Cabbage

Red cabbage microgreens are favored for their purple color and bold taste. They can easily be grown indoors in a micro garden or shallow container. Discover what vitamins are packed inside these microgreen seeds.

Red Acre Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is well-known as an ingredient in cole-slaw and garden salad blends found in most supermarkets. The deep purple-red heads produce a sweet flavor and add bold color to accent salad greens and green cabbage. Brassica vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, have received intense interest from contemporary researchers to discover their role in reducing oxidative stress and free radicals in the human body, which has been linked to premature aging, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and gastrointestinal diseases.

Do red cabbage microgreens have more nutritional value than a mature head of cabbage?

A common statement that is made about microgreens is they can have more nutrition at the tiny first leaf stage than the vegetable they produce at maturity.

One cup of chopped red cabbage (89 grams) has 2 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein, plus healthy amounts of Vitamin A, C, and K. That cup of red cabbage also carries 7 grams of carbohydrates from which 3 grams are natural occurring sugar.

Red cabbage microgreens offer a powerful punch of nutrition and have been found to have the highest concentrations of Vitamin C when compared to 25 varieties of microgreens. They are also ranked high in offering Vitamin E and K1. The claim from research evidence states that in general, microgreen can have 5 times more vitamins and carotenoids than the mature plant.

Read research results about microgreens from the USDA.

Arugula

Description/Taste

Micro Arugula is made up of heart-shaped, green leaves attached to short stems. The petite leaves and stems are delicate with a herbaceous, nutty flavor and peppery finish.

Seasons/Availability

Micro Arugula is available year-round.

Current Facts

Micro Arugula is a member of the mustard or Brassicaceae family and is the young version of the annual herb, arugula. The word “arugula” didn’t become popular until the 1980s when it appeared on the culinary scene as a trendy new salad green. Micro Arugula was one of the first microgreens used by chefs in upscale restaurants. Now it is one of the most popular microgreens and can be found at local farmers markets and specialty food stores.

Nutritional Value

Micro Arugula is high in both vitamin C, calcium, vitamin A and folic acid. Recent studies show that this microgreen may contain a higher concentration of nutrients than mature arugula, but research is still being done to confirm these findings.

Applications

Micro Arugula works best in fresh preparations. Its small size makes it ideal for use as an edible garnish on pizza, omelets and pasta or atop grilled seafood and poultry. The peppery flavor of Micro Arugula pairs exceptionally well with tomato, olives, garlic, beets, citrus, nuts and cheeses such as goat, parmesan and mozzarella.

Ethnic/Cultural Info

Micro Arugula has grown in popularity along with other microgreens, especially with nutrition conscious consumers who believe that microgreens may have a higher concentration of important nutrients. Micro Arugula continues to be one of the most popular microgreens used by restaurant chefs because of its flavor profile.

Geography/History

Arugula is native to the Mediterranean region and mainly used in salads. American chef, Charlie Trotter has bee credited with popularizing microgreens in the 1990s when he began searching for a new product to replace mesclun mix. Micro Arugula can be harvested 5-14 days after planting. It prefers cooler shaded areas and can be grown year-round in greenhouses.

Who We are

We grow the highest quality microgreens and herbs for restaurants and bars! Our boutique urban farm is located on top of a hill in Silver Lake.   We only use non-GMO seeds and grow using drought friendly hydroponics.  This lets us save over 90% of the water used in traditional techniques and produces a better product. We hand harvest and do so only once an order is placed.  This means your microgreens and herbs were cut just hours before you receive them.  They were never frozen, stored or treated.  We despise chemicals, pesticide and herbicides in the food we eat and we know that you do not want to serve your customer food treated with unknown toxins.  That is why we do not use them.   Never have and never will.

We love visitors.  We love chefs and neighbors coming to see our little farm and sample our bounty.

We are based in the heart of the Silver Lake neighborhood in Los Angeles, California.  We have been inspected and declared a certified producer by the County of Los Angeles. We are happy to provide you an embossed official copy of our certificate upon request.

Bok Choy

Bok choy, also has antioxidant properties. Its antioxidant properties, along with its fiber component, help to protect your body to fight against cancer-causing agents. The fiber component of the pak choi, or bok choy, acts as a sweeper of your bloodstream in eliminating the bad cholesterol of your blood. If you also prepare and eat fresh pak choi, or bok choy, your body will benefit from its vitamin C. We all know that vitamin C is necessary to boost our immune system and fight the common cold and flu.

 

Compared to its other vegetable families like cabbage and cauliflower, bok choy, contains more vitamin A and carotene. To be able to meet the required levels of vitamin A, eat 100 grams ofbok choy. Aside from vitamin A, it is also rich in vitamin K, B-complex vitamins, calcium, and iron.

Bok choy, can be prepared and eaten as additives to healthy sandwiches and salads. This green, leafy vegetable helps give a crunchy, sweet taste. You can also add bok choy in your usual cabbage coleslaw recipe. Your coleslaw will become more delicious if you add bok choy. Bok choy is also great in stew recipes, soups, and stir fries.

Summary:

  1. Pak choi and bok choy are of the same plant. It comes in the scientific name of Brassica campestris L.
  2. Pak choi, or bok choy, is also called pe-tsai, petsay, Chinese white cabbage, and white celery mustard.
  3. It is a Chinese cabbage with leafy, green leaves and white stalks.
  4. Pak choi, or bok choy, mostly grows in Asian regions like the Philippines, China, and Vietnam.
  5. Eating pak choi, or bok choy, can bring you several health benefits by being low in calories, rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium and 

 

Mustard

Mustard

Health benefits of mustard greens
Mustard greens, like spinach, are the storehouse of many phyto-nutrients that have health promotional and disease prevention properties.

Leaf-mustard is very low in calories (27 calories per 100 g raw leaves) and fats. However, its dark-green leaves carry ample amounts of phyto-nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Additionally, it contains very good amount of dietary fiber that helps control cholesterol level by interfering with its absorption in the gut. Adequate fiber in the food aids in smooth bowel movements and thereby offers protection from hemorrhoids, constipation as well as colon cancer diseases.

The greens are very good sources of vitamin K. 100 g of fresh leaves carry about 257.5 µg or about 215% of daily requirement of vitamin K-1 (phylloquinone). Vitamin K has found to have a potential role in bone mass building function by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bone. It also has established role to play in Alzheimer’s disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.

Mustard greens are rich source of anti-oxidant like flavonoids, indoles, sulforaphane, carotenes, lutein and zea-xanthin. Indoles, mainly di-indolyl-methane (DIM) and sulforaphane have proven benefits against prostate, breast, colon and ovarian cancers by virtue of their cancer-cell growth inhibition, cytotoxic effects on cancer cells.

Fresh leaves are also a moderate source of B-complex group of vitamins such as folic acid, pyridoxine, thiamin, riboflavin etc. 100 g fresh leaves provide about 12 µg (about 3% of RDA) of folic acid. This water-soluble vitamin has an important role in DNA synthesis, and cell division. When supplemented in women during their peri-conception time, this vitamin may help prevent neural tube defects in their newborn babies.

Fresh mustard leaves are an excellent sources of vitamin-C. 100 of fresh leaves provide 70 µg or about 117% of RDA. Vitamin-C (ascorbic acid) is a powerful natural anti-oxidant that offers protection against free radical injury and flu-like viral infections.

Mustard leaves are also incredible sources of vitamin-A (provide 3024 IU or 101% of RDA per 100 g). Vitamin A is an essential nutrient required for maintaining healthy mucusa and skin and is required for good eye-sight. Consumption of natural fruits rich in flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.

Fresh mustard greens are an excellent source of several essential minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium, and manganese.

Regular consumption of mustard greens in the diet is known to prevent arthritis, osteoporosis, iron deficiency anemia and believed to offer protection from cardiovascular diseases, asthma and colon and prostate cancers.

Sunflower

Shipard says that sunflower sprouts are made of 24% to 30% protein with 8 essential amino acids present. Futhermore, she says, the following vitamins and minerals are present in varying amounts:

Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B15, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin F, Vitamin H, Vitamin K, Choline, Folic Acid, Inositol, PABA, Calcium, Cobalt, Copper, Flourine, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorous, Potassium, Selenium, Silicon, Sodium, Sulphur and Zinc.

Shipard also states that, “Due to the enzymes that are activated during sprouting, the sprouts are more easily digested than the dry seeds… The sprouted greens are a richer source of vitamins than the dry seeds… Young leaves of sunflower lettuce are rich in cholorphyll.” Reference: Herbs are Special – Free Sunflower Sprout Nutrition Information

Because all of our sunflower microgreens are grown in our own nutrient rich worm castings from seed to harvest, we are allowing the highest degree of nutrient uptake possible into the sunflower microgreens.

Living Whole Foods, Inc. states that Sunflower Sprouts are “High in fiber, protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, B complex, C, D and E. They also contain calcium, phosphorous, iron, iodine, potassium, magnesium and the trace elements zinc, manganese, copper and chromium.” (P. 29 “Wheatgrass, Sprouts, Microgreens and the Living Food Diet”)

We consider this confluence of well-referenced, well-researched, independent sources to be very reliable, and they echo also are reasonably in line with well known information regarding sunflower seed kernels, which is provided below.

Because microgreens are increasing in popularity all over the United States, they are considered an emerging food product. As such, there has been some research done on their nutrition. For example, the University of Maryland and the USDA did an analysis of the nutrient levels in microgreens.  They found that microgreens generally have more vitamins and other nutrients than their fully mature counterparts, and in some cases as much as a 40 times greater concentration.  Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

There is also nutrition information floating around the internet for “Sunflower Greens” that looks like the following on top:

3oz Sunflower Greens
NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size 1cup (85 g)

We did not list the rest of this information set because we do not consider this to be reliable. Although the source is listed as the “USDA National Nutrient Database” when we try to find this information in the actual USDA database, it is simply not present. The database DOES NOT actually contain nutrient information for sunflower greens at all. Therefore, we are not including it here.

There is widely available information as to the nutrition of sunflower seeds, and if we consider how sunflower microgreens grow from the kernel itself in a metamorphic process that sees the kernel disappear entirely, it logically would make sense that the vast majority of the nutrition which is in the seed is maintained in the microgreen, just maybe a little different. As Shipard says, enzymes activated during sprouting cause the vitamin and mineral content to increase in the sprouted greens. We can also readily deduce that much of the oil contained in the seed is carried through to the microgreen based on the oily aftertaste of the greens themselves.

Therefore, it seems plausible to infer that much of the below information about the seed carries over, and is possibly enhanced by, the conversion of the seed to a microgreen. For example, consider the emergence of Vitamins B12, D, and K upon activation of enzymes and exposure to light. This table below is for approximately 4 ounces by weight, or 1/4 pound, dried sunflower seed kernels.

Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture
National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 26
Full Report (All Nutrients):  12036, Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dried
(Click above link to view USDA database) Lookup Date: Jan 22, 2014

Food Group: Nut and Seed Products
Scientific Name:  Helianthus annuus
Carbohydrate Factor: 4.07   Fat Factor:8.37   Protein Factor: 3.47   Nitrogen to Protein Conversion Factor: 5.3
Refuse: 46%   Refuse Description:   Hulls

Red Cabbage

Red Acre Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is well-known as an ingredient in cole-slaw and garden salad blends found in most supermarkets. The deep purple-red heads produce a sweet flavor and add bold color to accent salad greens and green cabbage. Brassica vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, have received intense interest from contemporary researchers to discover their role in reducing oxidative stress and free radicals in the human body, which has been linked to premature aging, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and gastrointestinal diseases.

Do red cabbage microgreens have more nutritional value than a mature head of cabbage?

A common statement that is made about microgreens is they can have more nutrition at the tiny first leaf stage than the vegetable they produce at maturity.

One cup of chopped red cabbage (89 grams) has 2 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein, plus healthy amounts of Vitamin A, C, and K. That cup of red cabbage also carries 7 grams of carbohydrates from which 3 grams are natural occurring sugar.

Red cabbage microgreens offer a powerful punch of nutrition and have been found to have the highest concentrations of Vitamin C when compared to 25 varieties of microgreens. They are also ranked high in offering Vitamin E and K1. The claim from research evidence states that in general, microgreen can have 5 times more vitamins and carotenoids than the mature plant.

Read research results about microgreens from the USDA. 

The energy shot is in the seed

The red cabbage microgreen will not offer much added benefit of fiber, however the nutrition power of the plant is held at the seed sprouting phase. Think about the seed as if it were an embryo. When the right combination of moisture, warm air, and light are applied to the seed shell, an enormous amount of energy is required for a seed to pop out of its shell. red cabbage microgreen sprouted seed

So before the seed is germinated, it produces energy from stored food. After germination, the new plant leaves absorb sun and water and begin to produce its own food. Therefore the seed, stem, and first leaves are still holding the initial burst of food energy that is necessary for seed germination.

Red cabbage microgreens and sprouts are eaten at the first leaf stage, so there is an added benefit of the dense nutrition held over from germinating, and it is for this reason that sprouts and microgreens are desired by the consumer.

Red cabbage microgreens are typically eaten raw – processing and cooking raw vegetables lessens the nutritional value.