Yep, someone plants all of their basil seeds by hand – there isn’t a machine to be found. Then those seeds are allowed to germinate for a couple of days, then moved (again by hand) to a high intensity light area where their root system will grow for another week, then moved (again by hand) into the greenhouse where they will continue to grow until they are ready to be placed in store (and then delivered by hand 24 hours after they leave the greenhouse).
Here is a look at one of their greenhouses. Look how beautiful and uniform all those little basil are – it is a testimony to the care and love that Jeff, Ann, and their crew give their product. The whole process – from seed to in-store – takes around four weeks. Since it is a controlled environment, they are able to grow fresh, natural basil that does not contain any pesticides.
One additional tidbit – since the basil is living, with the right care it can last up to three week on your counter top. Isn’t it cool to think you can have fresh basil for that long? Fresh basil is SO much better than dried.
Garden Update
Thanks for posting the pictures. I'm really looking forward to my CSA basket on Saturday… I'm supposed to get the jam, too, which looks amazing! We had too much basil from the last basket so stuck it in an empty pot. It's doubled in size and still growing. Pesto time!
Snake – send me your pesto recipe. I'm always looking for a new one. And good thought about the basil in a pot. Might have to do that since we also have basil coming up in the garden too. And every jam I've ever had from Twin County Family Farms has been AMAZING!!!
– kel
I joined a CSA this year for the first time. I picked up my first pickup this week. The one I joined produces all produce (all veggies I think).
I have some veggies that I have never eaten before: Kale (I've made kale once), swiss chard, kholrabi, along with turnups, raddishes, green onions, dill and cilantro.
It will be interesting to see what I come up with to eat this week. Thank goodness for the internet so I can figure out what to do with these greens. It's like one big eating experiment.
Way to go Ann! You'll love being part of a CSA and experimenting in the kitchen. And you are right – thank goodness for the internet. When in doubt, go to allrecipes.com and type swiss chard and see what comes up. You never know – you may have been a secret lover of kholrabi. (What is that by the way?)
– kel