"Sprouts are usually grown just in water,and grown for a couple of days and consumed with the seed,"explains Noah Verin,director of Urban Green Sydney,a nursery which specialises in microgreens.
Loading
"Microgreens are mostly grown in some kind of soil;we grow ours in ground coconut husk."
In the US,microgreens have taken off as a standalone consumer product in the health food space (see:Elle's dealer). However,here the market is mainly fine dining restaurants,who buy the plants live in their pots.
"In the States,they use it in restaurants,but it's mainly a consumer superfood thing now,"Mr Verin says."You buy it in[US health food chain] Wholefoods ... but microgreens in Australia are largely sold live. In the States,I don't think I've ever seen them sold live,it's all harvested."
Mr Verin started his nursery in 2016,after seeing the demand for microgreens in his previous career as a chef. He says most Australians don't really know what microgreens are ("people see it as a garnish,and don't eat it"),although interest is starting to pick up.
"Because we've got this urban food movement,I think we're going to see a lot of small growers coming up ... It's a movement;it's going to take off really soon."
So,should we all be treating our bodies like The Body and eating teeny,tiny salads? Mr Clark warns,while microgreens are nutrient dense (and preliminary studies in the US have shown they typically have higher levels per gram of vitamin C and vitamin E compared to mature crops),they are not cheap.
"Micro red cabbage contains a whopping 103mg of vitamin C per 100g compared to full sized red cabbage at 69mg for the same amount,"he explains."Yet the cost difference means you could buy half a regular cabbage for the price of a small pot of micro version."
With this in mind,Mr Clark says it is important to remember you can meet your nutritional requirements while eating normal vegetables.
Loading
"You can still reap the benefits from regular greens and vegetables,as long as you have a varied diet and meet the recommended serves as outlined by the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating,"he says.
"However,statistics show that a majority of Australian children and adults do not meet the recommended intake of fruit and vegetables. In this instance,microgreens may be of benefit to those who do not eat enough vegetables."
If you do want to start eating microgreens,Mr Clark recommends growing your own as a more cost-effective option than buying them harvested.
And,if that gardening doesn't sound very exciting,think of it this way:you could become a supermodel's dealer.