Centre County woman turns to growing microgreens as post-retirement business

When Mindy Worrick was looking for a post-retirement, at-home job, she was tempted to turn to agriculture, putting her 20 acres to use, but worried about the need for more low-impact and less physical work in the years to come. When she found microgreens, the indoor crop that’s growing in popularity seemed a perfect fit.

“I started growing microgreens probably a year and a half or two years ago,” she said. “First of all, they surprised me with their nutritional content. That caught my eye right away. Then, when I actually grew them and tasted them, I felt they were really good. Plus, for me, being older, it’s an indoor grow. I’m not digging. I don’t need farm equipment. The biggest thing I have is the bales of soil and, right now, I’m still going strong on those.”

Worrick began sharing her harvests with friends and clients, with her first public sales taking place in May 2020, under her new business’s brand, Bear Meadows Microgreens. While many microgreen growers sell wholesale to restaurants, Worrick said that avenue is more difficult during the pandemic; however, microgreens hold plenty of appeal for those looking to improve their diet, pandemic or no.

“They have so many nutrients, they’re locally-grown and I can get them to people quickly, so they can get the most nutritional value (from the produce),” she said. “I feel like it’s a new opportunity. ... People are becoming more aware of where their food comes from and eating locally. The other thing is, in these last several months, there have been several other local online markets which have opened up, which provides another outlet for my products. I can list with them and people order directly from them.”

Currently, Bear Meadows Microgreens customers can purchase products directly from the brand’s website, as well as via Centre Markets, Appalachian Food Works and State College Online Farmers Market. Worrick provides free delivery throughout Boalsburg and State College, with only a small fee for deliveries elsewhere, and no delivery fee for orders over $40.

Worrick’s product line includes what she calls the “basics,” like broccoli microgreens, but she also offers microgreen mixes designed for salads, smoothies and more. She additionally offers a subscription service, wherein customers can receive a weekly or biweekly microgreens delivery.

“With the subscriptions I have set up now — which can all be customized — if they get a $20 per week subscription, that gives you a box of mixed salad — if you want, or you can get one specific (microgreen) — and that gives you ... three large salads or enough greens for 10 sandwiches. Then it also comes with a smaller, specialty salad that changes,” she said.

For those unfamiliar with microgreens and wondering how they can incorporate them into their diets, Worrick suggests starting with simply making a salad or topping a sandwich.

“I just take the salad mix, which has a variety — broccoli, kale, cabbage, kohlrabi, maybe seven different microgreens — and you can add a protein and toppings to that. Another super-easy way, which I do every day, is to just add them to a lunch sandwich; it changes a plain ol’ sandwich so much and makes it really fresh,” she said, noting that some of her personal favorite microgreens include purple kohlrabi and purple basil.

As Worrick looks to the upcoming year, she hopes more people learn just how nutritional and healthful microgreens can be — as well as easy to use.

“They’re local and fresh — and that’s the best way to get the most nutrients out of your food. Everyone’s on alert right now about their health and this is such an easy way to add something good to your diet,” she said.

For more information on Bear Meadows Microgreens’s product line, visit www.bearmeadowsmicrogreens.com. For questions, contact Worrick at 814-571-4397.