Let's grow your wheatgrass
Soak today. Your wheatgrass is typically ready in 7 to 10 days.
- Soak8 to 12 hours
- RinseWater 2 times a day
- Typically ready7 to 10 days
Please read the food safety box before you eat your first batch. Always cook wheatgrass shoots until steaming hot before eating.
Show me the 3 steps3 steps
Everything you need is on your pack. Here it is again, step by step.
-
Soak
Cover the grain with clean drinking water and soak for 8 to 12 hours, then drain.
-
Grow
Spread the grain on a clean tray lined with a growing mat. Water 2 times a day.
-
Harvest
Typically ready in 7 to 10 days. Cut just above the grain with clean scissors, rinse and refrigerate.
- Cover the tray loosely at first, then give it bright, indirect light.
- Store harvested shoots covered in the fridge and use within a few days.
Food safety
Raw sprouts and shoots can carry harmful bacteria and rinsing does not remove all risk. Always cook them until steaming hot before eating. This applies to everyone, including pregnant people, young children, older people and anyone unwell. Use clean equipment and drinking water, refrigerate harvested sprouts and shoots promptly and discard any that smell off or show mould.
- Wash your hands before handling seeds and shoots.
- Wash trays and spray bottles in hot soapy water before and after every batch.
About these seeds (from your pack)
- Ingredients: Organic whole wheat grain, for growing wheatgrass.
- Allergy advice: for allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold.
- May contain soya, celery and mustard.
- Storage: Store the grain sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.
- Country of origin: Italy.
- Organic: Certified organic by the Soil Association, control body GB-ORG-05.
Day by day
Day 0 is the day you soak. Every kitchen is different, so your tray may be a day or two ahead or behind. That's fine.
Day 0: Soak
- You will see
- Whole, golden-brown wheat grains.
- What to do
- Wash your hands, and wash a bowl and the tray in hot soapy water. Cover the grain with clean drinking water and soak for 8 to 12 hours, then drain. Don't soak it for longer than that.
Day 1: Spread on the mat
- You will see
- Plumper grains. A few may show a tiny white tip.
- What to do
- Line the tray with a growing mat dampened with drinking water. Spread the grain in a single, even layer, close together but not piled up. Cover the tray loosely. Water 2 times a day.
Days 2 to 3: Roots
- You will see
- Small white roots reaching into the mat. Wheat grows a lot of fine, fuzzy white root hairs, which can look like a white haze over the tray. If the haze flattens when you water it, it's root hairs; use the checker below to make sure it isn't mould.
- What to do
- Keep the tray loosely covered and out of direct sunlight. Water 2 times a day so the mat stays damp. Don't let water pool in the tray.
Days 4 to 6: Green shoots
- You will see
- Thin, pale shoots standing up and starting to turn green.
- What to do
- Take the cover off and give the tray bright, indirect light. Keep watering 2 times a day. Give the tray a quick sniff: it should smell clean and fresh, a bit like cut grass.
Days 7 to 10: Typically ready
- You will see
- Bright green grass blades several centimetres tall.
- What to do
- Harvest from day 7 or let it grow a few more days. Cut just above the grain with clean scissors, rinse, and drain well. Store it covered in the fridge and use within a few days. Cook it until steaming hot before eating.
Rinse tracker
| Day | Morning | Evening | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Soak 8 to 12 hours, then drain | ||
| Day 1 | Spread on mat, cover loosely | ||
| Day 2 | Root hairs may appear | ||
| Day 3 | |||
| Day 4 | Uncover, bright indirect light |
Is it mould or root hairs?
On wheatgrass, root hairs are often mistaken for mould. Here's how to tell.
Root hairs: fine
- Fine, fuzzy and white, along the young roots near the mat. On wheatgrass they can cover the tray like a white haze.
- Usually appear in the first few days after the roots show.
- Water them gently: root hairs flatten and almost disappear when wet, then come back as they dry.
- Smell: clean and fresh.
- What to do: nothing. Carry on watering.
Mould: bin it
- Often grey, green, black or blue, or white and cottony or slimy.
- Spreads over the grains and the mat rather than along the roots.
- Does not disappear when you water.
- Usually smells musty.
- What to do: throw the whole tray away, with the mat. Do not try to cut around it. Wash the tray in hot soapy water before starting again.
- you see mould;
- the shoots or mat smell sour, rotten or musty;
- the grains or shoots feel slimy;
- you're not sure. If in doubt, throw it out.
Keep the mat damp, not wet, don't let water pool in the tray, keep the cover loose so air can flow, and spread the grain in a single layer.
Not sprouting?
- Cover the grain with clean drinking water and soak for 8 to 12 hours, then drain.
- Spread the grain on a clean tray lined with a growing mat.
- Water 2 times a day.
- Cover the tray loosely at first, then give it bright, indirect light.
- Typically ready in 7 to 10 days.
- Store the grain sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.
Didn't sprout? Tell us about your batch
Recipes
Wheatgrass has a fresh, grassy flavour and a fibrous texture, so chop it finely before it goes into the pan. Every idea below cooks it until it is steaming hot.
Wheatgrass and spring onion fried rice
Serves 2
You need
- 1 small handful of wheatgrass (about 20 g), finely chopped
- 250 g cooked rice, cooled quickly and kept in the fridge (cooked no more than a day ago)
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Method
- Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the spring onions for 1 minute.
- Add the rice and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, breaking up any lumps.
- Push the rice to one side, scramble the eggs until set, then mix through.
- Add the chopped wheatgrass and soy sauce and stir-fry for 2 minutes until everything is steaming hot.
Pea and wheatgrass soup
Serves 2 to 3
You need
- 1 small handful of wheatgrass (about 20 g), finely chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 300 g frozen peas
- 700 ml vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan and soften the onion for 5 minutes.
- Add the peas and stock and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the wheatgrass and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Blend until smooth, then bring back to a simmer so the soup is steaming hot before serving.
Wheatgrass and herb omelette
Serves 1
You need
- 1 tbsp finely chopped wheatgrass
- 2 to 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp chopped chives or parsley
- A knob of butter
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the chopped wheatgrass for 1 to 2 minutes until softened and steaming hot.
- Pour in the eggs with the herbs, season, and cook gently until set.
- Fold and serve hot.
Quick idea: stir a spoonful of finely chopped wheatgrass into a soup for the last 2 to 3 minutes and simmer until steaming hot.
Wheatgrass contains wheat (gluten). Check the labels of your other ingredients, such as soy sauce, stock, eggs and butter, for allergens.
About Wheatgrass (whole wheat grain)
Wheatgrass is the young grass of the wheat plant, grown here from whole wheat grains. After an 8 to 12 hour soak, the grains root into the mat and send up flat green blades, typically ready in 7 to 10 days. Contains wheat (gluten). Cereals containing gluten are one of the 14 major allergens.
Questions
What's in the pack?
Whole wheat grain, sold for growing wheatgrass at home. Wheatgrass is grown from whole wheat grain. Contains wheat (gluten).
How long do I soak the grain?
Soak for 8 to 12 hours in clean drinking water, then drain. Overnight is fine. Soaking far longer can stop the grain growing.
How much grain should I use?
Spread the grain in a thin, even layer so it is close together but not piled up.
There's a white fuzz all over my tray. Is it mould?
Wheat grows lots of fine white root hairs, which can look like a haze. Water the tray gently: if the fuzz flattens and almost disappears when wet, it's root hairs. If it doesn't flatten, looks cottony or slimy, or smells musty, it's mould: throw the tray of shoots away with the mat and wash the tray in hot soapy water. If in doubt, throw it out.
They smell bad or feel slimy. What went wrong?
Fresh sprouts smell clean and mild, a bit like fresh peas or cut grass. A sour, rotten or musty smell, or a slimy feel, means something has gone wrong, so throw the whole tray away and wash the tray in hot soapy water. If in doubt, throw it out.
Can I grow wheatgrass in a jar?
Your pack's directions are for a tray lined with a growing mat. We don't give jar directions for wheatgrass.
My grain isn't growing. What's wrong?
Too cold: grain grows well at a comfortable room temperature, around 20 to 25°C. In a cold kitchen it can take a day or two longer. Too wet: water pooling on the mat can stop it growing. Drying out: water at least twice a day. Storage: grain kept warm, damp or open to the air grows less well. A few grains that don't grow are normal.
Some grains are slow or never come up. Is that normal?
Timings are typical ranges. Your wheatgrass may be a little faster or slower depending on how warm your kitchen is. In a cold kitchen it can take a day or two longer. A few hard seeds are normal: a small number of seeds may not sprout.
Which directions should I follow?
Always follow any directions on your pack.
How do I store the wheatgrass, and for how long?
Store harvested shoots covered in the fridge and use within a few days. Cook them until steaming hot before eating. Store the unused grain sealed in a cool, dry, dark place and use it by the best before date on the pack.
Can I eat the wheatgrass without cooking it?
No. Cook the wheatgrass thoroughly until steaming hot before eating. Please read the food safety box above.
Do I need special equipment?
A clean bowl for soaking, a clean shallow tray, a growing mat, clean drinking water and clean scissors.