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It Doesn’t Get More Local Than This

Meet the newest addition to our produce department: our very own hydroponic growing tower! The amazing folks at Vermont Hydroponic provided us with this gorgeous tower, which makes us feel both very special as well as downright excited. Why should we be excited? Because this means having fresh herbs year-round. Basil in February? No problem with hydroponics. It also means we have a relaxing and rejuvenating little pocket of nature to enjoy no matter the weather; there might be a foot of snow and whistling winds outside our windows but inside, there’s a little forest of fresh, aromatic greens and the soothing sounds of gently running water. Plus, we LOVE providing our guests with the best local products and it clearly doesn’t get more local than this! Please check with our Produce team to make sure the basil is ready for harvest.

We’re also big fans of hydroponic growing, so having the opportunity to get involved right in our very own store is incredible. Hydroponic growing is an ancient, established answer to low soil quality, limited space, and inhospitable growing seasons and it’s a fantastic way to grow foods sustainably. Using a working system of water and nutrients, plants grown this way get only and exactly the amount of nutrition they need, reducing the waste and increasing the efficiency of typical growing environments. Plus, as you can see, hydroponic growing can be accomplished pretty much anywhere- even within the walls of a supermarket!

There are so many great things to say about hydroponics and for more information on the benefits of this style of farming, check out this informational blog: http://www.local.healthy-living-staging/hydroponic-growing-demystified/.

In the meantime, we can’t wait to see the plants flourish and we just couldn’t wait to share the good news with you! From now until Spring, we’ll be using the tower to grow plants for our own enjoyment and education (like a little science experiment!), at which point we’ll be turning its use over to Vermont Hydroponic to start tomato seedlings!

Stop by to see this brilliant new addition!