Port St. Lucie microgreen business Sunny Greens promotes healthy diet
PORT ST. LUCIE — Vegetables aren’t everyone’s favorite food group.
In fact, only about 9% of adults eat the United States Department of Agriculture’s daily recommended 2½-cup serving, data shows, and many are missing vital vitamins and nutrients from their diet.
If you have animosity toward asparagus, Marianne Kontof has the solution for you: Microgreens.
Microgreens are young vegetables, about 2-inches long, but jam-packed with nutritional value — up to 40 times more than a full-grown green, Kontof said — such as Vitamins A and C, antioxidants, amino acids and antibacterial properties.
“As the plant grows, the nutrients disperse throughout the whole plant,” she said. “Whereas the microgreen has all the nutrients of a whole vegetable compacted into one tiny, little plant.”
Microgreens, essentially, are the seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs, and there are about 25 varieties, according to urbancultivator.net. They can add sweetness and spiciness to foods.
Kontof was introduced to the mighty microgreen about 20 years ago, she said, and recently decided to share her passion with the Treasure Coast community debuting her new business, Sunny Greens.
Based out of her Port St. Lucie home, Sunny Greens is an online shop where people can purchase microgreens that Kontof grows herself and then delivers to residents or businesses.
“A big lightbulb went off in my head that we really just need to take charge of our health,” Kontof said. “I’m a big believer in green, because I know it offers so much benefit to us, and the microgreens are a very interesting plant.”
The best sellers so far, she said, have been pea, radish and sunflower microgreens and wheat and barley grass.
Prices range from $6 to $20 depending on the product. Sunny Greens has no delivery fee for online orders, Kontof said, but she tries to stay in a 30-mile radius.
The “powerhouse” plant, as Kontof calls it, is extremely versatile and fits into any diet. Most often, people see microgreens used as garnish at restaurants; but it’s popularly used in juice cleanses and can easily be added atop salads, steaks, smoothies or sandwiches for extra flavor and nutrition.
Sunny Greens is a unique endeavor, Kontof said, because businesses don’t tend to focus solely on microgreen production.
Every plant has a different growing process, she said, some only taking a few days and others up to three weeks. Scheduling is key and can present challenges to fulfilling orders if not timed out properly.
Kontof said she’s discovered many vendors who sell microgreens don’t often grow it themselves.
“I’m constantly growing,” she said. “So, if you want to be ready, you have to have your calendar, have to know what products you need, and have to figure out the growth times and what you’re going to have available. It’s a constant schedule with me.”
Kontof also sells at local farmer’s markets in Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce and Hobe Sound. It’s one of her favorite activities, she said, as she loves sharing her knowledge with those who know nothing about microgreens and selling samples for residents to try.
Resident response has been great so far, she said. Though just starting off, Kontof has about 20 clients who regularly purchase her microgreens.
In the future, she hopes to partner more frequently with local businesses and restaurants to reach as many residents as possible.
Kontof usually has leftovers after farmer’s markets and said she’s also looking for a local nonprofit to donate the microgreens.
“I think a lot of people don’t know the complete benefit of a microgreen,” she said. “I love Port St Lucie; it’s a great community. So, it’s really my hopes to work with local restaurants and help people gain their full potential.”
For more information
Residents can find additional information online at sunnygreens.org, on Facebook, facebook.com/sunnygreensNsprout, or on Instagram, instagram.com/sunnygreens2021
Catie Wegman is TCPalm’s community reporter. You can keep up with Catie on Twitter @Catie_Wegman, on Facebook @catiewegman1 and email her [email protected].
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