How to store, rinse and use microgreens

Microgreens are young greens harvested 7 to 24 days after planting, once their first leaves have opened. You eat the leaves and the stem. They taste like a stronger, fresher version of the grown plant, which is why a small handful goes a long way.

They’re easy to mix up with two other young greens:

Sprouts

Seeds that have just started to grow, eaten whole, root and all, usually after a few days in water.

Microgreens

Grown on for 7 to 24 days in the light, then harvested above the root. You eat the stem and the first leaves.

Baby greens

Older again: the young leaves of salad plants like spinach and lettuce.

Fresh microgreens stand up crisp, look dry and smell clean and green. Stems that have gone limp, leaves that look wet or dark, or a sour smell mean they’re past their best.

Mine are harvested on Monday and at your door on Tuesday, so there’s one day between harvest and your fridge.

• Fridge firstPut the box in the fridge as soon as it’s in. Greens left on the counter go limp much faster.
• Keep the lid onThe closed box keeps the greens from drying out and from picking up smells from the fridge.
• Keep them dryWater on the leaves spoils microgreens quickly, so don’t rinse them before you put them away.
• Mind the cold spotKeep the box away from the very back of the fridge, where some fridges freeze the leaves.
• Don’t squash themKeep heavy things off the box, so the stems stay upright and crisp.
• Warm day?If your box waits at your door on a warm day, a cooler by the door keeps it cold until you’re home.

Treated this way, they stay fresh for up to 10 days in the fridge, in the closed box. They’re at their crunchiest in the first few days.

Rinse microgreens just before you eat them, never before you store them.

1. Take out what you needTake out only what you’ll eat now, and put the box straight back in the fridge.
2. Rinse in cold waterSwish them in a bowl of cold water, or rinse them gently in a colander.
3. Dry themShake off the water and pat them dry on a clean towel, or give them a quick spin in a salad spinner.

Dry greens stay crisp on the plate, and a dressing clings to them better.

The simplest rule: eat them raw, or add them at the very end. Heat softens microgreens in seconds, so put them on top once the cooking is done.

• EggsA big pinch on scrambled eggs, an omelette or a fried egg, off the heat.
• Sandwiches and wrapsWith the lettuce or in its place, for a crunch that holds up.
• BowlsOn rice, grain or noodle bowls, with a squeeze of lemon.
• SaladsSunflower and the Savory Mix (it contains mustard) make a salad on their own. The others go on top.
• Soups and curriesA pinch on top as a garnish, just before you serve it.
• Tacos and toastRed radish on tacos, and any green on avocado toast.
• SmoothiesA handful of pea shoots or broccoli blends in with fruit.
• Pasta and pizzaScattered over once it’s off the heat or out of the oven.

A pinch to a small handful per plate. Mild greens like broccoli and pea shoots can go on by the handful. Peppery red radish works better by the pinch, like a seasoning, and the Savory Mix (it contains mustard) works either way.

A 140 g Super Pack is enough for a week of meals. Here’s one way to use it:

• Tuesday: pea shoots straight from the box, as a snack.
• Wednesday: broccoli on scrambled eggs.
• Thursday: red radish on tacos.
• Friday: sunflower in a wrap.
• The weekend: a handful of all four on a rice bowl, and the rest on toast.

Near the end of the week, use what’s left where looks matter less:

• Blend it into a smoothie, or into a green sauce like pesto or a herby yogurt dip.
• Stir it into soup, fried rice or an omelette at the very end.
• Pile it into a sandwich or a wrap.

If a green has gone slimy, smells sour or shows any mould, throw it out.

The Savory Mix contains brown mustard. Mustard is a priority food allergen in Canada, so if you have a mustard allergy, don’t eat the Savory Mix.

Broccoli, red radish and kohlrabi are in the same plant family as mustard. If you have a mustard allergy, ask your doctor before you eat them. Pea shoots grow from peas, and sunflower shoots from sunflower seeds. If you’re allergic to peas or sunflower seeds, don’t eat that green.

I pack every green in the same place, so any pack may have a trace of another green, mustard included.

If you live in Vancouver, west of Knight Street, I deliver every Tuesday, during the day. The Super Pack is four greens in one 140 g box for $25, or $20 a box on the weekly plan ($80 every 4 weeks). Delivery is included, no tax is added, and the minimum order for delivery is $20.

Orders close at 8 pm on the Sunday before each Tuesday up to the Nov 24, 2026 box, and at 9 am on the Monday before each Tuesday from the Dec 1, 2026 box. See microgreens in Vancouver for the whole picture, or start a plan.