My journey with microgreens started about half a year ago when I was looking at ways to find something I loved whereby I could make a difference in people's lives, and my own through the experience of a business. I've loved plants and gardening my whole life, whether growing flowers or vegetables or fruits. I considered doing something in garden design or planting services in suburban areas. I wanted something I was passionate about, something that would ignite my spirit and lighten my heavily burdened heart. I had been off for almost two years from my full time job due to burn out, generalized anxiety disorder and severe depression from dealing with years and years of hardship, hurt and pain of having a handicapped child, vulnerable relatives to care for, wanting to be a good mother, loving wife, great employee and a superwoman all at once. ...... I never realized the toll this had on my soul. The journey out of that dark abyss was one of the very hardest things I had ever done because it had been hard to admit being unable to be that ideal, hard to forgive myself for wrongs I'd done and necessary things I hadn't. I knew it was not over and that my journey would be lifelong. As I never knew what was wrong with me in those many years I was actually struggling, I now knew intensely that I had to get better, had to overcome and find something to be passionate about.
And so, here I was looking for hobbies, pass times, businesses.... anything to give me meaning and purpose. I watched a Youtube video about microgreens and I was hooked. My love for gardening piqued my interest in them. Their small size and absolute beauty left me awestruck. I knew I had to try growing them. I saw the potential in supplying them to customers, their health benefits, the multitude of varieties and most of all I loved growing them . I had found my passion that could morph into a side hustle that maybe, just maybe someday could be a business I could be proud of. I had found my way to make a difference in my world. A way to be healthy, sustainable and green, and most importantly a way to be happier and passionate about what I was doing.
The first thing I heard from anyone when I mentioned what I was doing was "but what are microgreens? " They are young vegetable greens ranging in height from 1 to 3 inches. They are really baby plants, in between sprouts and baby greens. Sprouts do not have leaves, while microgreens are similar to baby greens in that only their stems and leaves are edible. The difference is that they are much smaller in size and are harvested 7-21 days after germination. Though small in size they are highly nutritious. In fact they can store up to nine times the nutrients than the same quantity of mature greens. Most varieties are rich in potassium, iron, magnesium, copper and zinc. They are a great source of antioxidants and polyphenols. Very flavorful, they are in fact often quite aromatic. They can be consumed raw, juiced or blended, and mixed into a very large variety of meals. Though small in size they are a truly mighty superfood! And to me, well, they are truly beautiful. Once I had found my passion, my microgreen journey had begun.....