Planting Roots
A new stand has cropped up in Fredericton’s Northside Market. It is owned by Jeremy Kelusky, a father from Harvey, New Brunswick.
He sells microgreens from Hundredfold Acres. This is a new type of vegetable that is a perfect addition to any salad, juice, and stir-fry.
“Basically, they are baby plants,” says Kelusky. “You eat a microgreen when they are two weeks old, these ones are peas, we grow them without soil so we use a coconut fiber mat and organic seeds in water and then in two weeks you got these plants.”
In the past year, he has been growing microgreens for himself, friends, and family. He decided to take this public about a month ago by selling as his first market.
The community has responded with open arms. Customers and fellow vendors start-up conversations after he offers a free sample. Cutting off a little of the plant, Kelesky offers some to everyone passing by.
Kelusky is proud to tell them that this is a family business. On Saturday’s his six-year-old son, Hunter joins him for the market. He is a big fan of sprouts himself.
“We have these all around our house me and the kids just kind of pick them off as we go and eat them all through the day,” says Kelusky.
On business cards stacked on the stand, customers see Hunter is even named the CEO of the company. When he can’t make it to the market his signs still hang above the stand.
In magic marker and block lettering, a radish says, “I’m small but punch hard. 40 times higher nutrients than a full-grown plant.”
A drawn pea also says, “I taste great! Eat me any way, plain, sandwich, wraps, salads, smoothies.” Hunter’s “Joke of the Day” sign causes many locals to approach the stand to venture a guess. Customers come for greens and stay for the conversation.
For only four dollars customers take home a regenerating snack. The choice is easy for students that live on their own and sometimes struggle to find healthy and cheap options in the grocery store.
“I like sprouts,” says Bailey Fike, who studies at the University of New Brunswick. “They kind of look like baby radishes and they taste exactly like radishes.”
With more benefits than mature plants, these are a smart choice for any prospective buyer. For free you also get to meet a vendor eager to spread his love of microgreens.