Target audience: Parents, children, chefs, everyone Microgreens Target audience: Parents, children, chefs, everyone

Objectives Grow microgreens Teach what a microgreen is

What are microgreens? Essentially a microgreen is a whole plant harvested as a young seedling that has grown to the cotyledon or true leaf stage. Not to be confused with a sprout. Microgreens are cut right above the soil usually no longer than 14 days after they are planted. These young seedlings are packed with nutrients, up to 40 times that of their mature counterparts. These nutrients include vitamins C, K, E, lutein and beta-carotene, important for skin, eyes and fighting cancer. How is this possible? “Because microgreens are harvested right after germination, all the nutrients they need to grow are there.” (Warner, 2012)

Microgreens Microgreens are more intense in flavor and come in a variety of colors, attractive qualities for chefs. Parents might also find these plants useful to add extra nutrients to their children’s meals. Children may have fun growing microgreens, since they are easy to grow indoors. They can have fun adding them to their meals as decoration.

Food Science Principle Storage loss and nutrition Since microgreens are usually used and eaten right after they are harvested (literally cut from their roots in the soil and transferred to a plate) there are no concerns about nutrient loss. Microgreens normally aren’t cooked so these plants retain their nutrients when added to dishes. When purchased in stores these plants are pre-cut causing some nutrient loss just by sitting out. (Bennion & Scheule, 2010 p.354)

Hypothesis If I plant seeds in soil, water them and put them in sunlight, then they will grow and I can harvest them before 14 days and have microgreens. Used a mixture of cabbage, turnip, and lettuce seeds.

Results of Experiment Limitations The seeds grew as expected. They grew for about 10 days. Limitations Some days it was rainy and cloudy so the plants might have not gotten enough sunlight. Could only put in sunlight for a limited amount of time, due to cat and work circumstances.

References Bennion, M., Scheule, B. (2010). Introductory Foods (Ed. 13). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Warner, J. (2012). Tiny Microgreen Packed With Nutrients. Retrieved from http:// www.webmd.com/diet/news/20120831/tiny- microgreens-packed-nutrients