Frequently Asked Questions

WHEATGRASS

How long does wheatgrass keep?

Fully-grown wheatgrass trays will keep for up to a week depending on how they are kept – they like cool, light conditions. After a week wheat grass normally gets over grown and loses its lushness.

How do I store it?

Our fully grown wheat grass trays need cool (5-18C), light conditions to slow the growing rate. Water them daily and evenly with a watering can, letting the water drain through the roots and out of the bottom of the tray. Don’t let them stand in water or over-water them.

Fully grown trays do not need as much water as half grown, also if they are kept in cool place the may not need to be watered as often. For example when we store ready grown trays in a temperature of 5C we do not water them for few days but we do water them before juicing. Our half grown wheat grass has been grown for 7 days and needs to be grown on up to 7 days and the ¾ grown for 3-4 days until it is 15-20cm in height and ready for juicing. Store in a warm and bright place and water once or, if needed, twice a day. You can slow or speed the growth of your wheat grass by manipulating the temperature. Fresh air and sunshine is what if likes best but in cold weather you will need to keep it inside somewhere light and warm. Continue to water once or twice a day. The compost should be kept moist. See our website (under “more” on the homepage for more information)

What seeds are used for wheat grass?

  1. Wheat grass is grown from WHEAT GRAIN or SPELT.
  2. They have different growing instructions as we have found that they both prefer slightly different growing conditions.
  3. Our ready grown wheat grass is grown from spelt as the juice is sweeter, it’s easier to grow and it’s a heritage grain so has not been cross-bred as much as wheat has. It is also less prone to mould.

Do you stock organic red winter/hard wheat?

No, this is not yet available in the UK. It originates from Canada and so is often recommended in America. We recommend our organic spelt grain for growing as like the hard red wheat it gives rise to less mould problems than regular wheat grain.

What’s the approximate yield of wheatgrass (grams) per tray?

It's approximately 200 to 300 grams possibly more as it depends on how tall the grass is when you harvest. This would yield on average 210 to 270ml of fresh juice equivalent to 7-9 30ml shots or doses.

What are the benefits of wheat grass juice?

Many substantial benefits of drinking fresh wheatgrass juice have been identified, mainly by American research and FDA data.

  1. It contains a very broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals. A shot of wheat grass juice is like a single complete supplement. It contains all the B group vitamins – it is a vegetable source of vitamin B12 – and also vitamins A, C, E and K. Wheat grass is rich in minerals, major and minor. It contains calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and selenium. These are minerals important for cardiovascular and immune system function.
  2. Wheat grass is highly active chemically and contains phytonutrients that partake in the many chemical changes in the body necessary for the maintenance of good health and maintaining energy levels.

What are the benefits of fresh juice over frozen?

Fresh is always best as some nutrients especially enzymes are damaged when exposed to extreme temperatures like being frozen. Of course the juice is still very nutritious though. I usually think of it like having frozen peas or having peas fresh from the garden.
Unfortunately not everyone is able to juice themselves or have the facilities to do so, the second best option is frozen wheat grass.

Can I cut the grass and grow it again?

The first growth from the seed is the most nutritious. Once you have cut the grass, during the second growth the grass runs out of nutrients and so we do not recommend growing and cutting it again.

Can I grow the grass outside?

The grass should be fine outside in a greenhouse so long as the temperature doesn't drop too much. If the temperature goes below 18 degrees the grass may not grow so your windowsill may be a better position for it.

Can we eat grass?

It is not advisable to eat the wheatgrass as our digestive systems cannot break down the grass. Cows have four stomachs to breakdown the cell walls of the grass with and can therefore derive the nutrients from the grass. This is why we juice the grass as when juiced the nutrients are readily available for our bodies to digest.

Can I use mouldy grass?

When mould is present it is some times recommended not to use the grass at all, but with careful cutting and wash it before juicing, it should be fine. Unfortunately mould can be a common problem. There are three things that can help with keeping it away: temperature, humidity, and air circulation. Temperature cannot be too high (18-20C for growing- 5-18C for storage). Plant cannot be over watered, and air circulation needs to be in place.
We would advise to clean everything before starting another batch as the environment may be affected, and it is important to get rid of spores. If mould does spread, we would advise cutting the wheatgrass and store in a sealed container in the fridge so it wouldn't get to the state where it is not suitable to use. This option extends time you can use it for about a week - it of course depends on the state of the grass when it is cut.

How do I find your wheatgrass on line?

Our frozen wheatgrass juice is available for our online shop: https://wheatgrass-uk.com/shop/frozen-wheatgrass-juice.html
Our fresh grass is available from our online shop: https://wheatgrass-uk.com/shop/wheatgrasses-greens.html

What type of Juicer would I need?

Usually for juicing the wheat grass we recommend using a masticated juicer (with an auger) as it squeezes the grass to extract the juice.
Our organs cannot consume the blades of grass so by using this type of juicer we are getting as much nutrients as possible from the grass and each blade. Using a normal juicer or smoothie maker would only cut and chop the grass, which wouldn't give you as much pure juice.
All the juicers we sell on our website are masticated but for the same affect you can use a Cold Press Juicer which will first chop the grass and then squeeze the blades.

What is the blue/green mould I keep noticing?

The blue/green type of mould, which you have noticed, can appear quite often. The seeds we use are organic and they are cleaned in natural way. Broken seeds that can’t possibly be separated cause this problem. This type of mould should not cause any problems as it remains around the broken seed and does not transfer to the blades of grass.

What are the white hairs on the roots of the sprouting seeds?

The white hairs can appear on the roots of the all of sprouts when they are looking for water. They are root hairs, it is not mould and it usually disappears after watering.
Please see link below which do contain photo of the sprout covered in root hairs
http://biology-pages.info/R/Roots.html

Does wheatgrass juice contain any gluten or pollen?

No it doesn’t contain either.

Can I use wheat grass as a cancer treatment

You need to speak to a trained practitioner if you are planning to use wheat grass as part of a cancer treatment.
We would recommend Jill Swyers, Elaine Bruce (Uk centre for living foods) or Judy Barber. All of their contact details can be found on our links page here.

Is it safe for cats?

Cats love wheatgrass and yes it is perfectly safe.

SEEDS

Where can I find your growing instructions?

If you go to the home page of our website and hold your mouse over 'more' in the menu it will drop down another menu and here you will find both care instructions and growing instructions. In addition all our packs of seeds have full instructions on the back.

Where do the seeds come from?

They are from organic farms that produce seeds predominantly from Italy but we also source some from UK producers.

What is the best way to store seeds?

Our seed packs should be kept in a cool, dry place in a sealed container.

Where can I buy your stuff?

We distribute via the following wholesalers like Queenswood natural foods, Goodness Foods, The Healthstore and Infinity foods.
Unfortunately the wholesalers do not provide us with a list of who they sell our products to so my advice would be to ask your local independent health food / organic shop to order for you from one of these wholesalers or buy from our online shop: https://wheatgrass-uk.com/shop.html

What are the white hairs on the roots of the sprouting seeds?

The white hairs can appear on the roots of the all of sprouts when they are looking for water. They are root hairs, it is not mould and it usually disappears after watering.
Please see link below which do contain photo of the sprout covered in root hairs http://biology-pages.info/R/Roots.html

GREENS

How long do they keep?

Our trays of will keep for up to a week depending on how they are kept – they like cool, light conditions though not direct sunlight.

How do I keep/store them?

Our fresh fully grown greens will be ready to use and at their optimum height for nutritional value when you receive them but will keep for up to a week approximately depending on storage conditions. Store in a light place (but not direct sunlight) at a temperature of 17-18 degrees. Water at least once a day, keeping the compost moist but not too wet.
Alternatively you can cut them before they get too tall and store them in the salad compartment of the fridge where they will keep for up to a week providing they were in optimum condition when cut.

What is the yield from a tray of sunflower greens and snow peas?

Here at Aconbury we have not carried out any tests on juicing Sunflower Greens or Snow Peas. We understand that some our customers buy the trays for this purpose but we have not had any feed back. We know that per tray you would get on average 250g of Sunflower greens and about 200g of Snow Pea shoots.
For juicing purposes these are only estimates based on what we know we can extract from a wheat grass tray. For sunflower greens as long as the tray has been looked after and watered before juicing we would expect a full tray yield of about 5 oz. Snow Pea we expect would be less than that per tray, somewhere between 3 and 4 oz.

DELIVERY

What are my delivery options?

You can choose the delivery day by advising in the comments when you order and we offer timed deliveries of either before 12noon or before 10am. You just need to select the type of delivery when ordering.
If you are having any problems with this feel free to call our office on 01432 360935 Monday-Thursday 9am-3pm

What time will my delivery arrive?

The delivery service we offer is next day (if ordered Monday – Thursday 9-2pm) for all our fresh and frozen products and some of our dried goods depending on the quantity and your location. If you have provided us with an email address/mobile phone number you should receive an email the evening before delivery and a text message on the morning of delivery from our courier with a 2 hour time slot and consignment number.

Can I return trays to the courier?

Whilst we would prefer to have the trays returned, it is uneconomic for us to do so. The transport costs to return them far outweigh the value of the trays. However, they are recyclable and can be sent to your local recycling centre for disposal.

Can I track my order?

Our couriers, DPD local, will issue a consignment number via email. You can track your delivery at https://www.dpdlocal.co.uk/  with your consignment number.

How much do I have to pay for delivery?

For UK deliveries

Our carriage rates reflect the care that is taken by our courier to ensure that your living foods reach you alive. Many couriers will not carry live plants so we're lucky to have them! Prices are based on the weight of the order and the delivery location. See below for rates.

MISCELLANEOUS

I am having problems ordering online

If you have experienced a problem with placing it online you can always do it over the phone (01432 360935) we are open Monday till Thursday 9am - 3pm.

I have found small shiny silver pieces in my compost?

The pieces are Vermiculite, a mineral and are perfectly safe.

Are the trays you use BPA free and recyclable?

Yes, our black trays are BPA free, they can be reused many times and are also recyclable