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Innovative "living" greens for your salad bowl
Earlier this year,
Goodness Greeness introduced a new line of "living" salad
greens, grown in greenhouses and packaged for convenience
and freshness. Sales of these innovative new products
have been strong, particularly at a time when it's been hard
to find traditional fresh lettuce (due to weather problems
on the West Coast).
We'd like to introduce
you to the hard-working growers that make living greens
possible and to tell you more about these exciting new
products:
Living
arugula
Living green leaf lettuce
Living red leaf lettuce (Lolla Rosa)
Living Boston lettuce
Living watercress
The
Slegers family farm
The Slegers, Jo and
Pauline, operate a 1/2 acre of green- houses in Ontario,
midway between Detroit and Toronto. Along with their
three sons (ages 4, 7 and 9)and seven employees, they work
year round to grow and ship greens using hydroponics.
(Jo says that his sons "try to be helpful").
Traditionally, growing
with hydroponics could not be done organically.
However, the Slegers have pioneered (after 5 years of
research and trial and error) an organic method to grow
these living greens.
Late last year, they
received their organic certification from OCPP (Organic Crop
Producers and Processors of Ontario). They are now
shipping their new organic product in volume to customers in
the US and Canada.
Living
greens
The greens are grown in a
hydroponic medium - organic nutrients are added.
The greens are harvested with their roots and are packaged
with a peat root ball.
The living greens are
packaged in a PMA - approved plastic "clamshell" container
and the Goodness Greeness label is added. The
clamshells are placed in a carton and the cartons are placed
on pallets, which are shipped directly to Goodness Greeness.
In the cold months, the
greenhouses are heated. In the warmer months, they are
vented and shade cloth is used to keep the plants cool.
Jo says that this makes a consistent environment for the
plants and a great working environment for the family and
their employees.
The Slegers are striving
to constantly improve the product and its packaging.
For example, they are currently looking at a new natural,
starch-based package that can be customized to better fit
the shape of the greens.
Many
benefits
There are a surprising
number of benefits to these innovative new greens.
First, they are available year-round and not subject to
changes in availability due to bad weather. Second,
they are consistently fresh, with high quality, due to the
controlled growing environment. Third, their price is
stable - the price doesn't fluctuate wildly (as the price of
traditional greens does, based on availability).
Fourth, the are packaged for convenience and for
cleanliness. Fifth, they taste great in any salad
you serve. And last, when you buy these, you are
supporting another organic family grower.
Try 'em
Try these new organic,
living greens from Goodness Greeness and the Slegers family
in your salads. You can find them at your local market. If not, email us
at
newsletter@goodnessgreeness.com and we'll help you
locate them. |
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Living Greens
Shopping List:
Living
arugula
Living
green leaf lettuce
Living red leaf lettuce
Living
Boston lettuce
Living
watercress
Upcoming Earth
Day Events
in Chicago
Chicago
Earth Day
Parks Clean Up
(April 23, 2005)
www.fotp.org
Saving
the Planet -
One Plate at a Time
(April 24, 2005)
www.earthsavechicago.org
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