Cauliflower microgreens are among the most easily grown microgreens. They have a mild and fresh broccoli flavor with a tint of pepper. Not only are these microgreens delicious and beautiful, but they are also a treat to your health.
These are among the most attractive microgreens with glossy dark leaves and violet stems. Let’s get to know more about these snowballs in detail.
Table of Contents
What Are Cauliflower Microgreens?
Cauliflower snowballs belong to the polymorphic species called Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis. The family includes cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. These microgreens are an important source of greens for both humans and animals.
The snowball produces a typical quantity of edible leaves. However, they are considered inedible by western people and prefer eating the young, terminal inflorescence only. The branches of their flower-head are consumed by immature floral primordial closely knit together.
Nutrition And Benefits
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database has claimed cauliflower to be the powerhouse of many nutrients.
To start with, a raw cauliflower chopped into half-inch pieces, about 107g in weight, contains 27 calories and 2g of protein. 0.3g fat and 5g of carbohydrates content are present in a cauliflower snowball.
Moreover, they also include 24mg of calcium, 16mg magnesium, 47mg of phosphorus, 320mg of potassium, and 51.6 mg of Vitamin C.
There’s more- 16.6mcg of Vitamin K, 0.197mcg of Vitamin B6, and 61mcg of folate.
A cup of cauliflower microgreen seeds would mean the growth of 77 percent of daily Vitamin C requirements, 20 percent of daily Vitamin K needs, and 10 percent or even more of your daily Vitamin B6 and folate requirements.
Additionally, Cauliflower micros also contain thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese.
When it comes to health benefits, a cauliflower snowball has been found to reduce several health risks. To start with, growing cauliflower microgreens seeds would mean planning out a diet to reduce obesity, diabetes, heart diseases while increasing overall mortality.
Consuming these greens helps promote a healthy complexion with enhanced energy and overall low weight.
Cauliflower is the storehouse of antioxidants that prevent cellular mutations while reducing oxidative stress. 3-carbinol or I3C, an antioxidant common in cruciferous vegetables like cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower, is known to reduce the risk of breast and reproductive cancers in both genders of human beings.
Materials To Grow Cauliflower Microgreens
Cauliflower snowball y is available to grow from microgreen seeds in the market. Be it Amazon American express or otherwise, you can get these microgreen seeds easily. However, you need to add some more materials to your cart to assist yourself with growing cauliflower snowball y.
The rate of growing these micros depends greatly on the measures you take to grow these microgreens seeds. Besides the seeds, cauliflower green leaves need the supply of a few items in the cart.
Microgreen trays are an essential part of the growth of these micros, as they serve as the growing base to these micros. Next, you need to grow lights for when the seeds need exposure to light after the germination process.
You will need a soil sifter to sift the soil off of any debris or particles properly. You can buy good quality soil or use your existing garden soil to grow the cauliflower seeds.
Water spray to moist the soil and the seeds after planting them is essential. Ziploc bags are also to be included in your shopping cart while shopping for the cauliflower growing essentials.
Lastly, make sure there is access to water which is an obvious requirement.
Growing Cauliflower Microgreens Seeds
You are going to grow these microgreens using the following 10 easy-to-follow steps.
1. Get Your Growing Medium Ready
Get the soil to plant this cauliflower microgreen seed ready. Assuming that all the other materials are on point, the foremost step to cater to here is preparing the garden soil for the cauliflower microgreen seeds.
You can also use fiber as the growing medium of this microgreens seed.
Sift the growing soil to plant the seeds of the cauliflower snowball y to remove any debris or particles present in the soil.
2. Fill The Growing Tray With Sifted Soil
A growing tray that is not too deep nor too shallow is ideal for growing these microgreens seeds of cauliflower snowball y. Place the sifted growing soil into the tray leaving out some space of about a centimeter on top.
Make sure that there are drainage holes below the growing tray to prevent waterlogging. Once all set, evenly spread the sifted garden soil in the tray.
3. Mist The Soil With A Water Spray Bottle
Keep note that this is the only time the growing soil will come in contact with water before the germinating process. Make sure to spray enough water in the soil, making it wet enough to plant the microgreens seeds.
You could take a water-filled dish and place the growing tray on top of it for the soil to take in all the water through the holes beneath it. Once the soil is damp enough, it’s time for the next step.
4.Sprinkle The Seeds
Next, spread the microgreen seeds on the top surface of the sifted garden soil, which is now damp enough, providing suitable conditions for the seed to be pushed in about half an inch deep. Now, it’s time for germination. Place a weight on top of the seed. You can even use foil paper to cover the top of the growing tray.
5.Place The Tray in The Dark For Germination
Place the planted cauliflower microgreen seeds in a cold dark area where the seeds will undergo germination for the next 3-4 days. You can check for the germination rate during these days to keep track of the progress. After 4-days, you can check for the sprouts and, accordingly, proceed to the next step.
6.Expose The Seeds To Light
After germination, the seeds need a touch of light. You can use the grow light to provide a sufficient amount of light to the seeds. You can also place them in front of an artificial source of light like a lamp. This is their ultimate growth period and so keep water them with the water spray bottle to complement their growth.
7.Harvest And Store
Your micros are now ready for harvest. Harvest usually involves cutting the stem just above the soil without uprooting the plant. The best time for harvest is said to be just before the birth of the third leaf.
You can cut these micros and wash them in cold water before adding them to your microgreens salad or other foods.
If not consumed right after harvest, you store these micros in an airtight plastic bag and then store the plastic bag in the freezer. It is recommended not to store these micros beyond a period of 3-days since they lose their nutritional value after that and their cabbage flavor.
Summing Up
Cauliflower micros are a great addition to your palate that links its roots to the other veggies of the same family. As per research information, the colors of the cauliflower leaves vary in their shades of green at times. Nevertheless, they are still the same in terms of their flavor.
James Fields is the founder of Gardener to Farmer. His passion for gardening goes back to his childhood days when he would visit his grandfather during the holidays and help him with the plants in the backyard. This has now translated to creating a dependable resource for gardening.