Micro Greens, Another Exciting Addition to Your Kitchen Garden

Microgreens are tiny edible greens grown from vegetable or herb seeds.  They are harvested when very young – just 1-2 inches long including the stem and leaves. Microgreens can have wonderfully clear, intense flavours and they are certainly a very pretty addition to your plate, with their delicate and often colourful appearance.

Micro greens are simply “early” versions of greens or herbs that are less than 14 days old. Small in size “micros” are exceptionally tender and intensely flavored. Specifically selected for their unique flavor or color, micros are a stunning visual and flavorful addition to almost any plate.

Power-packed
More health experts are turning to microgreens for their nutrient value. Don’t let their size fool you; the mini leaves have more nutrients than grown leaves. In fact, a study has shown that the minis might have four-40 fold more concentration of nutrients. While sprouts contain proteins, other varieties of microgreens like young radish, has vitamin C. Red cabbage leaves have vitamin C and K and cilantro has lutein and beta-carotene. Also, young broccoli is packed with sulforaphane, a compound that is said to inhibit cancer activity in cells.

What are they?
A microgreen is that stage of a plant’s growth when its first leaves appear. These can be leaves of tiny greens, lettuces or herbs, harvested when they are young and about an inch or two tall. Microgreens are used to enhance flavour in dishes and as a visual component. They are young seedlings, so they have a fresh taste. Grown from the same seeds you use when you plant a crop, they are harvested in just a week or 10 days. They are not to be mistaken for sprouts. And once cut, you have to consume them quickly or else the colour starts to fade, the freshness decreases and it starts growing (optimum taste is when it’s between one and three inches).

Please let us know what you think.  If you have more questions, please contact Vijayalakshmi K Rao – kvlrao2@gmail.com.

Checkout for more such reads at http://www.goodseeds.in and http://www.fb.com/goodseeds.

 

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GoodSeeds.IN and Jiva Organics are Joining Hands

We are delighted to announce the combination of the organic food component of goodseeds with Jiva Organics.  Together, we will continue to grow both the brands – goodseeds as a market platform for all categories of sustainable products & services, and Jiva Organics focused on expanding our quality organic products range – fruits, veggies and grocery items.

What does this mean?

• More organic product choices; improved availability of items
• Together, we could ensure better quality and authenticity of organic products
• Our products will be available through goodseeds bazaars and our online portal; We would increase of delivery frequency significantly as well
• We will be able to work with more farmers and farmer groups across the country
• We could offer many classes, workshops and events around popular topics such as home gardening, traditional foods, millet cooking, etc., on a regular basis

How will it work?

• At present, no change. One can respond to Jiva’s weekly mails or order via email, call-in, order from goodseeds.in or call goodseeds’ contact numbers – the products delivered will be from same/similar sources.
• All the organic food products will be gradually merged under the Jiva Organics banner. GoodSeeds will continue to provide the marketplace (bazaars, http://www.goodseeds.in, and partner outlets) for all sustainable products including organic food
• Jiva and goodseeds deliveries will continue as is, and will gradually get integrated

  Why are we coming together?

• GoodSeeds brand has grown and prospered as a community based marketplace. Our vision is to spread awareness towards sustainable living based on 3 planks – 1) Health, 2) Liveihoods and 3) Environment, all based on our traditional wisdom including Ayurveda.
• Jiva Organics brand has grown and prospered as a high quality delivery service of organic products.  We have constantly endeavoured to provide authentic, affordable and the highest quality organic products to our consumers, simultaneously providing information on their nutritional benefits and usage.
• By bringing these brands together, we can build our marketplace better, offer the highest quality eco-friendly products and enable livelihoods.  Our customers can enjoy more choice, easier access to information and products and enjoy better value.

We are excited and hopeful on this new journey and look forward to the continued support from our community.

Narayan K Murthy & Shyam Penubolu

http://www.goodseeds.in  |  97044 96664  •  98495 14854

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How Much Do We Know About Organic Veggies and Fruits?

The latest craze all over is finding and consuming organically grown produce.   Conceptually, this sounds great; Do we really understand what organic means? And do we fully understand where and how these are produced?

What do we mean by organic? Is it just no chemicals or pesticides spayed on the plants?  Or do you think that the farmer did not enrich the soil with any chemical fertilizer and just used natural compost?  And what went into that compost anyway?  Just plant-based muck or some animal dung too?  And, what were those animals fed with?

Oh, we have not even asked what kinds of seeds were used to grow the plants that produced those ‘Organic’ fruits and veggies!

Confused? You are not alone. Even many of the farmers who I have interacted with have their own views on what they consider as “organic”.

What about those resellers?  Do the people who sell us organic fruits and veggies know what they are giving us?

Many resellers do not put in the effort to understand or verify what they get and simply pass on to the produce.

So, what can we do to make sure that we know what we are paying for and eating?  Here are a few things to ponder:

• The more local the produce is, the more organic it would be.   If we are looking for those Californian zucchini’s and broccolis in Hyderabad, we must be already compromising in ways we don’t know
• Knowing our farmer may not be a bad idea.   Why not pick up a weekend to visit an organic farm with the family?
• Let’s grow our own veggies and fruits! Home & balcony gardening can be fun and rewarding too.  Many of the home garden enthusiasts will bet their life on the taste and healthiness of what they grew!
• Let’s spread knowledge and seek knowledge.  How about being a part of a local community farming project?

Any other ideas we could explore?  Feel free to post your thoughts or write to me.

Narayan K Murthy | narayan@goodseeds.in | +91 970.449.6664 | http://www.goodseeds.in

The “batchless” organic education

Great read for all the parents who care about their children’s development

Organic Childhood

I had a dream last night. It was one of my recurring dreams, where I miss my 10th class or intermediate exam, or I look at the question paper and realize that I do not know how to answer any of the questions.

Leaving interpretations of such dreams aside, I started thinking about what is so scary about the two scenarios. What is the worst thing that could happen to a person in such a situation? One would have to take the exam again, maybe 6 months or a year later!

Missing exams or having to retake them can happen for various reasons, including health, family emergencies or tragedies in one’s life. However, for some inexplicable reason, “losing a year”, having to be one year “behind” people of the same age group, seems to be a cause of significant worry for many, ever since I can remember. Board exams seem…

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About www.goodseeds.in – Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is “sustainable living” according to goodseeds?

Whatever day-to-day living choices we make need to be affordable (economical), should benefit someone around us (social) and not degrade the environment directly or indirectly (ecological).

 

2. What do you mean by “sustainable” products?

Our way of living over the years has moved us from traditional products, which were local, natural and harmless for ourselves and our environment. Sustainable products are such products of traditional wisdom that are natural as well as can be produced and secured easily without destructing any of our natural resources.

 

3. What does “organic” mean?

At a basic level, organic products are those that contain no chemicals. In our definition, organic products are grown with native seeds (not genetically modified) on farm lands that were prepared with natural and organic inputs (cow dung, neem based pesticides, etc. ) utilizing traditional methods of harvesting and processing.

 

4. How can one buy products from goodseeds?

Our online portal has an eBazaar page which is friendly and easy to use. You can order from our menu of products either online or by calling our easy to remember phone numbers Monday thru Saturday 8AM to 7PM. We will coordinate a convenient home delivery to your doorstep.

 

5. Is GoodSeeds delivery available everywhere?

At present, we deliver to most parts of Hyderabad and select areas in Secunderabad. We are investing building our infrastructure to store and deliver on a larger scale and soon we will be able to deliver everywhere in Hyderabad/Secunderabad. After that, we plan to expand to other cities.

 

6. What are the payment options for purchases?

Currently we offer cash transactions only. For regular customers, we also provide them the choice to online NEFT transfer to our account.  Shortly, we will provide payments options through all major credit cards and debit cards.

 

7. Does GoodSeeds sell only organic products?

Not all products we sell are organic (e.g. consumer items such as soaps and tooth pastes cannot be 100% organic). However, all our groceries, veggies and fruits sold through us are either organic or fully natural.

 

8. How does GoodSeeds ensure the quality of products as well as ensure that they are “organic”?

We derive support from and keep building a strong network of people who have been involved firsthand in organic/natural farming and processing for over 20 years. These individuals and their organizations train, develop and work closely with many producers of organic products. We utilize their references, follow them up with our own site visits plus collect any available certifications.

 

9. Where do you conduct your bazaars? How often are the bazaars held?

Until recently we were conducting monthly bazaars that were family friendly in Hyderabad & Secunderabad. However, we have SUSPENDED OUR BAZAARS through the summer to focus on our online portal and working closely with our suppliers.

 

10. How can I participate in GoodSeeds bazaar?

Currently, we have suspended our bazaars through Summer.  In the future, to participate as a vendor, you should be a seller of sustainable products that meet our criteria for health, social value creation or eco-friendliness. Feel free write to info@goodseeds.in to provide us more detail and we will follow-up with you.

 

11. When will we see GoodSeeds in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai …?

We are creating a model that promotes local producers of sustainable products. Once we understand and refine this model in Hyderabad, we intend to offer this concept in other cities by partnering with existing players. Hopefully, we will be in 2 more cities within the next 12 months.

Can someone tell me what “Sustainable Living” means?

narayan k murthy

I have been coming across so much recently about sustainability, organic living, social responsibility, local consumption and many such delightful terms.  Often I wonder, if these terms have a consistent understanding among people; Starting with myself, do I even know what I mean by these words?

Thinking deeply on the term, “sustainability” – Ecologically, it is about how our bio-diversity can be enhanced and preserved;  Socially, it is promoting equality and well being within our communities; and both these need to be met with the economic demands and constraints of the society.

If the last paragraph sounded a bit academic, my apologies!

So, what does one mean by sustainable living?  I guess whatever day-to-day living choices we make should promote ‘sustainability’ as defined earlier one way or other.   My living choices need to be affordable (economical), should benefit someone around me (social) and not degrade the environment directly or indirectly (ecological).

Couple of years…

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Social Commerce – Could it be a lot more than just a buzzword?

GoodSeeds will soon be evolving as an online community portal based on the concept. Feel free to share your thoughts.

narayan k murthy

The term ‘Social Commerce’ has been around for a while; and of late it has been a topic of intrigue for me – especially for its use in my current effort to build a marketplace for producers and consumers of eco-friendly products.

To facilitate commerce of any products or services, buyers and sellers need to come together.   For a ‘win-win’ transaction to occur, buyers should recognize the value of what they intend to purchase and sellers need to feel that they got a fair value in return.

Well, it does not happen that easily in most cases, certainly not in the retail area that I am promoting in India.  Often, my consumers don’t even know what they want; even if they do, don’t know how to get or utilize them; and most suppliers that produce great products do not know how to market those.

It will greatly help, if there…

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Cold-Pressed Oils We Use in Indian Lifestyle

Latest one from Narayan

narayan k murthy

Any oil loses its nutritional value when heated.  Any cold-pressed oil, if used incorrectly can actually be more harmful than refined oils

Ever since I published a brief note on olive oil on Facebook, I have had several questions and requests to write on other vegetable oils.  So, here is my attempt to educate myself and pass on my knowledge …

I see several organic food product suppliers promoting and pushing unrefined ‘Cold-pressed’ oils over the usual refined oils in the name of health; however there appears to be a significant lack of awareness and misconceptions among both consumers and suppliers about their nutritional benefits and usage.

Let’s understand what an oil is –

Oils are primarily grain-based or nut-based extractions, which contain saturated and unsaturated fats, oleic acid and some vitamins and nutrients.  While oils are usually liquids, they tend to solidify at cooler temperatures.  When an oil is…

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My Personal Leadership Conundrum

narayan k murthy

I have co-founded 3 companies to-date.  I have been continually learning along this journey on how to influence and lead; what it takes to influence and inspire people around me; and that it takes a lot more than personal intelligence, compassion, business network and knowledge/skills to become an effective influencer and leader.

Well, it seems I have a long way to go in this quest for the holy grail!

Before discussing what leadership means to me, I would like to deliberate on two key elements – 1) Ego and 2) Self-awareness, which I believe are core to understanding leadership.

Ego, based on what I have gathered is simply our sense of self OR our self-image of our personality.  In reality, this is never the same as what others perceive us to be.  And, when I say self-awareness, I just feel that it is being conscious about our capabilities, deficiencies and…

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