Hi, my name is Valentina Constantinescu.

I was born in Romania and came to Canada with my husband George and son Octavian in 1997.

I have a deep love for classical music, hiking, and exploring the profound healing power of nature.

A few years ago, after many trips to Collingwood and surrounding areas, we fell in love with the beauty of the place and the people and decided to make it our home.

As a Registered Nurse, I’ve dedicated my career to various facets of healthcare, from bedside care to education, patient safety, and engagement. Over the years, I’ve witnessed the challenges our healthcare system faces, from the lack of focus on preventive care to the long waits in emergency rooms.

This inspired my mission: to empower people to maintain their health and well-being at home for as long as possible. I retired from nursing in January 2025 and embarked on this new adventure:

Health and Wellness using the Magic of Microgreens

Microgreens are young vegetable greens that fall somewhere between sprouts and baby leaf vegetables.

They are full of flavour and nutrients, sometimes 40x more than their fully grown versions.

They come in a variety of colors and textures and their taste can sometimes be intense.

There are many ways to enjoy a head of broccoli including roasting, pan frying, and on a salad.

But did you know that you can delight in eating broccoli microgreens?

And other microgreens too: radishes, sunflowers, pea shoots...the options are many.

There are many nutritional benefits that your body appreciates with microgreens.

These tiny and magical plant babies are full of essential nutrients that your body requires like phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, and vitamins A, B, C, E, and K.

Best of all: microgreens are Water Efficiency CHAMPIONS!

They require 158-236 X less water than their mature counterparts.

This makes them remarkably sustainable and resource efficient in these days of water scarcity.

The Magic World of Microgreens

What are Microgreens?

  • Microgreens are vegetables and herbs grown from seeds and harvested at the seedling stage when they have only their seed leaves and are harvested before their true leaves developed.

Are Microgreens Healthy?

  • Microgreens are nutrient dense meaning they are concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Compare with their adult counterparts, they contain up to 40x the vitamins and broader spectrum of antioxidants.

  • Microgreens are suitable to eat raw which helps them retain nutrients, as the high heat in cooking can destroy enzymes, vitamins, and phytonutrients (source).

  • Different types of Microgreens will give us different vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

But in general, microgreens are a great source of Vitamins A,E,C and K, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium and zinc.

Microgreens we Grow:

Peas shoots - they contain beta-carotene which our body convert into vitamin A, vitamin C, folate essential building blocks for the human body, and fiber.

Radishes - they can also be a nutrient packed option with loads of health benefits. Radish microgreens include high levels of vitamins A,B,C,E, and K. they also deliver calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, and zinc to the body

Sunflower: Kids Love them!

Sunflower have a wonderful nutty flavor and crunchy texture and are fantastic on sandwiches, in soups, salads, scramble eggs, and wraps.

Broccoli - test great and have concentrated levels of vitamins A,B,C, and E, including minerals, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.

It is OK to eat microgreens every day as part of a balanced diet?

Yes, you can eat microgreens every day! For example a cup of arugula microgreens has 100% more vit A then Arugula mature plant.

How to eat Microgreens?

Microgreens can be added to meals in the following ways:

  • As a garnish for salad, soup, flatbread, r pizza

  • Add to a smoothies and juice

  • Add flavor and color to an omelet

  • Side to a main dish

  • Alternative to lettuce on a burger and sandwich, or tacos

    HOW TO STORE MICROGREENS?

  • Place them in a plastic container with the lid on if they are not ready in a container.

  • You can also store them in a plastic bag or paper bag, but the container is preferable.

  • Store them in the refrigerator. they should stay fresh for at least 7-10 days.

  • Although, we harvest them in a very clean way, free of any particles, but if you want to wash to wash them, then only wash how much you use.

  • Rinse under a gentle stream of water. Use a clean kitchen towel, or paper, towels to gently dry your microgreens.