I grew up in the 1950’s with Popeye the Sailor Man telling us “I am what I am ‘cause I eats my spinach.” (Each can of spinach made his biceps visibly bulge.) That was about as close to “greens” as the conversation ever got. One cup, drained, of canned spinach like Popeye ate is a good source of Phosphorus and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. Not bad! But who likes canned spinach? As a child, I sure didn’t.
Kids today are growing up in a world of widely available microgreens that are fresh, and they pack nutrients that rival Popeye’s muscle-building greens. Broccoli microgreens, for example, contain Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Vitamins A,C,E and K, lots of antioxidants, and a whopping amount of fiber and protein. They’re fun to eat and much better looking than canned spinach. Microgreens are the shoots of vegetables picked just after the first leaves have come out. They’re even more nutritious than fully grown vegetables. And there are now a number of growers in northern Minnesota.
Chad and Nicole Martin’s Solid Rock Growers is one of those: a family business that moved to Grand Rapids four years ago. Twenty acres and an enormous pole building out in the country south of town provided just the space they needed. They moved north from the twin cities in search of a more rural life. (They claim that the promotional videos painting this life as idyllic don’t say enough about the amount of work involved, though.) The pole building, complete with in-floor heat, is the main production site for microgreens and lettuce. Enormous shelves complete with LED grow lights are home to lettuce of all kinds. And rolling racks outfitted with grow lights hold tray after tray of a wide variety of microgreens. I ask which is the customers’ favorite? Bodacious Brassica Mix wins the prize. I also spy pea shoots and sunflowers, two of my favorite microgreens.
Some of the lettuce is hydroponic, but all the microgreens are currently growing in soil. And they’re misted with purified ocean water twice during their short growth period. The business is not certified organic, but employs all organic products and methods. Germination begins in large humidity tents that provide just the right dark, moist atmosphere needed. Then the tiny sprouts move to the growing racks until they’re large enough to cut and package. They’re watered with triple-filtered well water that is then put through reverse osmosis purification before being used. The four Martin children help with planting, washing equipment, and packing. Single types and mixes of microgreens are packed into clear plastic containers of various sizes allow customers to see what’s inside. Solid Rock Growers has been selling mixed containers of microgreens and lettuce at Natural Harvest Coop and F&D Meats in Virginia and they’re involved in the Free Range Food Coop in Grand Rapids.
Chad does most of the growing, and Nicole recently launched a website (solidrockgrowers.com) where they sell directly to customers and offer a microgreens CSA with weekly deliveries. They’ve also sold outdoors in a tent at various locations around Grand Rapids. This coming summer, the family will add a large outdoor greenhouse for lettuce production. The frame is up and all the equipment is on site to get started this spring. They’ll be capable of producing large quantities of lettuce and hope to market varieties of fresh lettuce to area restaurants. Over the next several years, the Martin family will put several acres of fields into production as well, diversifying their offerings, but keeping the focus on greens.
Like almost every other farmer I’ve interviewed for these stories, Chad has an off-farm job. According to a study by researchers at the University of Missouri, 82% of U.S. farm household income now comes from off-farm sources. A stable income and benefits, especially health care, are the most common reasons for off-farm employment. In northern Minnesota, we don’t produce much of the state’s largest agricultural products: corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle and dairy. With some exceptions, northern Minnesota farmers are specialty crop producers. Specialty crops are fruits and vegetables and grains grown for human consumption (in contrast to corn and soybeans for livestock feed). The farmers often know their customers well because they sell directly to folks in their geographic area or to small outlets like food coops, specialty stores and farmers markets. Consumers are starting to catch on to the nutritional value of microgreens.
So how do you cook with microgreens? Well, you can put them on sandwiches, in omelets, in soup, salads, on pizza or pasta or as a side dish with a bit of dressing or sauce. They make great smoothies, packed with nutrition! And fresh microgreens last ten to twelve days in the fridge. The best thing about microgreens is that they grow inside, year-round, so you can get local fresh microgreens all through the long Minnesota winter. Popeye might even ditch his canned spinach for these delectables!