Britton Shiso Microgreens
Britton Shiso Microgreens combine silvery-green leaves, striking purple undersides, and delicate ruffled foliage with a distinctive licorice-mint fragrance. Their aromatic complexity and tender texture bring elegant flavor and color to sushi, seafood, Asian-inspired dishes, fresh fruit, and sophisticated culinary presentations.
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Britton Shiso Microgreens
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Britton Shiso Microgreens combine silvery-green leaves, striking purple undersides, and delicate ruffled foliage with a distinctive licorice-mint fragrance. Their aromatic complexity and tender texture bring elegant flavor and color to sushi, seafood, Asian-inspired dishes, fresh fruit, and sophisticated culinary presentations.
Inside This Superpower
Britton Shiso Microgreens bring the distinctive botanical character of Perilla frutescens, a member of the Lamiaceae family, to the tender first true-leaf stage of development. This open-pollinated selection produces striking two-toned foliage, with silvery-green upper leaf surfaces and contrasting purple undersides. Its young true leaves develop an elegant ruffled structure, distinguishing Britton from conventional green shiso and many other culinary microgreens.
Their flavor combines subtle licorice sweetness, refreshing mint-like character, gentle herbal spice, and the distinctive aromatic complexity associated with shiso. Tender young foliage and fine stems create a delicate texture suited to fresh culinary applications.
LivFarms cultivates these specialty microgreens in a carefully controlled growing environment, with attention to water, plant nutrition, and harvest quality. The result is a fresh-cut microgreen offering sophisticated color contrast, expressive aroma, and exceptional versatility as a finishing ingredient.
Britton Shiso Microgreens complement sushi, sashimi, seafood, aromatic noodles, rice, cucumbers, citrus, fresh fruit, and Asian-inspired preparations. Their ruffled leaves and contrasting colors make them particularly appealing for premium culinary presentations.
Explore their sensory character through Elevate and their naturally occurring rosmarinic acid, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and aromatic plant chemistry through Nourish.
- CATEGORY: Microgreens
- VARIETY: Britton Shiso Microgreens open-pollinated variety.
- BOTANICAL NAME: Perilla frutescens.
- WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE: 4 oz of fresh-cut Britton Shiso Microgreens with silvery-green and purple two-toned foliage, packaged unwashed in a press-and-seal tray with a film-sealed top.
- STORAGE: Store in the original sealed tray according to LivFarms' package temperature instructions. Protect the delicate shiso foliage from chilling injury, freezing, moisture loss, and excess condensation.
- BEST ENJOYED WITHIN: Enjoy as soon as practical after delivery for peak licorice-mint fragrance, delicate texture, and distinctive two-toned coloration. Follow the freshness date printed on the package.
- SERVING & PREPARATION: Gently rinse under cool running water immediately before use and carefully dry. Enjoy raw or add immediately before serving to preserve the aromatic flavor, ruffled leaves, and contrasting purple undersides.
Not All Microgreens Are Grown Equal
Put Your Superpower to Work
Elevate
NUTRITION BY DESIGN
- CHEF'S TASTING NOTES: Britton Shiso Microgreens deliver an expressive aromatic experience that begins with delicate licorice sweetness and develops into refreshing mint-like freshness. The first bite introduces tender young leaves and fine succulent stems, followed by subtle basil-like herbal complexity and gentle warm spice. As the flavor develops, the recognizable character of shiso emerges, offering a distinctive combination of sweetness, freshness, and aromatic depth without aggressive peppery heat. The delicate ruffled foliage provides a soft texture, while the contrasting silvery-green and purple leaf surfaces create an exceptional visual experience. Britton Shiso offers chefs an elegant interpretation of a traditional East Asian culinary herb, particularly valuable when a dish requires refined fragrance, complex flavor, and delicate botanical presentation.
- FLAVOR PROFILE: Subtle Licorice • Refreshing Mint • Gentle Herbal Sweetness • Warm Spice • Aromatic Finish. Britton Shiso Microgreens capture the distinctive character of perilla in a tender, refined young-plant form. Their flavor opens with subtle licorice-like sweetness before developing refreshing mint notes, delicate basil-like complexity, and a clean, lingering herbal finish. The aromatic profile differs from traditional Italian basil, Thai basil, and more strongly peppery mustard microgreens, giving Britton Shiso a distinctive culinary identity. Its flavor complements citrus, cucumber, fresh seafood, sushi rice, ginger, sesame, noodles, and lightly seasoned vegetables. The gentle sweetness also pairs beautifully with strawberries, peaches, and carefully composed desserts. A small finishing portion introduces recognizable shiso character without dominating the primary ingredients.
- TEXTURE & CULINARY PERFORMANCE: Fine succulent stems support tender cotyledons and distinctive ruffled true leaves, creating a delicate, lightly juicy texture that integrates naturally into completed dishes. Britton Shiso performs particularly well when served raw, allowing its subtle licorice-mint aroma and two-toned appearance to remain prominent. Citrus dressings, mild vinaigrettes, sesame, and delicately seasoned oils complement its herbal sweetness, while seafood, grains, and richly flavored ingredients provide satisfying contrast. Its ruffled foliage adds visual interest without the heavier structure of mature shiso leaves. Prolonged cooking reduces fresh aromatic intensity and softens the tender foliage, making last-minute plating the preferred approach for preserving flavor, natural color, and delicate botanical texture.
- PLATE PERFORMANCE: Britton Shiso Microgreens introduce exceptional botanical contrast through silvery-green upper leaf surfaces and striking purple undersides. Their delicate ruffled true leaves create intricate texture and natural movement, revealing flashes of purple as the foliage turns and overlaps. Small clusters provide precise accents of color and fragrance, while slightly larger portions create soft height and airy volume without obscuring the underlying dish. Their two-toned appearance contrasts beautifully with pale sashimi, white rice, golden seafood, bright citrus, fresh cucumber, dark ceramic plates, and delicate desserts. Unlike uniformly green or purple microgreens, Britton's contrasting leaf surfaces provide visual complexity within each individual leaf. This combination of subtle fragrance and refined natural coloration makes it especially appealing for premium culinary presentations.
- CULINARY PAIRINGS & FINISHING APPLICATIONS: Britton Shiso Microgreens bring subtle licorice sweetness, refreshing mint-like flavor, and elegant two-toned foliage to a wide range of culinary preparations. For Japanese-inspired dishes, pair them with sushi, sashimi, rice bowls, seafood, cucumber, sesame, ginger, and delicate citrus sauces. For Korean and Southeast Asian-inspired cooking, scatter them over grilled proteins, noodles, fresh rolls, aromatic rice, and mildly spicy dishes immediately before serving. For seafood, finish seared tuna, salmon, shrimp, scallops, or white fish with a small cluster of tender leaves. Their gentle herbal sweetness also complements strawberries, peaches, citrus, fresh fruit salads, panna cotta, and carefully composed desserts. Add Britton Shiso at the final moment of plating to preserve its distinctive fragrance and purple-green visual contrast.
Nourish
NUTRITION IN ACTION
- THE COTYLEDON ADVANTAGE: Britton Shiso Microgreens are harvested during an early stage of plant development, when the first true leaves begin to emerge above the original cotyledons. This stage allows its distinctive ruffled, two-toned foliage to develop. During early growth, Perilla frutescens produces naturally occurring phenolic acids, flavonoids, pigments, and aromatic plant metabolites that contribute to its distinctive botanical composition. A peer-reviewed 2023 study examined Perilla frutescens microgreens at 10, 15, 20, and 25 days, measuring rosmarinic acid and total phenolic compounds under different light conditions. The researchers found that developmental stage and cultivation environment influenced the accumulation of these compounds. These findings highlight the biochemical complexity of young perilla plants, while actual concentrations depend on cultivar, light exposure, plant nutrition, growing conditions, and harvest timing.
- NUTRITIONAL SNAPSHOT: Britton Shiso Microgreens belong to the Lamiaceae family and offer the nutritional diversity associated with young edible Perilla frutescens plants. Scientific investigations of perilla microgreens have documented naturally occurring vitamins, polyphenols, and specialized plant metabolites, including rosmarinic acid. A peer-reviewed 2024 study comparing green perilla microgreens with germinated seeds found important differences in their nutritional composition, with microgreens showing a greater contribution from several vitamins and polyphenols, while germinated seeds contained higher quantities of certain macronutrients and minerals. Separate research on perilla leaves has identified phenolic acids, flavonoids, and color-related pigments, demonstrating substantial biochemical variation among green, purple, and two-toned forms. These findings describe studied perilla selections rather than guaranteed nutrient concentrations in the Britton cultivar or LivFarms harvests. The combination of aromatic foliage and diverse plant compounds makes shiso a distinctive addition to a varied whole-food diet.
- BIOACTIVE PLANT COMPOUNDS: Britton Shiso belongs to the Lamiaceae family, a botanical group recognized for aromatic culinary herbs and their naturally occurring phenolic acids, flavonoids, and specialized plant metabolites. A peer-reviewed 2023 study specifically examining Perilla frutescens microgreens documented rosmarinic acid, a phenolic compound also found in rosemary, basil, mint, and other related herbs. Researchers demonstrated that its accumulation varied with developmental stage and cultivation conditions. Broader perilla research has identified caffeic acid derivatives, luteolin, apigenin, and related flavonoids in plant tissues. Studies of purple perilla leaves have also identified cyanidin-based anthocyanins associated with their distinctive coloration. These broader pigment findings do not establish the exact anthocyanin profile of Britton Shiso microgreens. Separate investigations of perilla foliage have identified aromatic volatile compounds, including perillaldehyde and limonene, whose proportions differ among varieties and growth stages. Together, these compounds contribute to the phytochemical diversity and distinctive aromatic character of shiso. Laboratory antioxidant results do not establish specific health outcomes from eating the microgreens.
- WHY THIS PLANT MATTERS: Britton Shiso Microgreens combine distinctive licorice-mint fragrance, naturally occurring phenolic compounds, complex aromatic plant chemistry, and exceptionally attractive two-toned foliage. Their silvery-green upper leaves and purple undersides create a botanical presentation that differs from conventional green shiso, while their ruffled true leaves offer a delicate texture suited to refined culinary applications. Published research has documented rosmarinic acid and other phenolic compounds in Perilla frutescens microgreens, along with significant differences in plant composition across developmental stages and growing environments. Broader studies of perilla identify diverse flavonoids, pigments, and aroma compounds, highlighting the botanical complexity of this traditional East Asian herb. Britton Shiso's distinctive flavor complements sushi, seafood, aromatic noodles, rice dishes, cucumber, citrus, and carefully composed desserts. Incorporating this culinary herb alongside other vegetables and microgreens introduces additional botanical and flavor diversity into a varied whole-food eating pattern.
