Sun's Microgreens - a small farmer feature

Sun's Microgreens - written by Sonia R. Martinez on 25 January 2013 for the Hawai'i HomeGrown Food Network

 

All photos (CR) by Sonia M unless specified...

 

Sunserene Quevedo is a very enterprising young woman with a mission to teach everyone she comes into contact with about the benefits of microgreens in our diets.

It started with a desire to start eating a bit healthier and loving to garden but in a small way.  The project began in her bedroom with a growing tray sitting in a tin pan for drainage, a bit of soil, sunflower seeds and a spray bottle.  After a few days the seeds started sprouting and before she knew it, she was clipping tender shoots and adding them to salads, wraps and sandwiches.

The excitement of seeing what could be done even in a small space in her bedroom fueled her drive and very soon she was checking out books at the library, searching on the Internet and applying all she was learning to her eating healthier project.

 

 

 

Almost a year ago, Sun got a tent to set up in the backyard and started several more trays.  Her father, who is very supportive of her efforts, built her some benches for her germinating and growing area and a larger table for processing and packing and before too long Sun’s Microgreens business was born.

Several studies have found that microgreens from 25 different vegetables contain higher concentrations of nutrients, beneficial enzymes, phytonutrients, vitamins and carotenoids than when consuming the mature vegetable; all of that packed into deliciously fresh, sweet, tender green, red, purple or yellow shoots.  Further studies conclude that microgreens of amaranth, cilantro, red cabbage, radish and mustard contain four times the amount of nutrients and cilantro in particular, more Vitamin E than the mature plant.

 

At this time Sun’s Microgreens mixes are the ‘Special Mix’ which usually contains buckwheat, mustard, green and purple radish, amaranth, broccoli, pea shots and sunflower and the ‘Rainbow Mix’ which is beets, buckwheat, sunflower and corn shoots (see last photo)

The seedlings need a good balance of warm and sunny weather mixed with some humid and rainy days.  Since the seedlings can’t stand soaking her growing area is under cover; open to the breezes and some morning sun and by rotating her growing trays all seedlings get the benefits of the sunshine.  On very sunny days she mists her plants a bit more often than on rainy days.  From sowing to harvest it takes approximately one week and Sun harvests early morning or the evening before going to market.  Her growing season is year ‘round.

 

 

Through trial and error, she found that she has to grow the sunflowers under cover due to birds bothering them, but everything else is in open growing trays and neither birds nor insects seem to bother them.  Her most unusual produce is the corn shots which is grown in the dark and the tender sweet shoots are a beautiful bright yellow.

Sun orders some of her seeds online but buys most of them in area health food stores; for seeds she can’t find locally, she is letting some of her seedlings go to seed in the yard and hoping to save her own.

With the other plants growing in her yard, Sun follows the Korean Natural Farming planting and growing methods using IMOs; no fertilizers, chemicals or pesticides are used.  At this time she is growing celery, basil, squash, mustard greens, amaranth and bok choy and would like to expand with mini lettuce, herbs and different varieties of basil and parsley.

Sun does demonstrations at the farmers markets and anywhere she is asked to better educate the public as to the benefits of making microgreens a part of our diet.  She has a board on display at the markets with photos of the microgreens and explanation of the health benefits.

Sun explains “Now that there are more studies done about microgreens which prove their nutrients I want to educate people about them because many are trying to live a healthy lifestyle and get most for their money. I think this is more than a fad and could really catch on soon not only in restaurants but as a household staple”

 

Photo by Sunserene Quevedo - 'Rainbow Mix' showing the beautiful yellow corn shoots.

You can find Sun’s Microgreens in several area restaurant menus and you can buy them yourself in 3 and 6 ounce bags on Saturdays starting in early February at the Kino’ole Farmers Market in Hilo, and on Sundays at the Volcano’s Farmers Market or you can contact her directly for special orders.  She will deliver within certain areas but cost will be a little bit higher.

 

Sun’s Microgreens

Sunserene Quevedo

808/339-1855

sunsmicrogreens@aol.com

In Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/suns.microgreens?fref=ts

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Sonia R. Martinez, the Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network regular farmers market reporter, is a cookbook author and freelance food writer for several publications in Hawai'i, including The Hamakua Timesof Honoka'a. She is a regular contributor to Ke Ola Magazine; and has her own food & garden blog at Sonia Tastes Hawaii.