Mintos filling local void with That Microgreens Guy

Looking to fill a void in the locally grown microgreens market, Jason and Cherylyn Minto have started That Microgreens Guy.

There used to be a place to get microgreens, but it went out of business, said Cherylyn, adding that microgreens are not really for sale at grocery stores, and the next closest place to get them is in Milford.

“There’s such a big health benefit, so we decided to give it a try,” Jason said.

Cherylyn added that she likes the bright colors the microgreens often come in. There’s the extra boost of nutrition, but it makes food look fancy, she said.

It takes seven to 10 days to go from seed to harvest. Any longer than that, and they begin to get bitter and lose their flavor, said Cherylyn. Once harvested, she said, the product lasts for at least a week – she’s been told up to two weeks.

The Mintos demonstrated the planting process and it’s fairly straightforward – an even layer of dirt is added to a tray with holes in it that’s sitting in a tray without holes; the seeds are spread evenly throughout the tray; the whole thing is given a good watering; another tray is added to cover the wet, seeded soil; the seeds germinate in the dark; a few days later they’re uncovered, put on a shelving unit with grow lights and then harvested when ready.

The weeklong seed-to-harvest cycle works well for farmers markets and also provides an opportunity to experiment with different seeding techniques, growing conditions and other variables without having to wait months to see results, said Jason.

For example, they recently moved the operation from their garage to inside their house.

“When we started, it was in the spring and the conditions were perfect,” said Cherylyn. “Now it’s just too hard to control the humidity and other factors.”

Another example – the tool used to spread the seeds is basically a hot pepper flake shaker. It just seems to work the best, said Cherylyn.

That Microgreens Guy has been at the Milton Farmers Market the last two weeks. The Mintos live off Hudson Road outside Milton. Cherylyn said she likes the connection between growing the produce right outside Milton and then selling at the town’s farmers market. It’s rewarding to be able to say how close by it's grown, she said.

“There’s a lot of people who like buying locally. We’re five miles away,” said Cherylyn.

Just as rewarding, said Jason, was having repeat customers their second week at the market. 

“It felt good,” he said.

For now, the Mintos have their microgreens for sale at the Milton Farmers Market and at Fifer’s Farm Kitchen in Dewey Beach. However, Jason said there’s a desire to expand to restaurants and to work with chefs looking to add their organic microgreens as an offering.

For more information on That Microgreens Guy, call 302-270-5048, email thatmicrogreensguy@gmail.com or find it on Facebook.