Name of business: Drake’s Greens

Type of business: Food

Location: Turlock

Contact information: drakesgreens@gmail.com or (209) 650-3590

Specialty: Microgreens

History of business:

Michelle and Sedric Drake married and moved to Turlock in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple made themselves at home in a way that most people do, by maintaining their own garden. Earlier this year, they decided to turn their hobby into a business with the creation of Drake’s Greens.

“We were kind of going down a YouTube rabbit hole looking for something extra to do, so we ended up with our own garden and wondered if we could sell,” Michelle said.

But the couple’s garden wasn’t a traditional one. Michelle explained that she has a number of allergies, which led her to have a unique approach to gardening.

“I'm allergic to so many things, so I was hoping to see if homemade, homegrown foods would be better against pesticides and things like that,” she said. “We decided to do microgreens.”

Microgreens are essentially infant plants, or plants before they arrive to the true leaf stage. The Drakes garden a number of vegetables — such as broccoli, kale, leaks, peas, radish and arugula — in 10 by 20-inch trays and only allow them to grow anywhere from one to four weeks, depending on the plant. Most microgreens are up to 40 times more nutritious than their adult-size plant.

“They are delicious and tasty. What blows people's minds the most is that every time they taste them, they're shocked because it actually tastes like the plant,” Michelle said.” It may not look like a broccoli, so it's hard to tell the difference when you're just visually looking at them, but when you taste them, they're like flavor bombs.”

Most customers use microgreens as toppings, but the couple explained that the possibilities with them can be endless.

“If you're having toast in the morning, put some spreadable cheese or some avocado on top and then include your microgreens and you're going to get a major nutrition punch with your food,” Michelle said. “We toss it on our pasta. We have a couple of customers who love to take the leeks of the red onions and put them in mashed potatoes. We also use the leeks on eggs, which is super good. We grow cilantro, basil, fennel and dill and I'll take those in the microgreen form and chop them up and use them as a fresh herb mix in my meatball mix or in my potatoes or in my soups and things like that.”

Sedric believes that the extra flavor that comes from the infant plants can be a game changer as they can put regular meals over the top.

“With the microgreens, they pop immediately, a lot of them do,” Sedric said. “And some of them do have a lingering taste to them that a lot of people like.”

Months after launching their business, the couple took their packaged microgreens to Downtown Turlock at the Turlock Certified Farmers’ Market. They have found plenty of success selling their microgreen salad mixes and individual toppings to community members.

Nick Schuller is the TCFM marketing director. This year’s market has been held every Saturday morning since early May, and Schuller believes that Drake’s Greens has been one of the most popular new vendors.

Aside from their growing number of customers at the market, Michelle explained that the downtown vending experience has made them feel a stronger connection to the community.

“We love the farmer’s market. It's what's helped us kind of fall in love with Turlock, so it's been cool,” she said.

At the time of this publication, there are two markets left in the 2022 season. As microgreens are grown by the Drakes year-round, the business will continue to sell their products online at www.drakesgreens.com through their SaladShare program. Additionally, community members can find their unique flavors at several Turlock-area businesses. Their microgreens can be found in meals at places like 10 East, Café Rome, Ohana Seafood, Roth Social House and Sanctuary Pizza. Their packaged products can also be found at J&J Ramos Farms in Hughson.

“Our motto is ‘From us to your door in less than 24,’” Michelle said. “Freshness is a major, major thing for us. We’re working on lots of new things to come for next season, so there's lots to look forward to.”