I began my planting journey at the onset of the pandemic. My first experience as an urban farmer was surprisingly pleasant. I was so excited to harvest so that I can serve it to my family, especially our kids. I would even say, ‘Guys, have some vegetables. It came from our greenhouse’. I would often get a silent nod. After saying the same line three times, in three different meals, they began to laugh at me. Then I’d say, ‘Why? It’s organic!’
It made me think that they actually don’t care about the veggies coming from the greenhouse. They also do not care about it being organically grown. They simply do not like eating vegetables.
As a parent, I have tried different ways to convince my kids to eat their greens — mixing in soup, making salad, buying malunggay bread, vegetable chips, etc. I have also tried vegetable supplements — all to no avail.
The turning point was when I came across microgreens. A friend was telling me how easy it was to grow it. He would show me microgreens grown on tissue paper and other soilless medium. I simply ignored it at first, until I came across articles on these so called superfoods which is microgreens. Why superfood? Well, microgreens are said to be up to 40 times more nutritious than their adult versions.
I researched some more and discovered more wonders. Some institutions serve microgreens to their guests and patients because they are rich with vitamins C, K and A, micro and macronutrients. Some even have anti-cancer and anti-Alzheimer’s components. So I tried to grow them to see for myself. It took only 10 days to harvest. When I tasted it, I noticed the subtle taste of some and the nutty and spicy flavor of other varieties.
My desire to feed veggies to my kids was renewed. I offered them various microgreens. They all tried it without resistance. Afterwhich, one of them called out her preferred microgreens for future reference. The other two just quietly got their share and tasted it. So far, for several weeks now, I have been serving them these superfoods and they are willing to try and accept them. That for me is positive change.
Since then I resolved to grow a number of trays / punnets weekly so that I can have a steady supply to feed them. Now that it has become acceptable to my children, I just thought of thousands of parents who might be having the same struggle as me. This thought has encouraged me to learn and prepare more so that I can share the good news about microgreens.
I hope this helps.