Natural State Microgreens was founded by Stephanie Spencer in 2019 at their home in Scott, AR. After working as a cardiac RN for 27 years, Stephanie was ready for a change and was interested in exploring the connection between food and health.
Ironically, Stephanie’s husband Paul developed pre-diabetes about the same time she started Natural State Microgreens. They reversed this common condition in 4 months by switching to a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet and from then on, Stephanie was hooked! She got a Certification in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies offered through Cornell University. Stephanie has been teaching “Plant-Based Transformation for Beginners” classes since the beginning of 2020 and has recently transitioned the course to an online self-paced format. You can view a free one-hour webinar about the health benefits of plant-based nutrition in preventing, improving, and even reversing common chronic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, arthritis, and more at naturalstateplantbased.com. Research has demonstrated that the best way to prevent devastating complications of COVID-19 is to correct underlying chronic diseases NOW!
Stephanie loves microgreens because studies have shown them to contain 4-40 times more nutrient density than their mature raw counterparts. We like to think of them as “hyper-concentrated” vegetables!
Superfood Rainbow Mix is a best-seller containing 10 different microgreen varieties including celery, arugula, and two radish varieties for plenty of flavor and kick. It also contains micro broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, amaranth, cabbage, and buckwheat lettuce. This mix is very popular with restaurants to use on top of salads and main dishes, and for adding unusual flavor to sandwiches.
Broccoli Sprouts are another top-seller for their impressive health benefits. They have been extensively studied by researchers at Johns Hopkins University (and elsewhere) for their anti-cancer stem cell and DNA repair properties. Click here for a good summary of the research on broccoli sprout benefits. Researchers have been frustrated at their inability to turn the active compound in broccoli sprouts-sulforaphane- into a stable pharmaceutical form for cancer trials, but you can just cut out the middle man and eat this superfood in its natural form! Ask Stephanie for her Morning Energy Smoothie recipe with broccoli sprouts. You can also grow or sprout your own broccoli with kits that Stephanie sells.
High Protein Pea Shoots are the live and un-oxidized version of “Vegan Protein Powder”. Sunflower shoots are another high protein popular microgreen. Sun shoots are crunchy and go great in a Nut-butter Pita Sandwich: Add to whole wheat pita pockets: your favorite nut butter mixed with a little honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar. Add Granny Smith apple slices, diced celery, sunflower seeds, and sun shoots!
Micro Cilantro and Micro Dark Opal Basil have intense flavor and are available year-round in the micro-form. These herbs also contain very high levels of Nitric Oxide which repair damage to the lining of our coronary arteries.
Stephanie also sells cloth face masks (washable 100% cotton with a filter pocket, adjustable ear cords, and a wire moldable nose bridge) in many different patterns. She recommends cutting a surgical mask in half and inserting it in the filter pocket to add 2 extra layers of cotton in addition to the surgical mask protection when indoors. Remember that surgical masks need to be replaced after 4 hours of continuous use!
Stephanie lives with her husband Paul, 2-3 boys (one is at UCA now), and a Great Pyrenees on 15 acres in Scott, AR. In addition to microgreens, they keep bees that are raised with love and forage off of the wildflowers of the Arkansas River Lowlands. They also have an AirBnB (click here for link) on their property in the middle of a pecan orchard (sorry, 2019 is the “off” year for pecans) which has been really popular for folks wanting to get a break this year and relax in the country.
Stephanie thanks all of her customers at ALFN for helping to keep her business afloat through the COVID crisis of 2020. God bless all of you good souls who support local agriculture!
Facebook links:
Natural State Microgreens: https://www.facebook.com/locallygrownsuperfood501
Natural State of Health, Plant-Based Wellness: https://www.facebook.com/naturalstateplantbased
Instagram:
@natural_state_microgreens
Arkansas Local Food Network 