"Microgreens are much more than a garnish"

Microgreens are slowly moving from esoteric culinary circles to mainstream diners' plates. In Phoenix, one company holds much of the responsibility for introducing laymen to the diminutive vegetables.

Arizona Microgreens is run by two hipster brothers, Joseph Martinez, 28, and David Redwood, 35. The business has elements of things held dear by the younger generation. It’s local, progressive and socially conscious. It’s so intrinsically Millennial, there are three types of La Croix sparkling water in the company refrigerator.

In the span of a few years, Martinez and Redwood have taken Arizona Microgreens from a 200-square-foot greenhouse next to a vegan restaurant in Cave Creek to a farm that produces about 500 pounds per week. They sell their microgreens directly to consumers at a handful of farmers markets around the Valley. They’re also used at restaurants such as Binkley’s, Cartwright’s, House of Tricks and Cafe Monarch.

“People have this perception that microgreens can only be used as a culinary garnish to give a dish some swoosh,” said Martinez, who has been growing them since 2013. “That is not so. Normal folk use it in their diets.”

Read more at azcentral.com (Jennifer McClellan)