It’s in the Sprouts

If you’re a foodie, or simply like good, healthy food, the microgreens trend is for you.

Simply put, microgreens are young seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs harvested less than 14 days after germination. The microgreens are about 1 – 3 inches long, depending on the vegetable or herb, and come in a lovely assortment of colors – making them popular garnishes.

Besides garnish, microgreens are used in salads or to top off soups. With the great flavor comes an extra benefit of microgreens – they are full of vitamins – sometimes 40 times more nutrients than standard greens. Different microgreens pack different nutrient power: red cabbage, garnet amaranth and green daikon radishes have a healthy dose of Vitaminc C, K and E. Cilantro is full of lutein and beta carotene.

Microgreens MUST be consumed as fresh as possible – their shelf life is only a few days. Be ready to cook with them once they are harvested. It’s easy to add them to your home cooked dishes and dinner party menu. You’re friends and family will be impressed.

As always, Cafe 21 is about finding the freshest and healthiest ingredients for our menu. With many microgreen growers using organic, non-GMO, pesticide-free hydroponic growing methods, they save water, land space (many microgreens are grown vertically) and have less impact on the environment – responsible and sustainable farming. Cafe 21 sources from New City Farms, located in Barrio Logan, for all of Cafe 21’s microgreens. We love microgreens and are proud to serve them. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.