# Micro greens



## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

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You saw my thread on my indoor plant growing rack, well I think I'm about to pull the trigger on a grow operation for my restaurant. Micro greens are super trendy and chic right now, I've been hanging out and rubbing elbows with other restaurateurs and chefs to get an angle on this local market share. Some places like Taku's sushi bar are doing this and mine are way more cost effective while being far more energy efficient. I can build an extremely similar unit for 245.

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Insofar as trying it, my rack is ideal for it. My first try BAM nice product. I can scale it up. Overall cost should be around 800 bucks. Overall yield should bring in around 3000$ a month for select gourmet micro greens that are both visually pleasing and good tasting. Radish sprouts are not everyone's cup of tea.

My current target mix is red kale, mizuna, sunflower, kholrabi, dutch clover, arugula and monchoy. You grow it basically hydroponically by misting it on a grate in the dark until it sprouts then slap it under the lamps. It'll send roots to the water tray below and off it goes. three weeks later you got developed babies you cut from their moorings with scissors, snip and serve. Taku's buddy Kiu has this banging restaurant near atlanta called dish korean, he can't keep enough in stock.

There's a guy on youtube making 3000 a month on a similar operation. This I could fit into the corner near the fridge where I keep boxes of to go containers. I have tile floors and waterproof paint on the walls, I could just run a water line to mist them and my staff would barely have to lift a finger. It could all be on a timer. I might even be able to figure out a much more low cost outside the box solution for irrigation like pinhole drip systems out of repurposed milk jugs.

I absolutely think this is a win-win. Even if it doesn't make me 3 grand a month it's free hip food and turns out it's damn healthy. There are nothing but seed farms and people who garden around here. I'm sure I can do several kinds that would draw attention and fetch a good rate like parsnip sprouts. Parsnips have this indescribable flavor, in the sprout it's even more concentrated. Red radish sprouts are SPICY.

Input from Jeremy had me even more intrigued. (guy worked at dave and busters and went to le cordon blue) He was like well we could customize the flavor profiles to suit. Like how? Like onion, dandelion, cress and arugula sprouts all in one tray. Or onion and celery sprouts and serve it in bell pepper sauce- classic cajun trinity but 21st century. Guy blows my mind. He was talking live pesto with basil sprouts, a little ground pine nuts and a hit of parm cheese. drizzled with olive oil. This stuff is cheap guys we have a dessert nacho dish where it's just tortilla chips off the fryer with sugar and cinnamon dusted on it and a berry compote for the salsa. it's 7 bucks off like 30 cents of food. See what I'm getting at? People are into this health kick bullshit and it's damn near free I see $$$ not sprouts.

And if they get a little too far along, screw it go outside and plant the good ones on the landscape.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Cool. Gretch won't lettuce rub elbows yet.


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