Content
Intro
Today I am going to talk about basil microgreens! Basil is a desired herb that is commonly found in Italian dishes and other cuisines as well. They have many health benefits and can be grown easily at home with the right supplies.
Basil microgreen's flavor is the same as the mature plant but a little stronger.
Add nutritious and delicious basil microgreens to your daily meals. It's so dissatisfying to go to the grocery store and see sad-looking vegetables that are half dead and lost all their nutrients but still waiting for me to pick them up and buy them.
How can we have nutrient-dense produce?? We need to control what we intake into our bodies so that we can run in optimal condition.
Adding nutrient-dense microgreens into your diet can significantly benefit your body.
Although buying microgreens can land you in the same position with sad-looking microgreens sitting on the shelf slowly dying and losing their nutrients.
Take control of your health and grow them yourself or find a local seller you trust. Developing microgreens yourself is the best way to ensure you have fresh, nutrient-dense produce. Come along to learn how to accomplish vibrant, healthy greens for you to enjoy!
What are Microgreens?
Microgreens are the youth plants harvested before they have become mature adult plants. Microgreens are the baby of the well-known common plants you would have in your garden or buy in the grocery store. For example, if you buy kale at the grocery store, you will be buying a bunch of kale leaves from a mature kale plant. Kale microgreens are the same plant only grown to the size of one to three inches tall and then harvested at that time. They can be harvested in eight to fourteen days, depending on the variety. There is a wide range of flavors with microgreens. They can very intense flavored compared to the adults.
Microgreens are grown away from a light source to get lengthy quickly before introducing them into the light. After you see the first true leaves, they are ready to be harvested. The first leaves that you will see are called cotyledons. The first true leaves are the second set of leaves that appear. When you notice these leaves, your microgreens are ready to be harvested and eaten.
Microgreens have more concentrated nutrient content than mature plants. In most cases, the microgreen antioxidant levels, vitamins, and minerals are higher than the adult plants. There are some vegetables where that is not the case. Overall, eating microgreens will help you incorporate nutrition into your daily menu.
Basil Microgreens Nutrition
Basil Microgreens Health Benefits
Basil microgreen's flavor is the same as the mature plant but a little stronger. They taste great in soups, salads, tacos, salsa, and sandwiches. Microgreens have larger quantities of magnesium, copper, and zinc than vegetables. Basil is very nutritious.
You can't go wrong with little basil microgreens! They are high in polyphenols and vitamins K. Basil has anti-inflammatory properties that aid in regulating digestive functions, as well as other natural bodily processes.
Basil microgreens are a fantastic addition to your daily meal plan filled with antioxidants and nutrition.
How to Grow Basil Microgreens
First, I'll add the growing medium into the microgreen tray, which is coco coir for me. I add very little to the tray, about a quarter-inch of coco coir. It's best to moisten the medium before adding it to the tray. Once you have added your moistened medium to the tray, press the medium down nice and firm and evenly, then add your basil seeds to the tray. Spread the seeds as evenly as possible reasonably densely. Once you have added your seeds, spray the top of the tray with food-grade hydrogen peroxide and water your seeds. After that, you should cover with something to keep your seeds in the dark, or placing them into a dark room will work well also. Continue to water daily on the tray's top until you can see the roots through the soil on the bottom of the tray. Once the roots started shooting out of the soil, I started to bottom water. Basil is a slower-growing microgreen, but won't take long to start bottom watering. Watering on top too long into the process can destroy your whole tray because of the planting density. Mold may take over your tray. There is not enough airflow to allow the microgreens to dry out on the top, so it stays moist and makes a perfect environment for mold to grow. Once your basil has reached the height that you like, then place them into your light source. I use a timer that I set to 12 hours, so 12 hours on and 12 hours off. You don't need that long a period to have your lights on but that is what I choose to do. I would suggest at least 8 hours of light. Continue checking daily and bottom water as necessary. You'll want to harvest them when you see the first true leaves. When a plant sprouts, the first two leaves are called cotyledons. The following leaves that come are called the true leaves. I harvest when I see the first true leaves start showing. Use a very sharp knife and cut them as close to the soil line as possible. After harvesting then rinse and enjoy the basil microgreens that you have grown!
After the basil seeds are wet you can see mucilage around the seeds. This makes the seeds extremely sticky, so don't cover them with something touching them because they'll stick to it.
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