How to Store MicroGreens
Let’s discuss how to properly store your microgreens so they stay fresh until you need them!
Storing Your Microgreens
All vegetables and greens will last longer if you store them properly, and microgreens are no exception.
Maintaining moisture is a key part of keeping your microgreens fresh and crunchy.
One of the best and simplest ways to store them is to put them between damp pieces of paper towels and then seal them in a plastic bag or container.
If you store your microgreens this way, you should expect them to stay good in your refrigerator for up to a week.
It’s best to leave your microgreens in the refrigerator until right up until they need to go on to your plate or into your recipe. That way they won’t start to dry out or wilt before you get to serve them.
Here are some extra tips to make your microgreens last as long as possible.
1) Keep them cool
Microgreens like to be kept cool. Around 2 degrees C. Normal refrigerators can run at up to (4.5 C) so you may want to check your settings and turn your fridge down a bit if you’re able to.
2) Keep them out of sunlight
Microgreens love light when they’re still growing. But once you harvest them, it’s best to keep them out of direct sunlight.
Exposing some varieties of microgreens to sunlight after they’ve been harvested can alter their taste and appearance.
3) Wash them with care
It’s a good idea for health reasons to wash your microgreens before eating them, just like any vegetable. But microgreens can bruise easily, so they need to be handled with care.
You don’t need to drown them. Just lightly rinse them in cold water and then gently run them through a salad spinner to dry them off if you’ve got one.
It’s best to wash your microgreens right before you’re going to use them, not before you store them in the refrigerator. Otherwise they may have excess moisture and deteriorate more quickly.
4) Wait to harvest until you need them
If you’re growing microgreens yourself, then they’ll be freshest if you wait to harvest them until just before you’re going to eat them. Why store them in the fridge when you can get them fresh right from the soil?
Most microgreens have some flexibility and can wait a couple of extra days to be harvested, but it’s best to plan your meals around when they’re going to be ready.
5) Harvest with a sharp tool
Use a sharp pair of scissors or a kitchen knife if you’re harvesting microgreens yourself. It can be tempting to just pull them straight out of the soil with your hands, but that can bruise your greens.
Unlike sprouts, microgreen roots are normally too developed to eat.
Plus if you pull them out, you ruin your chances of getting multiple harvests from one planting. So focus on making clean cuts at the base of the stem for optimal harvesting.