GreenOnyx, a startup in Tel Aviv, is now cultivating the crop – also known as rootless duckweed, water lentils or wolffia arrhiza – in a super hi-tech sterile “urban farm” on the fifth floor of a Tel Aviv warehouse, where conditions are controlled by sensors and AI for maximum yield and quality.

Wolffia is the world’s fastest-growing vegetable, doubling its size in just two days, and staying fresh for six weeks. It’s almost the world’s smallest vegetable, measuring just 1mm in diameter.

GreenOnyx has, for obvious reasons, rebranded the crop. It’s now known as Wanna Greens, and it’s an easy addition to any dish. It needs no washing, no peeling or chopping – each tiny ball is the full vegetable – and no cooking.

“It tastes very mild, very gentle, with a texture that’s something like caviar,” says Ben Kidron, the company’s chief revenue officer. “You can cook it if you want but you will lose some of the benefits. It’s best eaten raw.”
Wolffia grows naturally on ponds in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, in south east Asia, where it has to be washed in warm water, then boiled, losing much of its goodness. It has also been found growing in the Golan Heights, northern Israel.

The new farm, which was officially opened last week, can produce 38 tons a year. “What you see here is the most efficient agricultural farm system ever created.”

Seeds are planted in trays of water inside the breeding machines at a constant 24ºC, and the first harvest is ready in just two days. There are no other ingredients in the process – no pesticides, antibiotics, or other toxins – just seeds plus a small amount of water.

The machines will work anywhere, yield 100 times more per square meter than field farming, and produce greens with a six-week fridge life, the longest of any fresh vegetable.

Source: Nocamels/Photo: Wannagreens