Tiny, but Mighty- MicroGreens for Kids!

If you haven't heard, MicroGreens are perfect for kids. MicroGreens are not only tiny, but full of amazing energy- just like kids! And the good news is that MicroGreens are more nutritionally dense, so that means if you can get your kiddo's to eat or TRY even a tablespoon worth, they are going to get a lot of benefits from the MicroGreen version of these yummy vegetables.

It doesn't matter how young, you can start your child's eating habits out right by introducing them to a variety of nutritious fruits and vegetables. Countless studies show that eating more fruit and vegetables, greatly reduces your risk of developing chronic illnesses, so get those kiddo's started early! If you do have a particularly picky eater, there are several ways you can sneak these little nutritious greens in their food. Here are some ideas:

• Blended in a berry or avocado smoothie
• Sprinkled in tacos or on a slice of pizza
• Added to an omelet
• Substituted for lettuce on a burger
• Added to a grilled cheese or quesadilla
• Sprinkled on a sandwich or wrap
• Try to see if they'll just eat them raw!

Adding MicroGreens to your dishes ensure that your children are eating a healthy, more balanced meal. These little greens pack a mighty punch of nutrients- nutrients your growing child needs! Visit our recipe page for tons of other great idea's OR watch our grilled zucchini wrap-up video here!
 

An Eggscellent Idea

Happy April! I am so glad to report that we have had our first over sixty degree day for the season (so what if today is in the low forties again) everything is looking optimistic. And now that April has finally arrived, we have Easter on the brain here at the farm.

This year will be our Fourth Annual Easter Egg Hunt! We have so much fun at this free event on our farm... We have baby chicks and free prizes for the kiddo's to win, and the week prior we always offer free Easter Egg dying using 100% all natural dyes. Yes, that means only using dyes made from fruit, vegetables, and a variety of spices- No mystery dye Yellow No. 7. You can of course make your own dye from scratch or if you're a busy parent and don't have time for that, there are several great options online these days (Check out here & here!)

Another great project I LOVE for kids and adults alike, is growing inside egg shells! This project is very easy to do and you can even decorate the egg shells if you'd like, but we love the natural color tones of our farm fresh eggs. Now you can either start some Spring transplants in these little guys and plant the egg directly in the ground later. But I love to grow MicroGreens in them! MicroGreens only take 7-14 days on average to grow and when grown inside a colorful egg, they will look beautiful on your windowsill or maybe on display at your Easter celebration.

Check out a fabulous tutorial on how to grow inside an egg-here!

Spring is here

Spring has finally arrived and we are so thankful! Although, Winter seems to be hanging on for dear life around here, we are seeing signs of Spring everywhere. All over the farm, tiny glimpses of green are pushing their little heads up above the ground and our transplants in the greenhouses are doing splendidly.

We've seen several birds migrating North, particularly the Sandhill Crane. You can hear their trumpet-like calls from miles away and they fly so high in the sky, you have to strain your eyes to see them way up there. It's quite stunning to see hundreds of them flying together like that.

We also had a blast this week filming our very first MicroGreen recipe demo! Chef Nick Kennedy was such a good sport, he did a fabulous job once he got over his nerves. We are in post-production at the moment and as soon as that is finished, we will be posting our demo on Grilled Zucchini Wrap-ups. So definitely check back! We also sampled and photographed the other dishes for the MicroGreen Recipes page, so if you haven't checked it out, click here. It was really fun getting to do some 'food styling' and a big thanks to Who's Hungry? magazine for giving us amazing tips on how to photograph food properly- and for being an inspiring publication in general!

Everyone at Heritage Prairie Farm is passionate about food, so I think the staff was particularly happy to get to sip and nibble on samples of MicroGreen smoothie, Roasted Beets, and Lobster Tea Sandwiches throughout their work day. What was the staff's top pick? The Tarragon Lobster Roll Tea Sandwiches! So yummy and easy to make, I could have eaten three more sandwiches myself. Try it sometime!

Do you have a delicious MicroGreen recipe and want to share it?  Please send it to us at info@heritageprairiefarm.com and you could see your name and recipe featured on our Recipe page.

Micro's in the Media

Our farm had the pleasure of being featured in the Chicago-land publication Natural Awakenings, February 2014 Issue, this past month! Click here to read our article about MicroGreens!

Just a few years ago, it seemed like nearly no one knew what MicroGreens were, but now I find the MicroGreen awareness growing every day. It's wonderful to see articles and books popping up all over the U.S. about MicroGreens, as well in other parts of the world.

I think that with the research conducted by Gene Lester, Qin Wang, and Zhenlei Xiao in 2012 really exploded a new found interest in MicroGreens. In years past, you probably had to talk to a Chef or a Farmer if you wanted the scoop on MicroGreens, but now that certainly isn't the case.  See the chart below with some statistics from Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Here are some links below to some other great articles on MicroGreens in the media:

Mighty Microgreens by Sara Gavin

Are Microgreens Healthier? By Michael Greger M.D.

Tiny Microgreens Packed with Nutrients by Jennifer Warner

Microgreens considered super vegetables by Pamela Brown

Introducing Microgreens: Younger and Maybe More Nutritious, Vegetables by Elizabeth Barclay

A New You

Happy New Year!

I love January, the chance to reinvent yourself, and make plans for the year ahead. Whether we resolute to give up a bad habits or to get on a new work out plan, eating better and more nutritious whole foods is something we all need to get better at.

Statistics show that only 8% of the population are successful with their New Year's resolutions. I think this is often from setting too high of expectations on yourself that people end up failing and falling into their old ways. Instead, choose manageable goals for yourself and if you slip up a little, that's okay! There is no deadline for improving yourself, every day is a new day.

One way you can do that is by introducing MicroGreens into your diet. Recent studies have shown that MicroGreens on average had four to six time more nutrition than their adult counterparts. Some varieties of radish had up to 20 times more nutrition than adult radish! Now that is pretty amazing.

Packed full of phytonutrients and high levels of Vitamin A, K, and C, you can't go wrong by adding MicroGreens to nearly any dish. Here are some examples on how I use them throughout my day:

Breakfast:

I LOVE to throw them in with my smoothie. Roughly about 2 tablespoons worth of MicroGreens in with my kale, spinach, almond milk, banana, and frozen blueberries. Sometimes I even blend in some bee pollen!

or

Whip up an omelet! Chopped garlic, onion, pepper, spinach, perhaps even a little cheese. Be sure to use free range, organic eggs. I either sprinkle the MIcroGreens right in the egg solution or top right before eating

Lunch:

Add MicroGreens to your sandwich! Great in chicken, tuna, or egg salad. Or just with cheese and turkey for some nice nutritional crunch!

or

Fabulous garnish on soup (looks pretty too)

Dinner:

Roasted veggies and broiled salmon? Throw some MicroGreens right on top for added color and nutrition

or

Sprinkle them in your tacos in place of lettuce or slaw. Your friends will think you're super fancy.

Courtesy of Digginfood.com

Like I always say, get creative with them! What is your resolution for 2014?

New site launch!

We are so happy to announce the launching of our brand new MicroGreen website!  Over the years, as the Heritage Prairie Farm MicroGreen business has grown (literally!) we have always envisioned them having a website of their own. They are such a tiny, but mighty force to be reckoned with,  we felt that MicroGreens deserved a place to voice all the amazing benefits they have.

With Thanksgiving under our belts, Christmas and New Year's Eve just around the corner, there is no better time than now to introduce the Heritage Prairie Farm MicroGreens to you. Not only do they have unique color and flavor, they are incredibly nutritious for you. They will be a stunning addition to your holiday dishes this season too! We are looking forward to sharing recipes, nutritional research, customer feedback, growing tips, a day in the life at the farm... So much MicroGreen goodness to share, hard to decide where to start!