Green leafy vegetables are really good for our health, but plain salads are boring. The variety of salad mixes for microgreens is endless. You can even create your own blend with YOUR favorites. Keep in mind not only the flavor profiles but also the germination and growing conditions. Successful mixes have varieties with similar growth habits.
Since these mixes include a lot of different crops, to many to do separate nutritional profiles I’ve opted to include information about the nutrition of green leafy vegetables in the video below.
So far I’ve tried three different “salad mixes” to taste and decide which are my favorite combinations. The first one I grew is known as “Zesty Salad Mix” by NOW company. The second and third “salad mixes” are from True Leaf Market which they call Basic Salad Mix and Spicy Salad Mix. I did a half of a tray of each of these last two.
Clover, Fenugreek and Radish
My first salad mix contained this combination of clover, fenugreek and radish which I really enjoy. I found this mix in one of my local stores that sells NOW products. The fenugreek smells like maple syrup, which I love…who doesn’t love the smell of maple syrup? What is fenugreek? Does it taste like maple syrup? Let me share some information that I found about this unusual microgreen. And no, it doesn’t taste like maple syrup.
Basic Salad Mix
True Leaf Market sells this “Basic Salad Mix” consisting of broccoli, blue curly kale, purple vienna kohlrabi, arugula, and red acre cabbage. I did a half of a tray of this along with the Spicy Salad Mix (below).
I prefer the basic salad mix and my husband likes the spicier greens. I like a little radish but that’s as spicy as I’ll dare. the mustard is just a bit to much for me.
Spicy Salad Mix
My husband likes spicy foods so I also ordered this salad mix version. Also sold by True Leaf Market, this “Spicy Salad Mix” contains broccoli, kale, purple vienna kohlrabi, arugula, red acre cabbage, and southern giant mustard. The difference between this and the basic salad mix is the mustard.
Recipes
My Salad Mix finds it’s way on my sandwiches, in salads (of course), in egg dishes and for toppings. Sometimes I just munch on the greens, just by themselves or as a side dish.
I’m definitely trying her recipe, sounds tasty. She’s got quite the personality and apparently her cat does too.
She uses Rocket which is also known as Arugula in the United States.
Need more recipe ideas? Check out this video Using Microgreens in Recipes (Oklahoma Gardening). I also like to get ideas on how others grow their microgreens, how they use them in recipes and how they operate their microgreens business. This video has all three. Maryland Public TV did a segment on Vertical Growing which has some recipe ideas included.
Warnings
Due to the high vitamin K in some green leafy vegetables, anyone on a blood thinning medication should check with their medical professional before consuming a diet of green leafy vegetables, especially in a concentrated juice form in their diet
Fenugreek can affect hormones and while helpful for painful periods and menopausal symptoms could stimulate uterine contractions, because of this property, fenugreek in any form are not recommended for pregnant women
Many of the green leafy vegetables contain goitrogens and should be avoided eaten in excess by anyone with an under-active thyroid condition or an iodine uptake issue, for more information
Some greens, including but not limited to: spinach, kale, and Swiss chard, are high in oxalic acid and should be avoided or eaten in small quantities for anyone who has oxalate issues. (For more information on eating a low oxalate diet visit the Low Oxalate Diet website)
