Our First Reusable Farm Share Ever!

Vertical Harvest Farms has partnered with Avant Delivery to bring you their Fall Farm Share 2021 with reusable packaging. As the local markets are winding down and cold weather is upon us, there is no better time to sign up for 6-weeks of fresh local produce delivered right to your door!  

Each week your farm share will include rotating varieties of our lettuce heads, live microgreens, teton tomatoes, and more. Every Friday your farm share will be delivered to your home packaged in Avant 100% reusable packaging. With an easy-to-use bin program, your empty packaging will be retrieved from your home and Avant will take care of the rest. This zero-waste farm share is one of a kind! We have listened and learned from the feedback from our previous farm shares and we understand that our customers want to reduce their waste while still eating local food. This is the first trial of a very big step towards a sustainable future. 

You must order online by October 1st and it will sell out fast! 

Farm Share runs October 15- November 12th

Included in your farm share

1 clam | Petite Blend

.25 sheet | Live micro

1 clam | Micro Blend

1 pint | Tomatoes Every other week 

Varied | Surprise item – flowers, lettuce heads

Vertical Harvest x Avant Delivery Farm Share

Order Online $250

• 100% Reusable Packaging
• Weekly delivery to your home 
• Free Trial of Avant Services

Single-use Farm Share (Pick Up Only)

Order Online $183

• Single-use, disposable packaging 
• Pick up from our greenhouse 
• Access to fresh, local food!

What is CEA?

Over the past year or so you may have heard us at Vertical Harvest referring to our “conversion” project – the construction of which has been the cause of some product delays and shortages. But now all of the hard work and waiting has come to fruition as we are now ready to welcome you into our new Micro Farm: A Farm Within a Farm. 

The idea emerged when we noticed an increase in demand from our local chefs and grocery stores to supply more microgreens and petite greens. This happened to align with an internal ambition we have been fostering to implement a fully Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) system within our greenhouse. The new compartment has 4,000 sq feet of rack systems growing micro and petite greens fully independent of the whims of nature. 

This farm is our next iteration for creating efficient and scalable growing systems. As we are seeing greater fluctuations in our local and national climates it has become increasingly important to us to delve into the capabilities of a growing system that is fully self-contained and not dependent on external changes in light and temperature. Instead, the greens will be nurtured in light and temperature conditions that are ideal to their growth cycles. This space has also increased our greenhouse production by 200%, meaning we can get our community more of the greens it loves both at home and when dining out. 

Though our Maine greenhouse will incorporate some different technology, it will have a tray system that is very similar to this new compartment; so we have also reserved a portion of this new space to trial products and improve growing methods to ensure that our Westbrook greenhouse will have all the resources and information needed to hit the ground running when it plants its first seeds. We are already growing in the new space, training our employees on the new system, and getting our greens to customers. Vertical Harvest has always integrated different techniques and changed to growing demands, this project has been challenging and rewarding and will go on to influence all of our future greenhouses. 

Chef Alejandra Peña nibbles a small green leaf and the spark in her eyes is unmistakable. Her customers at Persephone Westbank will soon find a similar tiny stalk in their morning granola bowl. “They’ll be surprised at the pop of citrus with their oats and yogurt,” she says with a smile. “ Tangerine cress is something people haven’t experienced as a taste before and it is really exciting to use microgreens like these in unexpected ways.” 

It’s a fun day at the farm when a chef stops by our greenhouse. Geeking out over a microgreen’s flavor profile rings deeply sincere coming from the person who places it precisely on the plate. “Seeing the colors, tastes and textures helps me brainstorm my menus with something that is very tangible,” says Peña. “This is such a different experience than looking at a product list because being in the greenhouse and talking through the flavors with the growers helps the dish in my head come to life.”

Since our inception, Vertical Harvest Farms has had a special relationship with the chefs of Jackson, WY.  The farm works closely with chefs to grow micro and petite greens specifically curated to each restaurant’s menus. Chefs are welcome to book time to come and “shop” the greens with the Vertical Harvest grow and sales teams.

“It’s satisfying to see the look in chefs eyes when we sample a new green with them. We always do a deep dive into how the flavors and textures can make other ingredients come alive,” says Hannah Bouline, Product Manager.

On her recent greenhouse visit, Peña was preparing for Persephone Westbank’s new 5-9 pm dinner service, which just started on June 17, 2021.  She tasted radish microgreens, mustard frills, rock chive, and red veined sorrel. While the sorrel and tangerine cress are already breakfast and lunch menu staples, she’s excited to play with the mustard frills for the dinner menu. 

According to Peña, It’s important to have microgreens and petite greens that she can use for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but still have very different flavors and textures throughout the day. “Our goal is to avoid waste and use the freshest product possible.”

The overall vibe of the new dinner menu is fresh, floral, and citrus like a French bistro, she says. “We’ll offer vegan dinner options and provide an experience that is casual and kid-friendly with a specific kid’s menu. I don’t want anything to be too heavy, but instead have the entire family leave feeling like they could really enjoy the dishes and not be too full.”

Peña’s plan is to pair Vertical Harvest’s red veined sorrel with dishes such as salmon tartine and use the tangerine cress across many dishes on the menu. She also hopes to make Vertical Harvest edible flowers a key part of the restaurant’s cocktail program. 

She is most excited about the ½ roasted chicken with seasonal vegetables. “It’s so juicy and has a light yet flavorful cardamom glaze,” she says. “I’m so excited for everyone to try it!” 

A group of Vertical Harvest team members visited opening night and were impressed with the atmosphere and the food. “It was so lovely to enjoy the light, yet flavorful, food on a warm afternoon,” said Emily Peterson, Sales Director. “The cocktails were spot on and I loved the salmon tartine with its pop of citrus supplied by the red veined sorrel.  The menu perfectly balances rich dimensions of flavor without being too heavy. Even the usually deep and earthy ratatouille had a fresh essence.”

Try the chicken, salmon tartine, and other wonderful new dinner menu items yourself this season. Dine at Persephone Westbank at 3445 N Pines Way in the Aspens, Wilson WY. Learn more about our produce right here on our website!

Photo of Chef Alejandra Peña by Lindley Rust