Sunflower Shoots, Prosciutto and Mozzarella Salad

Ed and I are fortunate to call Chef Tyler Turner a friend and love it when he surprises us with new ingredients. We recently learned about the wonders of sunflower shoots (or sunflower sprouts) when Tyler added them to a salad and then thoughtfully shared a fresh bag from Rushton Farms CSA in Newtown Square, PA (part of Willistown Conservation Trust) so we could try them at home.

If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t seek out alfalfa sprouts, don’t worry. While these are sprouts that’s where the resemblance stops. Sunflower shoots have a slight nuttiness to them and a bit of a crunch which provides a great texture. If allowed to grow they will become big, bright sunflowers and yield sunflower seeds. The shoots have a more general nuttiness flavor and don’t taste much like sunflower seeds (which I know are not nuts).

Farmers originally started growing them in greenhouses to provide a supply of winter greens. They’ve become such a popular microgreen that they’re now grown all year round and available at many farmers markets. Microgreens contain up to 100 times the enzymes found in full grown greens allowing your body to more easily assimilate vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (substances found in certain plants that are believed to be beneficial to our health and help prevent various diseases).

I added these shoots to a salad made of up green leaf lettuce, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and dual colored cherries. I wanted to make sure that the sunflower shoots had a chance to shine, so I dressed the salad with a drizzle of sherry vinegar and flavorful extra virgin olive oil and finished it off with flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper. I used a living head of lettuce – the roots are placed in water to keep it fresh – which was perfect for this salad. This makes a great lunch salad or lite fare for dinner on a hot night (no stove or oven required). 

You can learn more about sunflower shoots from Natural Society’s 11 Reasons to Grow & Eat Sunflower Greens. The sunflower shoots in the photo have two leaves – there are two in the center of the salad.