We all want our kids to grow up being safe, healthy, smart, and happy. When it comes to the healthy part, getting some kids to eat their vegetables is often a daunting task. My boys (ages 8 and 11) will love broccoli one month, then decide they hate it the next. This is why I’m so happy my husband discovered microgreens.

If you haven’t heard of them, microgreens are the baby stage of the plant where it is just starting to grow leaves. It is the most nutritious stage of the plant, with anywhere between ten to forty times the nutritional value of its full-grown counterpart. This means a tiny bit of this superfood will go a long way. I love to sneak these tiny greens into nearly every meal. There are potentially hundreds of varieties to choose from, and they all are packed with flavor as much as they are packed with vitamins.

When my husband, James, came to me with the idea of growing microgreens, I was skeptical at first. It turns out my family loves them. We would grow them by the tray, and would often find ourselves with excess supply. We started sharing them with friends, family, and neighbors. The feedback we received was so positive that we started our own business. 

In July 2020, we opened “Lazy Squirrel Acres.” We grow microgreens organically using hydroponics in an indoor, controlled environment. This means there are healthy microgreens available year-round. We currently supply local restaurants like CityGate Grill, deliver to homes, and have a booth at the Wheaton French Market every Saturday from 8AM to 2PM.  

This past winter we opened a booth at Painted Tree Marketplace in Naperville. We hoped to use it as an indoor venue for selling our greens during the cold months when the farmers markets are closed. However, it is more of a gift shop, and microgreens were an unexpected find. We decided to save the microgreen sales for our website and instead use the space to sell handmade goods (I knit and make jewelry), artwork from some of our talented family members, globally sourced earth-friendly products (we care about our planet), and we share space our booth with other farmers market vendors looking for indoor vending space. We also use Painted Tree Marketplace as a pickup location for microgreens purchased online.

The part I love most about my job is teaching people about the benefits of microgreens. James and I have been guest speakers for college agriculture classes and I have taught many shoppers about our products at the French Market. Our business has been slowly growing this past year, and we are looking forward to seeing what’s ahead for us.

Please contact us at 331-444-2217 (call or text), lazysquirrelacres@gmail.com, or visit our website at lazysqacres.com to find out more information. We hope you’ll join our growing family of micro green lovers. 

Christie Gillen

Owner