Micro Meadows, a popular microgreens farm whose name you may recognize from your local farmers market, will open a grab-and-go, brick-and-mortar concept later this spring. The business, which currently offers prepared microgreens salads, housemade dressings and premade microgreens mixes at four area farmers markets as well as their online shop, will settle down at 2422 Taylor Road in Wildwood in April.
Co-owners and spouses Matt and Christine Loveland credit their unique signature salad mix, which includes eight varieties of microgreens – sunflower, speckled pea, broccoli, arugula, dark opal basil, kale, cabbage and kohlrabi – as well as the palpable health benefits of microgreens, for keeping customers coming back for more. Matt noted that the unique process of growing the microgreens, which entails harvesting them as soon as they reach the stage between a sprout and a baby green, makes them much more nutritious than the adult plants usually found in salads. “Quite a few studies show they are four to 40 times more nutrient-dense than their adult counterpart, depending on the varietal of the plant and each nutrient,” Matt said.
The menu currently includes a rotating selection of five prepared salads, some of which are always offered, such as the Fiesta Verde salad, which includes roasted corn, black beans, tortilla strips, shredded cheddar cheese and is topped with cilantro-lime-jalepeno vinaigrette made with wildflower honey. Others, such as the signature summer salad, with fresh strawberries, blueberries, feta, maple-balsamic dressing and maple-glazed pecans, are available seasonally. The selection will likely be bolstered once the storefront opens.
What started as a side hustle about four years ago has since grown and turned into a more serious pursuit, said Matt. “We haven’t found anyone else that’s been doing entirely microgreens in their salads around here yet,” he said. “We’ve been growing ever since we conceptualized the business, and opening up a grab-and-go store just made sense as the next step for us.”
The microgreens are grown off-site in Chesterfield as organically as possible with no chemicals or additives other than nutrients, according to Matt. They do have a slightly shorter shelf life than adult greens – roughly 10 days for the greens alone or about five days for the packaged salads.
The new spot is about 1,600 square feet and, although the offerings are packaged for grab-and-go customers, it will feature a counter with space for five sit-down diners, plus a table or two. Aside from flooring and painting, the owners plan to bring in some refrigerators to the country-chic space, said Christine, but renovations have been minimal. The store will include a small patio with space for six to eight people, as well as offerings from local businesses. Highlights include kombucha, grain-free and pasture-raised meats from Farrar Out Farm, and Italian-imported olive oils and balsamic vinegar varieties alongside Micro Meadows’ packaged micro green mix, prepared microgreens salads and bottled dressings. The couple is currently seeking a coffee and tea vendor.
The couple’s mantra is to cultivate and provide the healthiest organic products possible to their customers, and Matt said the difference shows. “We have customers who have been eating our salads every day for years. They swear by the health benefits,” he said. “When we first got started, customers came to us and said they loved putting our microgreens on top of their salads. We said, ‘Why are you putting these on top? You should be making your whole salad out of this!’ So we decided to share our approach with the rest of the community, and it’s just taken off,” Matt said.
Micro Meadows’ online shop will remain open for orders, and you’ll still see the owners’ friendly faces at local farmers markets this season, including Lake St. Louis Farmers and Artists Market, Wildwood Farmers Market, Tower Grove Farmers’ Market and The Boulevard Market.
This article appears in March 2022.