If you're new to microgreens, it can be difficult to decide what to buy. With the number of options and varieties, the selection of available microgreens may seem daunting. Luckily, microgreens are versatile and healthy. There are multitudes of ways to enjoy microgreens and their nutritional benefits!
When deciding which microgreen is right for you, it depends on why you're interested in microgreens. Some prefer microgreens for their powerful health benefits, others want to explore different dishes with microgreens, and others are looking to enjoy their strong flavors.
No matter what you're looking for, there is a microgreen option for you!
What microgreens are the best for healthy eating?
Microgreens contain high amounts of vitamins and nutrients due to their nutritional concentration. Microgreens are harvested at a stage where the plants are storing nutrients for growth, making their nutritional value close to that of the mature plant, but microgreens have a stronger concentration in their leaves and stems.
As a standout, the most popular microgreen for healthy eating are broccoli microgreens. Micro broccoli has the same health benefits as mature broccoli, but with leafy greens that can be added to more dishes without the rough texture or bitterness that some dislike.
For those who normally struggle with healthy eating, microgreens can be a more accessible option. Being smaller greens, microgreens can be easily put into sandwiches or other dishes. Higher concentrations make for a stronger flavor, but lower concentrations lower the intensity.
For being specifically geared towards healthy eating, we also offer a superfood salad mix of microgreens that are known for their health benefits. This mix has a very strong flavor, with broccoli, kohlrabi, collards, radish, and cabbage. This is an ideal mix for those looking for all of the most nutritious microgreens!
What should I get if I want to cook with microgreens?
Microgreens are versatile for many dishes and often have more options compared to their mature counterparts. There are hundreds of options for microgreen dishes, and any one microgreen has dozens of possibilities for what they can be used in.
We would strongly recommend basil microgreens for those looking for herbs. Micro basil is small while still tasting strongly of basil, meaning more can be used for a stronger basil flavor in pesto, pizza, or sauces.
Another standout example for cooking is our cilantro microgreens, which taste like a more concentrated cilantro!
All microgreens have some use in dishes, such as for a healthy salad, mixed in with veggie bowls, or with avocado toast. They can often be put into your favorite dish, whether as a garnish or a main course.
What if I want a specific flavor?
For their smaller leaves, microgreens can be extremely flavorful. We offer through our online store a way to search by flavor, which includes options such as bitter, sweet, nutty, or peppery. All of our microgreens have a brief flavor description in their FAQ as well!
Most microgreens taste similar to their mature counterparts, but stronger or more concentrated. Broccoli lovers will still probably love broccoli microgreens, and kale lovers will probably love kale microgreens!
For those looking for something spicier, we also have a collection of spicy microgreens. Daikon radish has a wonderfully strong radish flavor, and its cousin, the rambo radish, is a good milder alternative.
There are sweeter options available as well, like cantaloupe microgreens, which taste like cantaloupe!
What should I avoid as microgreens?
There are a few plants that can't be eaten as microgreens. One of these is the nightshade family, which includes potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. The leaves and stems of these plants are poisonous and not safe for consumption.
Likewise, if you're allergic to the mature plant, you'll still be allergic to the microgreens. Mustard microgreens, for example, still would irritate mustard allergies.
However, disliking the mature plant may not always mean you'll dislike the microgreen. They can also be subtly slipped into more dishes and mixed with other ingredients.
Conclusion
Things to consider before deciding which microgreen to try and enjoy are:
- Are you looking for anything with certain nutrients?
- What flavor do you like?
- Are you looking for something with a specific texture?
However, with all that, microgreens are rather risk-free! Being leafy greens, they can be put in more recipes and used in several ways.
We hope you'll be able to find your next favorite green!
