It’s “Wheatgrass Wednesday” on the Wegmans Organic Farm & Orchard and the Wegmans farm team is harvesting wheatgrass and sowing wheat seed to keep this very important crop thriving in our Controlled Environmental Agriculture facility.
Every week of the year, Wheatgrass Wednesday begins by harvesting hundreds of pounds of bright green shoots of germinated wheat seed, grown in stacked-high channel beds.
“Growing in these vertical stacked channels allows us to keep a small environmental footprint—it’s a really efficient form of vertical growing,” says Taylor Wingerden, our team leader overseeing this area. “After we sow the pre-soaked seed, we monitor the water, temperature, humidity, and light.” After harvesting, about 750 pounds of wheatgrass is sent to be juiced (see below for more about this healthy harvest), and the channels are thoroughly cleaned and reseeded with certified organic food-grade wheat seeds. “Each week, we compost about 4,500 pounds of root material,” says Taylor. “This material is the largest part of our composting program and the backbone of the rest of the farm’s fertility, for the orchards, veggies, and flowers!”
Although it looks like grass, it’s really wheat, packed with nutrients. All of wheat’s beneficial nutrients are contained in the seed, roots, and soil—only water is added during the 7-day growing period. Once the wheatgrass is ready to be juiced, it’s used as a main ingredient in our Wegmans Organic Green Glory Juice and Wheatgrass Juice Boost, both of which can be found in our Produce Department. We think these drinks are the most delicious way to get the benefits of wheatgrass.
Our Wegmans Organic Green Glory Juice is small batch-made and never heated for a refreshing, clean flavor. There’s no added sugar; its natural sweetness comes from fresh organic fruit and veggie juices. It’s made of 100% fresh organic juices: wheatgrass, apple, pineapple, kale, celery, and lemon, plus fresh organic spinach. It’s a good source of potassium to support heart health, too.
Our Wegmans Organic Wheatgrass Juice Boost gives you all the health benefits of wheatgrass in one quick, on-the-go shot. Made with 100% organic juices, we blend the wheatgrass with pineapple juice for refreshing flavor, and add hints of parsley and cayenne pepper for some extra pep! This nutrient boost is cold-pressured, never heated, and a good source of iron per serving.