Grow them instead of pop them! Corn microgreens is a sweet sensation that you can plant and harvest within a week! Based on the growing method you can get them sugary yellow or grassy green!
What Are Corn Microgreens?
Corn microgreens grow tall stems with green or yellow leaves, depending on their exposure to light. They are very sweet, but yet with a grassy taste.
Compared to the full-grown maize, which takes from 60 to 100 days to reach its full length, corn microgreens grow very fast.
| Growing period | 7-9 days |
| Flavor | Sweet and somewhat bitter |
| Growing difficulty | Easy |
| Buy seeds | Corn seeds from True Leaf Market |
Description
Most people relate to corn as the popcorn we get in a paper bag when we go to the cinemas! However, corn is much more than that! The yellow corns have been around for a long time. They come from the maize plant, and it’s said to have been domesticated about 10,000 years ago in Mexico. However, traces of corn have been found as far back as 3600 BC!
Many forms of corn are used for food, and the most common ones are sweet corn and popcorn. However, not all corn is just corn. Much of the corn grown today in the US, is field corn, used as animal feed.
When you grow corn as microgreens, you use organic sweet corn or untreated yellow popcorn. Growing these corns, you will experience a sweet sensation that some may even call an artificial one. The taste is a combination of sweetener and grass, with a crunchy texture. It is unique!
General Nutrition & Benefits
They are known not only for their sweetness but they are filled with nutrition too. Despite their small size, they have a high concentration of vitamin C, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, magnesium, and potassium.
RELATED: The Most Nutritious Microgreens to Grow and Eat
How To Grow Corn Microgreens
Corn microgreens are easy to grow, but it can be challenging to get an even result. They often grow up sparsely as they require some space and not all the corn may germinate.
| Growing timeline (estimated) | |
|---|---|
| Presoak | 12-24 hours |
| Preferred medium | Water, soil, or coconut coir |
| Avg. seed weight (10/20 tray) | 200 gram |
| Germination period (blackout) | Day 1-3 |
| Growth time (sunlight) | Day 4-6 |
| Harvest | Day 7-9 |
You can grow them with or without a medium. You can use water, soil, or other soilless media such as coconut coir.
Growing them in water is the easiest method. You simply spread the corn in a sprouting tray, mist them once in the morning and once in the evening. After a few days, you will see them germinate and grow long white roots.
To soften the shells and getting the corn to germinate, you should presoak them for a minimum of 12 hours. They will grow thick roots, and therefore they will need space. To avoid issues with mold and slow germination, avoid overseeding the corn.
Microgreens are usually put in the dark for the first couple of days to initiate germination. When they are brought out in the sun, the leaves turn green as they grow taller. With corn, you can choose if you want to keep them in the dark throughout the crop cycle or bring them out in the sun. The difference is in the taste. If you keep the corn microgreens in the dark it will make them yellow, and you will get a strong sweet flavor. Exposure to light will cause them to turn green, and the taste will shift to become somewhat more bitter.
After about a week when you can see they have reached a length of around 4-inches, they are ready to be harvested. If you leave them to grow their true leaves, they may become more stringy.
Culinary Guiding
With their unique taste and intense sweetness, corn microgreens are excellent to use in burgers, sandwiches, stir-fries, and even salads! You can also eat them raw as snacks!
