Cutting Wheatgrass as Needed From the Tray May Not Be as Beneficial as You Think
We have some juice bars that want to purchase Wheatgrass in a tray. I always find this odd for a number of reasons. The only benefit I can think of is fooling the customer into thinking this is the “best” way to drink wheatgrass. But there are a lot of things to consider when ordering this shot of “freshly” cut wheatgrass. For example,
Is it hydroponically grown or grown in compost? – Hydroponic wheatgrass is a whole other article, but if it has in fact been grown in soil/compost then the restaurant or juice bar has brought soil into a “clean” environment. Lots of things live in soil and they have now potentially brought things into their prep area that were not ever meant to be there. This is a food safety hazard that should be considered.
How much nutrient storage is lost by not cutting at the optimal time? – The reason why microgreens are more nutritious than their fully grown adult plants is because the seed has everything needed to grow up to a certain point. We capture that nutrition by harvesting the green when it is young at the optimal time. After the optimal time the plant starts pulling from the soil (if it is grown in soil) or from a bath of nutrients mixed in water (hydroponically). It also uses some of its own nutrients for its growth into adulthood. It is difficult to say how much nutrients are lost at the various stages after the plant is not cut at the optimal time. By harvesting at the optimal time and placing in a bag, you have captured the maximum amount of nutrients possible from that microgreen or wheatgrass. So, the tray that has dried out and been sitting there in the juice bar being hacked away at for several days or been in the back waiting to be brought out may be past its prime!
Don’t be fooled by marketing tactics of “fresh” wheatgrass being cut right in front of you. It probably is not the best way to drink wheatgrass. Oh yeah, and the flavor can also change too! Look for a wheatgrass juice bar that serves Andi’s Way. You can always request it to be ordered in for you. We ship nationwide and are happy to supply your local juice bar!
How to properly store Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is temperature sensitive and will become a translucent color when it goes bad. We recommend storing your wheatgrass in the vegetable or “crisper” drawer in your refrigerator. The back part of your refrigerator is the coldest and can freeze delicate produce such as lettuce, strawberries, and wheatgrass. The door of your refrigerator tends to be the warmest part of your refrigerator and fluctuates in temperature the most. It is not a place to store wheatgrass. The top shelf of your refrigerator is the next warmest part of your refrigerator because cold air sinks in.
The humidity drawers of your refrigerator sometimes have a humidity control slider on them. The lower the number the lower the humidity. When you slide the lever toward the lower numbers it opens a window in the drawer allowing humidity and gases to escape. When you want more humidity in the drawer, the action of dialing a higher number closes that window, trapping humidity and gases. What humidity setting your wheatgrass needs will determine how wet the grass was when cut. Look at your bag and if it has water beads on the inside of the bag, it will need a lower humidity setting. Another option is to place a clean folded paper towel in the bag to absorb some of the moisture.
If you notice that the wheatgrass is turning before the best by date on the back of the bag, check your temperature setting on your refrigerator. Ideal temperature for wheatgrass is between 35 and 37 degrees and ideal for your refrigerator is between 34 and 38 degrees.
