Not just alfalfa: sprouts and microgreens at the Downtown Windsor Farmers' Market

The Downtown Windsor Farmers' Market isn't the only thing sprouting up for the season this Saturday. One of its newest vendors, Dances In Garden, will be selling a variety of freshly grown sprouts and microgreens.

Krysta Glovasky-Ridsdale is the woman behind Dances in Garden. She's not entirely new to the market — you may recall that she ran a canning workshop at the market last fall.

Tomorrow marks the first time Glovasky-Ridsdale will be at the market as a vendor. She'll be selling a number of different homemade items, such as probiotic salsa and sweet potato chips. 

Her focus on edible sprouts and microgreens — all grown in the heart of Ford City — caught my attention the most.

What are sprouts and microgreens?

Sprouts and microgreens are basically baby plants.

Some research indicates that these baby plants have a higher concentration of nutrients than their full grown counterparts. Both sprouts and microgreens start as seeds, but there are a few differences.

"The difference between a sprout and microgreen is the sprout is usually eaten very small — root and all," Glovasky-Ridsdale explained.

"Microgreens are grown a little longer, and they're grown on soil, because they need that boost to get bigger. [They are] more 'salad-y' because the actual leaves are a little bigger."

Microgreens take about two weeks to grow, while sprouts can be grown in less than a week. 

At the market, Glovasky-Ridsdale will be selling several varieties of sprouts, including sprouted lentils, mung beans, and "moo mix", a combination of alfalfa and clover.

On the microgreen side, she'll have two mixes that include plants, such as pea shoots and sunflower seed greens.

To find out more about sprouts and microgreens, including the best way to eat them, tap on the audio player below.

Windsor Morning7:34Pinto on Food: Sprouts and microgreens

The Downtown Windsor Farmers' Market opens this weekend. Jonathan told us about new vendor "Dances in Garden", a new vendor selling sprouts and microgreens grown in Ford City.

Dances In Garden will be selling sprouts and microgreens at the Downtown Windsor Farmers' Market. Glovasky-Ridsdale has booked 5 weekends at the market so far — including tomorrow, May 28.

The Market has moved this year from Charles Clark Square to the area of Maiden Lane and Pelissier Street. It runs every Saturday until October 8 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.