What Are Hemp Microgreens?

Many of us know hemp seeds are superfoods because of how nutritious they are and how they are basically nearly complete in terms of their nutritional profile. But what happens when they begin to sprout? They will turn into what we call hemp microgreens. But what exactly are hemp microgreens?

Hemp microgreens are sprouted hemp seeds, grown up to 10cm height (3,93 inch). While hemp seeds are already healthy on their own, hemp microgreens are touted as even healthier because the sprouting process adds more nutrients similar to how sprouted beans and legumes are more nutritious foods.

All things considered, hemp microgreens are not really as well-known and as frequently taken or eaten as other types of sprouts. But you have to consider the fact that hemp microgreens are actually quite healthy and nutritious, and are right up there with other sprouts in terms of their overall nutritional benefits. That’s why you have to learn more about hemp microgreens if you are thinking about adding them to your regular diet.

What are hemp microgreens?

You have probably heard about the hemp plant, which is closely related to the cannabis plant but has little to no THC, which is what gives cannabis its psychedelic effects. As such, hemp plants are completely legal and are often used for commercial and industrial purposes all over the world.

Meanwhile, hemp seeds are also just as widely used as hemp plants are but are often eaten as parts of a healthy diet. Hemp seeds are widely lauded as superfoods because they are as complete in terms of their nutritional profile as any other type of food out there. However, in the US and other parts of the world, only hemp seeds that can no longer sprout are legal and are consumed because live hemp seeds are still illegal.

Very attractive hemp microgreens

But what happens when you sprout a live hemp seed? That’s when hemp microgreens are born.

As you might have already understood by now, hemp microgreens are sprouted live hemp seeds that are quite similar to other sprouted greens that come from legumes such as seeds and beans. And, like their other sprouted counterparts, hemp microgreens are also a lot more nutritious hemp seeds and are even more nutritious than fully grown hemp plants.

The reason why some people love hemp microgreens, aside from the fact that they are more nutritious than hemp seeds and hemp plants, is that the sprouting of hemp seeds neither induces the formation of cannabinoids nor modifies the beneficial profile of unsaturated fatty acids. On the other hand, the sprouting still induces the formation of prenylated flavonoids in some varieties of hemp seeds.

What that means is that hemp microgreens have more nutritional benefits than hemp seeds but without inducing the formation of cannabinoids, which are the chemical compounds that actually give cannabis plants their psychedelic effects. As such, hemp sprouts do not have the effects that are often associated with the cannabis plant but are still very much nutritious and healthy.

Can you eat hemp microgreens?

Now that you know that hemp microgreens are nutritious and quite healthy without having the psychedelic effects that come with the cannabis plant, you are probably wondering whether or not you can eat hemp microgreens.

Well, of course, you can! After all, we wouldn’t even be talking about the nutritional benefits that come with hemp microgreens if they are not even edible at all. And the best part is that hemp microgreens are just as edible as hemp seeds especially when they are prepared the right way.

Hemp microgreens, like most other sprouts, are actually quite easy to eat and are pretty flavorful in their own right. This means that they are very versatile food items that can be added to a lot of different meals and dishes as long as you know what you are doing. In that regard, hemp microgreens can be great additions to any regular diet as they help complete the diet’s nutritional profile while adding a bit of flavor to your meals.

In terms of taste, hemp microgreens are actually quite delicious, which isn’t something you can say about most sprouts such as Brussel sprouts and sprouted mung beans. As such, you can actually eat hemp microgreens on their own without finding ways to make them taste delicious or looking for creative ways that will allow you to mask their flavor under dishes that are much more flavorful. And if you are wondering what hemp microgreens taste like, they actually have a slightly nutty taste that you can compare to hazelnuts but in a much lighter way.

Healthy Hemp salad from Living Food Co

But if you are looking to add hemp microgreens to your meals either because you don’t like eating them on their own or simply because you just want to include them together with your regular meals, there are plenty of different ways you can eat them as hemp microgreens are pretty versatile.

First off, you can make green and healthy smoothies by adding hemp microgreens to your regular fruit or vegetable smoothie while allowing the sweetness of the other fruits or the taste of an organic sweetener to complement their flavor.

Another way for you to eat hemp microgreens is by adding them to your usual salad. Just toss them in together with those fruits, vegetables, and grains while also adding a dash of salad dressing to help improve the flavor of those hemp microgreens. Adding them to a salad can help blend the flavor of hemp microgreens together with those other colorful foods.

But if you want to be a bit more adventurous with the versatility of hemp microgreens, you can add them as extra toppings to your usual pepperoni pizza as the flavor of these greens can help enhance the flavor of the pizza as it blends well with the cheese, tomato sauce, and the meat on top of the dough.

It is up to you to decide what you want to do with hemp microgreens. But, just like any other sprout, it might be best for you to clean them and cook them before eating to reduce the chances of ingesting bacteria that may have developed on the greens while they were sprouting.

Hemp microgreens nutrition

If you want to know more about the nutritional profile of hemp microgreens, here are some things to consider:

1. They are rich in healthy fats

Just like hemp seeds, hemp microgreens are just as rich or even richer when it comes to beneficial fats mega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. And the best part is that these fatty acids are helpful at fending off degenerative diseases due to their neuroprotective nature.

2. They contain a lot of protein

Hemp seeds are often lauded for their rich protein profile but hemp microgreens are even better as most experts say that they have the best protein profile out of all the vegetables out there. As such, hemp microgreens can be great for those who want to follow a vegan-based diet without sacrificing the protein that you can get from meat, poultry, and fish.

Hemp microgreens

3. They contain all of the essential amino acids

When you talk about amino acids, you would most likely think of beef as the most complete source of amino acids. But that is wrong because not even five pounds of steak will provide you with all of the amino acids you need to stay healthy. On the other hand, hemp microgreens are complete in terms of all of the essential amino acids (all 20 of them).

4. You can find high levels of cannaflavins in hemp microgreens

Cannaflavins are flavonoids which have a higher efficiency than aspirin when it comes to their anti-inflammatory properties. And the good news is that hemp microgreens are rich in cannaflavins, hence their great anti-inflammatory benefits.

5. They have little to no THC

The reason why cannabis is illegal in a lot of countries and states is that the plant has high levels of THC, which is what gives cannabis its psychedelic effects. But because hemp microgreens are yet to develop THC as they have somewhere close to only 0.1% THC, they don’t have the psychedelic effects of cannabis and are completely safe.

How do hemp microgreens grow?

Hemp microgreens are extremely easy to grow as long as you have live hemp seeds with you. That’s why you don’t have to go to a store to grab yourself some hemp microgreens. Here is how you sprout those hemp seeds:

Soak 2,40g seeds for a 13x18cm container and 13,50g for 1020 tray of hemp seeds in water for up to 12 hours. This is related to seeds that are still in the hulls. It is better to sprout those seeds, because unhulled ones can be damaged in the process of the unhulling.

Then use the same method as we have used for sunflower microgreens.

Sow seeds on the soil, mist them each day very well, and once microgreens are around 2-3 cm big, uncover the top tray and start watering from the bottom. Hemp microgreens will be ready in around 14-16 days. But if you want first true leaves to develop,since those are really beautiful shapes, then you would need to leave them a few more days to grow.

Hemp microgreens

And how can we grow hemp sprouts?

Remove the seeds from the water and rinse them thoroughly with cold water every 8 hours.

Use a jar. Place the seeds in the jar and repeat the rinsing process about two times a day to make sure the hemp seeds are always moist but make sure you space the rinsing for at least 8 hours.

Place the jar in a dark area such as a drawer or a cupboard as long as the seeds won’t be touched by any light.

After three days, you will notice that the seeds have begun to sprout.

Move the seeds to a well-lit area after three days of staying in the dark so that the sprouts will begin to turn green.

Keep on rinsing the sprouts for about a week until they are ready to be eaten.

Want to learn more?

If you have any questions about the information cited in this post or about microgreens in general, please leave a comment below or reach out to us via email hello@reactgreens.com.

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