Microgreens vs Kale?

I  recently listened to a couple of Rensselaer County farmers talk about the challenges they face anticipating the whimsical buying habits of their farm stand customers (i.e. food eaters) from one year to the next.  Both said that they had learned only to add new varieties or to expand existing crops very, very judiciously because the public generally did not  remember what it had asked the farmers to grow from one year to the next. 

As part of that conversation one  the farmers also commented  that he's  noticed a recent fall off in the demand for kale - the wonder veggie    constantly  promoted by foodie media  since  perhaps Gutenberg's invention -  along with what seems to be an  exponentially expanding public craving for microgreens. He admitted that he's now   starting  to wonder if he should cut back a little on kale and expand his microgreens, but he is not yet ready to alter his plans for the coming year. The farmer didn't speculate on the reasons for the perceived  changes in demand, so let's now attempt sp,e speculation  of our own.

The Local Outlook  

Farmers' markets focus on fresh foods, not necessarily convenience.

The increasing demand for microgreens as well as  the  probable persevering attraction of kale, I think,      reflects the ongoing demographic trends of  Renssealer County as well as the rest of the Capital District.  Suburban areas are still sprawling and   apartment living in towns and cities is noticeably increasing. The folks making these transitions  seem to be either young professionals or recent retirees. Both groups are educated and have stable incomes; and  both  share a heightened interest in at least  attempting to follow healthier eating habits. The ever busy lifestyles of these new suburbanites and townies also mean that  convenience and efficiency in  their food choices are valued whether they are in dining in or dining out.   Microgreens fit nicely into these parameters.  Unlike kale, preparation time for microgreens is minimal because it is usually  devoured raw - the smallest microgreens are sprinkled into or onto something, and the larger sizes are ready to go salad mixes.  There is, simply,  no waste left after you clean your plate!

The pattern matches that of what a UCLA research group found in 2014 after tracking how 32 families used the rooms in their houses. These home owners used the kitchen and an adjourning open dining area the most, but they were hardly ever in those rooms together at the same time.   Few sit  down meals were prepared; it was mostly a grab, eat  and go environment.  I suspect a similar pattern might  be true for new the apartment dwellers who discover how easy it is to catch a meal from a nearby deli or pub.  The implication  for farmers (easy, of course, to say) is that they need to continue to focus on establishing supply relationships with restaurants, food cart vendors, delis etc as the principle way to plan for expanding their crops.  Direct selling via roadside stands and farmers' markets probably will  increase also as some  people shift to the suburbs, but  will probably only  provide    incremental increases in roadside retail sales. The same situation  probably holds true for the larger local farmers' markets - more people seem to becoming to these venues, but food vendors and distillers seem to be increasing in number faster  than either the  number or size of farm stalls. 

Microgreens

Microgreens  cover a wide range of plants, typically those from the brassica (the mustard family  that includes cabbages, broccoli etc.) and the lactuca family (lettuces), but really any young plant that appeals to someone's taste buds [e.g. cress, sorrel, purslane etc.] can be fitted to the label.

The current high interest in microgreens may stem from the appearance of a 2012 research article  in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that reported finding  notably higher concentrations of nutrients in these young plants  compared with their mature counterparts.  In a few cases nutrient levels  as much as 40 times higher  were discovered!  The result is that microgreens now seem to flood farmers' markets  and appear  to take up more pages in seed catalogs than tomatoes!

For farmers, the principle attraction of microgreens is their short time to harvest: typically 20 - 40 days  easily allowing for multiple staggered  plantings resulting in almost continuous harvesting and sales.  They can be grown either in greenhouses or outdoors in raised beds within or without tunnels, and they grow at cool temperatures.  In our area that means growers can easily produce them year round.

Their planting density, however, does make them subject to   diseases such as damping off and phytothera; and  their seed and labor costs are high compared with many field crops. Despite these drawbacks, overall production costs are less than the costs associated with such farm equipment such as tractors etc. A farmer devoting 60 sq ft of greenhouse space and using a 4 rack system with plantings staged  for  two week harvesting will produce about 50 lbs of microgreens over the course of a year.  With  microgreens retailing for around $28/lb  at local farmers' markets, a farmer potentially can earn a steady return from a small amount of space.

For backyard gardeners, with small greenhouses or grow lights in the cellar,  microgreens  also are  a  tempting crop. The yields may seem small, as I will personally attest, but the harvest is satisfying for the required effort.  Microgreens are harvested when between 2" and  4" high, and that means that a common 10" x 20" seeding tray may yield between 5 - 6 oz. of microgreens - enough for a backyard gardener in the winter to enjoy a couple of  fresh salads with someone special occasionally.  A fancy, 4  rack set up with grow lights for the well-heeled home gardener  can easily cost $1,000+ [the equivalent of buying 35+ pounds of microgreens retail]. A single tray of microgreens on a window sill is clearly a cheaper alternative, but the fugal grower is  more likely to experience some leggy plants and uneven growth despite  her/his  best efforts. 

Kale

According to webMD kale is actually more popular than ever and well deserving of its reputation as a super food. If you need convincing of  its nutritional value beyond that implied by its unadulterated taste when eaten raw, look no further than this chart from the World's Healthiest Food Organization.  It  seems to me, however, that eating kale clearly is  superior to taking a spectrum supplements from vitamin bottles.  Kale is, after all, the forage  of choice for  many ruminants when they can get it.

When  I was growing up, I never heard of kale; but my family was not particularly adventurous when it came to foods. Meat and potatoes was our norm for almost every dinner. Now, however, having acquired a taste for kale,   I  add it joyfully  into omlets, soups, stews and use it  sautéed as a side dish.  These all do entail cooking kale - an aspect that perhaps dissuaded my mother from adding it as another  dish to our menu...

For both farmers and backyard gardeners growing kale is relatively easy and economical.  A first harvest is ready usually within 60 - 75 days, and a second planting started during mid summer will yield its leaves through December or longer. In large gardens kale is grown  outdoors in rows  36" apart with plants spaced at 12" - 18."  For small backyard gardens if you just want to have a few kale leaves at a time, then a single plant might suffice. You can plant it in late spring and pick leaves from mid-summer to New Years. Kale  is  relatively disease resistant and is not especially appealing to most insects.   Cabbage moths may be attracted to it, but casual observations in my own garden indicate that even these moths prefer regular cabbages and broccoli if given a choice.  Over the course of a growing season a single kale plant such as Winterbor (a curly leaf variety) or Tuscano (a straighter  curled leaf type) will produce between 4 - 6 lbs of leaves - usually enough to satiate one adult kale convert.  

And remember...

What happens when you buy too many greens?  You tip the skales...