Small Wonders: microgreens pack a big punch

MICROGREENS PACK A BIG PUNCH

BY AMELIA LORD, TERESA JOHNSON PHOTOS

Teresa Johnson photo

Every winter, as the season wears on into spring, I crave green growing things. Inevitably, Ideclare my intentions to start my ownindoor microgreen farm, envisioning trays upon trays that cover every sunnysurface in my home.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a microgreen is a young vegetable green that has moved beyond the sprout stage to develop its first small leaves. Sometimes referred to as “vegetable confetti,” these tiny plants can be used to add flavor and color to dishes, especially in early spring when the first harvest of the season has yet to make it to our grocery shelves.

After a failed attempt at micro-gardening that involved simply throwing together a bunch of seeds with approximately the same growing time, I gave in and swallowed the expense of buying packages of petite arugula and purple radish microgreens from the grocery store. It feels like a splurge to use an entire container on just one salad, but it’s an effective way to fend off the late-winter doldrums. Buying microgreens is a completely acceptable solution, but a continuous indoor harvest is within reach if you’re willing to invest the time and effort.

Teresa Johnson photo

YouTube has scads of videos on microgardening, but also consider consulting the book Micro Green Garden: Indoor Grower’s Guide to Gourmet Greens, by New London resident Mark Braunstein. The first half is available to read for free on his website, markbraunstein.org.

The process is simple: collect the plastic containers like those that berries are sold in, fill them with potting soil, scatter seeds on top, and keep them covered but ventilated for a few days. Once the greens have sprouted, uncover them, keep them well hydrated, and give them plenty of light until they are ready to harvest. As long as you keep your home comfortably heated (no cooler than 50 degrees at night and no warmer than 80 degrees during the day), microgreens can flourish given adequate water and light.

Teresa Johnson photo

Be aware that this approach can be costly. Microgreen seeds need to be either organic or untreated. And while buying enough seeds for a summer garden is not very expensive, microgreens grow in such density that a home grower plows through many more seeds than you’d expect – a regular seed packet might yield only one miniscule tray’s worth of greens. The best solution might be to purchase from a grower readily available greens like peppery arugula, gorgeous red beet, pea shoots, and lettuce mixes with kale and cabbage micros. Then you can save your sunny window ledges for specialty micros that are difficult to find elsewhere and a bit delicate for the retail market (basil, lemony sorrel, carrot).

Chefs have been clued in to the wonders of microgreens for some time – they offer a concentrated punch of flavor, bright color, and a new dimension of texture to a dish. Research has shown that they can even have up to 40 times the nutritional value of their mature counterparts.

On Tiny Acre Farm, a four-year-old venture in Woodstock, farmers Callah Racine and Matt Skobrak grow edible flowers, mixed baby lettuces, and shoots, the hardier and slightly older form of microgreens. Unlike other growers, Tiny Acre grows its shoots in heated high tunnels and directly in the ground. In addition to being economical, this method results in healthier and stronger plants, because the roots have more room to spread out in the earth.

Teresa Johnson photo

Callah and Matt did not set out to start a farm. Callah, a brewer, moved to Woodstock to help her cousin start a brewery, and Matt worked as a chef at a restaurant down the road. The pair started growing microgreens so Matt could bring them to work and use them in dishes.

Having studied and begun his chef career in Vermont, Matt found the food culture a bit of an adjustment upon returning to his home state of Connecticut. Restaurants in Connecticut have a desire for locally grown produce on the menu, but the farm-to-table infrastructure has yet to fully take off. In Vermont, Matt said, “farmers would just show up at the back door of the restaurant with whatever they had.” Using this as inspiration, Tiny Acre began offering restaurant subscriptions, dropping off their harvest on Wednesdays, thereby giving chefs enough time to incorporate the new items into their weekend menus.

Farming has freed Matt from the confines of a restaurant schedule, but allows him to continue working with food and other chefs. “The reason I’m so passionate about growing salads is, as a chef, the first impression you make in a restaurant is the salad,” Matt said.

The quality of every aspect of a salad makes a difference, no matter how small. Tiny Acre Farm grows four different varieties of shoots, creating a high yield that can satisfy the appetite of many wholesale accounts. Their lovely pea shoots, sunflower microgreens, mung bean sprouts, and purple radish micros are available to the public year-round at the Willimantic Food Co-op and the Fiddleheads Food Co-op in New London, and throughout the summer at It’s Only Natural Market in Middletown. Tiny Acre Farm has more than 50 restaurant accounts throughout the state and regularly makes deliveries into Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Microgreens can—and should—be used in all kinds of dishes, but be sure to leave them raw, as it would be a shame to lose all those flavors, colors, and textures to a hot pan. Sunflower sprouts have wonderful toothsome leaves, which Callah likes to eat right out of the ground. Try them in a salad with some dense fruit, like persimmons, or stuffed into a sandwich. This recipe for summer rolls from Matt is easy, light, and fresh. The pea shoots are a great mix with the green apple, and the sweet, earthy squash gives his nutty satay another dimension of flavor. If you prefer the sauce on the thinner side, Callah suggests adding a splash or two of coconut milk. To make it gluten-free, substitute equal parts tamari for soy sauce.•

Teresa Johnson photo

Teresa Johnson photo

Teresa Johnson photo

Teresa Johnson photo

Green Apple Pea Shoot Summer Rolls with Butternut Satay Sauce

CHEF MATT SKOBRAK, TINY ACRE FARM

BUTTERNUT SATAY SAUCE

• 1 cup diced butternut squash

• ½ cup good-quality smooth peanut butter

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp garlic chili sauce

• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger

• Juice of 1 lemon

Put the squash in a small pot with enough salted water to just cover it. Over medium heat, boil the squash until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and let cool.

Combine all the ingredients, including the cooked squash, in a blender and puree until smooth.

GREEN APPLE - PEA SHOOT SUMMER ROLLS

• 8 rice paper spring roll wraps

• 1.5 oz pea shoots

• 1 green apple

• Zest of 1 lemon

Julienne the green apple, and place it in cold water with a bit of apple cider vinegar to prevent it from browning.

Place lukewarm water in a bowl large enough to submerge spring roll wraps. Soak one wrap at a time to soften it, about 15-30 seconds, and transfer the softened wrap onto a cutting board.

In the center of the wrap put a layer of pea shoots, green apple, and lemon zest, leaving enough wrap on the sides to roll over the filling. (Note from Matt: this isn’t an exact science. Add as much filling as you are comfortable with. The idea is not to tear the wrap when you roll it. It might take a few tries to get it right.). The instructions on the spring roll wrappers offer handy step-by-step tips on how to wrap.

Teresa Johnson photo