Farmers are now offering tiny baby seedlings of familiar plants, called microgreens, with chefs promoting them as a popular addition to their menus. They’re even appearing in recipes prepared by your local food trucks. What are microgreens, and why are they so popular now?

Microgreens, not to be confused with “sprouts” (which are grown in water without sunlight, susceptible to E. Coli and which the U.S. government recommends against eating), are very young, leafy shoots of some of your favorite vegetables and flowers, such as wheat grass, sunflowers, buckwheat, radish, lettuce, broccoli, arugula, carrots and many more. They’re no larger than 1½ to 3 inches tall and no older than two to three weeks between germination and harvest.

Think of them as a stage of growth between sprouts and standard baby greens. This stage of growth could hold more nutrient value than their grown-up counterparts, according to recent research (“Journal of Food Chemistry,” 2012, 60 [31], pp. 7644-7651). Looking at various nutrients, researchers found that microgreens have four to six times the nutrient value of mature plants!

“They are the perfect food, full of minerals and vitamins,” says Hercules farmer Oliver Gayo, who owns Super Duper Microgreens. “And they all have different tastes and textures.”

Watch “Inside a Backyard Microgreens Farm” (bayareane.ws/pcfmamicrogreens) on the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association’s website for the full interview with Gayo. Microgreens can also offer additional flavor and texture to your everyday meals. Pick up some fresh microgreens at your local farmers’ market and try their intense wonderful flavor. Use microgreens in salads and sandwiches. Sprinkle on seafood or meat. Garnish deviled eggs and appetizers. Add them as a topping to pizza or egg dishes.

Why buy them at your farmers’ market? Firstly, selection! Most grocery stores only stock a few varieties, if any, while the farmers’ market has many different varieties and flavors.

Secondly, freshness. You can be assured that the farmers picked their microgreens just before coming to the market. Some farmers even allow customers to select and harvest this delightfully tiny row crop right at the market!

The third reason is purity. Best of all, you know where they’re from — your farmer brings them directly from the farm to you! Meet the farmers and talk to them about the blends they offer. They can suggest how to best incorporate them into your meals and recipes.

“Growing locally is important to me,” Gayo says, “and when you buy them at the farmers’ market you know they’ll last longer when you get them home because I pick my microgreens the day before bringing them to the market.”

Microgreens are very delicate. After all, they’re baby shoots! Because of their small size and water content, cooking them is not recommended. Use them fresh to retain their tender texture. Buy microgreens just a few days before using them — due to their delicate nature, they don’t stay fresh long. Be sure to gently wash them right before eating and no earlier. Remove any roots, eat only the stem and leaves.

Find fresh and healthy microgreens at your farmers’ market from Super Duper Microgreens in Hercules, where Gayo grows a wide variety of greens. He also sells containers of mixed microgreens. You can also have special greens grown to order.

Rapha Farms from Campbell sells hydroponically-grown microgreens and offers several condiments and pesto made with them. Lake Family Forest Farms in Carmel Valley also grows a nice variety of hand-harvested microgreens.

Be sure to try some of these delightful little greens next time you shop at your farmers’ market. They’re a new crop sure to gain a foothold in the farmers’ market world with their amazing flavor and nutrition.

Debra Morris is a promotions coordinator for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association. Contact her at debramorris@pcfma.com.