If you live in Bengaluru, and are looking for ways to’ healthify’ your dinners or add more dark-greens to your nutrition, Earthistic Agro, a city-based startup has just the thing for you — fresh microgreens, delivered to your doorstep, for an economical rate of Rs 150/ box.

Microgreens are the young parks of vegetables and herbs, and a powerhouse of nutrition. According to several studies, the issue is 40 times more abundant in Vitamins( C, E, and K ), tocopherols, beta carotene and lutein than mature, fully grown leaves.

Microgreens grown in Vikram’s indoor farm.

“We offer a wide variety of live microgreens straddling from simple mixtures such as coriander and mustard to exotic ones such as red amaranthus, and sunflower microgreens. They are all originate exercising organic techniques. Since the product is delicate and has a shelf-life up to 3 daylights, they are delivered simply in Bengaluru, ” says Vikram Udaygiri, a cook and the founder of Earthistic Agro.

For parties with green thumbs, the startup offers a Grow-Your-Own microgreens equipment at an cheap toll. The kit comprises one container of seeds, potting-mix, a tray for flourishing the microgreens, a complimentary scatter bottle to sea the microgreens, and a special recipe by Vikram. All you have to do is follow the instructions, bush the seeds, and grow them.

Earthistic Agro’s Grow Your Own Microgreens Kit.

Lavanya Akarsh, the affected residents of Bangalore, bought two packages for their own children aged 8 and 4. She wanted to give them an activity through the lockdown, and inculcate health eating habits.

“We purchased these kits one month ago, and my children have surely become more responsible since they started flourishing embeds. Every morning they wake up to water them, and also continuously amount how much it has grown. When it comes to consuming it, they make no fuss because it is a product of their hard work. Instead, they are very excited to try out special recipes that Vikram has included in the gear, ” she says.

Inspiration

Vikram wears many hats. He ranges this startup, drives as a cook, and is also a professional consultant for diners and hotels.

“I assist diners in various aspects such as scientifically designing the kitchen as per food-service concepts, designing the menus, marking chefs, discipline them, and admonishing them on menu pricing, ” he mentions.

Apart from that, Vikram also represents the Ministry of External Affairs in promoting Indian cuisine by organising food festivals all over the globe. In fact, it was during one such food festival that he first came across microgreens.

“I have organised food festivals in several countries including South Africa, Israel, and Egypt. During a food festival in Zimbabwe, I came across microgreens being used as a garnish for dishes, in the same way that we use coriander or curry needles. This left me feeling astounded, because at the time, these insignificant buds were considered an tropical part back home and were also quite expensive. I was beginning to wonder if I could working towards altering that sensing and establish them affordable, ” recollections Vikram.

Vikram positioned this thought into action in 2017, by converting his grandparents’ residence, which had been empty for many years, into his microgreens farm.

“To learn the process of originating microgreens, I approached some experts at the University of Agriculture Sciences, Bengaluru, for admonition, and likewise hired some horticulturists to help me set up, first. For seeds, I came in touch with seed farmers in Karnataka, and some in Rajasthan, ” he mentions.

In three 10 x10 square hoofs chambers, Vikram installed five-storey stands and generated a horizontal plot setup to grow the microgreens. “This method was also the best way to utilise the gap accessible, ” says Vikram.

A vertical Garden setup to grow microgreens.

Today, he collects up to 750 chests of microgreens every week and renders his concoctions to more than 90 hotels.

Kasi Vishwanathan, the executive chef of Radisson Blu Atria, Bengaluru, says, “Being a chef himself, Vikram can understand the needs of other hotels. For my eatery, we tell microgreens thrice a few weeks from him, and it has always been of outstanding tone. Apart from the regular motleys of microgreens, he germinates different ones such as dill microgreens, or chard microgreens, according to our requirements. He too equips palatable grows which are otherwise difficult to source.”

Check out the live microgreens offered by Earthistic here. If you wish to place an dictate for a Grow-Your-Own microgreen kit, click here.

Image courtesy: Vikram Udaygiri

Read more: thebetterindia.com