The greens grow at different rates but some might be ready to eat by this Friday and all will be ready within the month.

We were first introduced to micro greens years ago when Mike Pappas, who had just started Eco Farms showed up at the back door of our restaurant with a variety of enticing micro greens. Immediately we were seduced by the intense flavors and the unique textures and used them to enhance a variety of dishes. Mike grows his greens 8 miles from DC in Lanham Maryland on a small plot of land using bio-intensive farming methods. Years later we are anxious to grow own, experiment with different varieties of greens and use them immediately after harvesting.

Micro greens are packed full of nutrients. It is believed that not only do they contain all of the nutrients of larger greens but also the additional benefits of the energy and nutrients that they would use up in the process of growing larger. They are classified as a functional food, one that provides benefits beyond their basic nutritional profile.

We are excited about our new indoor farming project and hope for success!

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