Why You Should Make Microgreens Part Of Your Daily Diet

With delicate stems and tiny leaves, microgreens are often found sprinkled on salads and stuffed in artisanal burgers. They quickly jazz up a dish, adding a little extra flavor, color and texture. But what are they really? Simply put, microgreens are edible shoots of plants that are harvested early in life, just after the first leaves have developed. “Because they’re so young, they’re packed with a lot of nutrients and flavor,” said Pamela Hargest, a horticulture professional with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Hargest leads workshops on how to grow microgreens, and she used to grow a wide variety of them commercially. “My personal favorite is sunflower shoots because the flavor is a little surprising,” Hargest said.