Getting kids curious about food and cooking opens a world of delicious (and empowering!) experiences for little chefs.

Cooking with kids might feel like a recipe for chaos, but it’s worth every spill and splat. Getting kids curious about food and cooking isn’t just about keeping them busy—it’s about opening a world of flavors, textures, and experiences that will stick with them long after the dishes are done. Inviting your mini sous-chef into the kitchen isn’t just about making meals: It’s about making memories, broadening their tastes, and sneaking in some veggies for an easy parenting win. 

Kitchen Curiosity Matters

Kids are natural explorers and including them in meal prep gives them a front-row seat to the magic of food and makes them feel like they’ve played an important role in your “grown-up job.” Curiosity leads to confidence and, ideally, a growing appreciation for one or two new veggies. 

Hands-On Helpers Welcome

Right up there with the no-fail phenomenon of preferring to eat off your plate instead of their own, kids are far more likely to try something they’ve helped to make. Plus, every mini-chef session exposes them to new foods and flavors, building culinary confidence one (small) bite at a time. 

No Recipes Required

No long ingredient lists here … just fresh, simple inspiration for little lunches, snacks and dinners. Cooking with kids doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Stick to easy, approachable ideas to keep kids engaged and excited about cooking and eating healthy. Carrot stick “fries” dunked in Tzatziki Dip? 100% chompable. Adding Classic Pesto to a turkey and cheese rollup? It’s easy being green. Spinach Artichoke Dip mac and cheese? Creamy, dreamy, veggie-packed goodness. 

Take it One Meal at a Time

Every session with your meal prep partner doesn’t have to be perfect, and it isn’t all or nothing. Whether you’re putting together a quick snack or tackling weeknight dinner, you’re building more than just a meal—nurturing their curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of fresh, delicious food. 

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We’ve always believed that businesses can be a force for good. From day one, we set out to reimagine how and where fresh food is grown, use natural resources more efficiently, deliver better food to

With that in mind, we work with a variety of community partners to distribute a portion of our produce to those in need.

The Farmlink Project is a student-founded, non-profit with an innovative solution to combat both food waste and food insecurity: they connect farmers with hunger fighting charities across the United States. The Farmlink Project is on a mission to fight climate change, build sustainable food systems, prevent food waste and feed people in need.  

 “The Farmlink Project saves us the coordination time so we can focus on growing and running our business.”
– Jessica Gray, Assistant Plant Manager, Baltimore 

Gotham Greens started working with The Farmlink Project in 2023. Since then, Gotham Greens has donated thousands of pounds of fresh produce to The Farmlink Project, which it then distributes to many of the communities where we operate. 

The problems of hunger and food waste are massive but solvable. This Giving Tuesday, we’re encouraging our followers to consider a donation to The Farmlink Project to help combat hunger. For every $1 you donate, The Farmlink Project is able to provide 12.5 meals to people living with food insecurity. This Giving Tuesday, Gotham Greens will match donations up to $1,000 to celebrate and expand our partnership. Monetary donations to The Farmlink Project help support operations and provide the tools that allow The Farmlink Project to do their valuable work across the country.  

Please use this link to make your donation today!

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At Gotham Greens, we’re passionate about growing plants, but we’re just as passionate about cultivating community. That’s why we partner with a variety of schools and non-profits to support STEM education. In 2023, we donated more than 12,000 plant seedlings to local schools. Let’s meet our friends at  the Richmond School based in Providence, R.I.!

We caught up with elementary physical and health educator Kim Daigle, who told us the incredible ways our seedlings are being used in the classroom. 

How did you first get connected with Gotham Greens?

We’ve always known Gotham Greens for having a greenhouse right here in Providence. At the Richmond School, we’re proud to have on-site gardens and three 36-pod Lettuce Grow hydroponic units in our library. 

Several of the teachers at Richmond School have taken the University of Rhode Island (URI) Master Gardener course in order to be better equipped to grow in our gardens and greenhouse (and to be as successful as possible!). During this URI Master Gardener class, they spoke about hydroponics and how Gotham Greens supported schools with their projects through the donation of seedlings. I could not wait to make this connection! Gotham Greens has been an outstanding ally and has supported us since day one.  

How do you grow greens in the classroom and how are the students involved?  

The three hydroponic units we presently have are in the library for all Richmond students to see, enjoy and learn from daily. 

“Our students are involved from the very beginning — they are the ones to ‘pop’ the seedlings from Gotham Greens into the grow pod holders in the hydroponic units. They absolutely love this process and thoroughly enjoy being the ones to start the seedlings on their journey.”

 The students are able to observe the seedlings as they continue to grow from small seedlings into full size plants. They also can make real-life connections with their GemsNET science kits. Students grow plants from seed in all grade levels. Grade 3 specifically makes a deep connection because one of their science units has [students] growing beans hydroponically. As the plants continue growing, observations are made. Once it’s time to harvest the plants, we coordinate a time with a class, and they come down to harvest. All students get to put on a pair of gloves and then they have a specific “job” to do.  

It’s an assembly line process, where the plants slowly and gently move through each step of harvesting. The process eventually leads to placing plants in a large kitchen bin to later be delivered to the kitchen for washing and prep to be used either in the school lunch as a main ingredient or as part of a monthly food tasting. Harvesting the produce that comes from our units is a very coveted job and everyone wants to do it! 

Tell us a few of the ways that the students have enjoyed a meal with the harvested greens. 

In the past, we have used the lettuce grown in the hydroponic units for items such as chef salads, Caesar salad, pesto pasta, and most recently, we hosted a chicken salad lettuce wrap Tuesday! We had our student council health and wellness leader promote the lunch choice on the announcements daily and hype it up. I was so worried that all our hard work was for nothing when I saw the lunch choices we were up against! But our chicken salad lettuce wrap came in as the first choice among students, so it was a success!  

Any greens that are not used in the school lunch program is donated to our local food pantry, RICAN. Many of our heads of lettuce that come from the seedlings donated from Gotham Greens grow to weigh approximately ONE POUND each! The kids absolutely love harvesting these large heads of lettuce and also love harvesting basil – both fill the hallways with fragrant scents that can be smelled on various floors! 

How does growing fresh produce in the classroom impact the children? 

 Growing fresh produce in the classroom allows all students to see that you can produce healthy foods anywhere; even in the school library! Allowing students to make connections between the food they help to grow and harvest, their science experiments and learning how what we grow connects to health units (such as nutrition) is so valuable. Being able to experience something firsthand makes it much easier to comprehend when they encounter the same topic elsewhere.  

Also, some students have never grown plants at home. Students love eating what they grow and learning how what they’ve harvested has turned into “something else” that tastes so good! 

“Growing fresh produce in the classroom allows all students to see that you can produce healthy foods anywhere; even in the school library!”

What long-lasting effects do you hope this experience will bring to students? 

I’m hoping that introducing the process of growing fresh produce in the classroom will encourage our students to go home and have conversations around food with their families! Food is the basis of good health. I’m positive that this experience will also motivate many students to try new foods they may not have wanted to try previously as they’re learning that foods they didn’t think would taste good actually do.  

I’m also hoping it encourages students to get involved in their local FFA or agricultural group and prompt them to ask questions that they are curious about… to encourage them to be more aware of their surroundings and their environment, to be more thoughtful of their carbon footprint, and to advocate for ways to increase food production with the least amount of energy and waste.  

Thank you, Kim, for championing this amazing program at your school! 

 I cannot thank Gotham Greens enough for sharing with our students the opportunity to see fresh produce growing in their school! Many of our students do not have the ability to have a garden at home; however, being able to be a part of the process of planting, growing and harvesting at school levels the playing field between all students. Now everyone can participate and make real life connections between what they are able to experience first-hand and what they learn throughout different content areas! All students want to participate in this process because they truly feel so accomplished. 

The post Growing Up Greener for the Future: Meet a local school partner appeared first on Gotham Greens.

Over the last 13 years, we have been fortunate enough to grow Gotham Greens incredibly! From one greenhouse in New York City to 13 greenhouses across 9 states, from a small team of farmers to more than 700 employees. The secret? Growing a dedicated and loyal team.

For our latest company anniversary, we sat down with a handful of our longest-tenured team members (each celebrating over 10 years at Gotham Greens!) to share some of their favorite memories. 

What’s your favorite memory from working at Gotham Greens?

“In 2016, I decided to relocate from New York City to Chicago to help open and operate our new Chicago farm. Many of the Growing Team I worked with at the NYC greenhouse were Tibetan and Nepali. On my last day, they held a ‘Khata’ Ceremony for me as a ‘goodbye’ where they came and draped white cloth scarves on me one by one and wished me and my family the best. I was in tears by the end of it and still have the scarves today.”
– Adam D., Plant Manager  

“The very first seeding of lettuce and basil with Viraj, Jenn, Eric and the rest of the small team sitting on the pack house floor in Brooklyn.”
– Namgyal G., Pack House Supervisor 

“Holiday parties at our second NYC greenhouse, which used to be our headquarters at one time. We had a gingerbread house competition and lots of other fun games!”
– Allie S., Vice President of Accounting  

What’s your favorite part about working at Gotham Greens? 

 “Our first greenhouse in Brooklyn is like a family and the management is kind.”
– Menkhu G., Pack House Assistant

What has been your favorite greenhouse opening?

“The Providence, R.I., greenhouse opening was super special. It was an important step for Gotham Greens in our expansion outside of NYC and we had such a great turnout of community, politicians and customers. As a native Rhode Islander, it was super sentimental for me. My parents attended our opening event as well my best friend’s mom, who from a young age taught me the value of volunteerism. Growing up we regularly volunteered at the Rhode Island Food Bank and Amos House – two organizations that have become longstanding community partners of Gotham Greens in Providence!”
– Nicole B., Director of Business Development 

What’s your favorite Gotham Greens product? 

“Butterhead and Basil!” – Thupten T., NYC Driver 

 “Classic Pesto, always.” – Allie S. 

 “Spicy Pesto, fa sho!” – Adam D. 

What’s something your colleagues might not know about you (even 10 years later)? 

“If I had to live off one thing for the rest of my life it truly would be salad. I love that anything can be a salad. I start most meals with a base of greens and will top it with an abundance of fresh and dried herbs and random ingredients or leftovers from my fridge. I also prefer to eat it out of a large mixing bowl. Outside of being a green goddess, I also love to dance – everything from tap and swing dance to hip hop, capoeira and throwing down in mosh pits. My girls and I have a dance party most nights before bed, which usually includes a disco ball and sometimes a strobe light (I know, real ideal for calming the nervous system but it brings us all so much joy).”
– Nicole B. 

The post Employee Spotlight: Celebrating 10 Years at Gotham Greens appeared first on Gotham Greens.

Meet Caroline Glover: a James Beard Award-winning chef, and the owner of Annette Scratch to Table in Aurora, Colo.

Food is our love language, so we feel honored when some of the country’s most talented chefs use our greenhouse-grown greens on their restaurant menus. The story of Caroline Glover’s restaurant hits close to home — our first Colorado greenhouse is located on the same block as Annette and we’ve been supplying our greens to her for years. We paid a visit to Annette (a quick 2-minute walk from our greenhouse) to catch up with Caroline and learn about her story. 

Tell us about Stanley Marketplace and why you chose it as the location for Annette. 

Stanley Marketplace is a fairly large marketplace located in Aurora, just across the border of Denver. It’s full of a lot of small and independent business owners and being surrounded by people doing the same thing as you on the same scale is so helpful. You know you can reach out to others, ask questions, and so it’s a nice place to have your first spot. 

How did you hear about Gotham Greens? 

My husband Nelson and I used to live in New York and knew of Gotham Greens. When you opened the greenhouse right here in 2020, it just felt serendipitous that we would start using the greens for the restaurant.   

We use a boatload of the Bibb lettuce (a.k.a. Baby Butterhead) at the restaurant. We have a butter lettuce salad on the menu that’s been on since day one. It’s just the most lush salad out there and I think switching to Gotham Greens made a huge difference. When people come to Annette, it’s something that usually everyone orders.
 

“…to have this lettuce available 365 days of the year, right next to us, it just fits in so perfectly with the ethos of our menu.” 

Tell us about this famous butter lettuce salad! 

Our butter lettuce salad [featuring] Gotham Greens is so simple, but sometimes I think the most simple things are the most delicious. So, it’s basically a head of butter lettuce and we use a house-made tarragon dressing, pickled shallots, a little bit of shaved radish, ricotta salata, and candied sunflower seeds on top. It’s very minimal ingredients, but every ingredient is really important to the salad, and when you have them all together it’s such a beautiful way to start the meal. 

What is your menu philosophy at Annette? 

The food philosophy at Annette has really been the same since day one. We have a really small menu and what is in season or near us (local) is what informs what’s on the menu. We don’t change the menu at a certain time of the year — instead we have a rolling menu change.  The reason the salad has been on the menu since day one is well, because everyone loves it, and also when Gotham Greens moved in — to have this lettuce available 365 days of the year, right next to us, 

it just fits in so perfectly with the ethos of our menu. 

Any closing words to our readers? 

The next time you’re in Colorado, specifically Aurora, come visit us at Annette! Try the butter lettuce salad, and you can actually see the greenhouse right next to us where everything is grown. 

The post Making the Menu: Annette appeared first on Gotham Greens.

As indoor farming experts, we can help you keep your home garden alive and thriving all year round – just like we do inside our hydroponic greenhouses.

Choose Your Herbs
We try not to be biased, but at Gotham Greens, we love basil. For this piece, we’ll focus on basil-growing tips that apply to most herbs. However, don’t let us hold you back! Other great herbs for indoor gardens include thyme, cilantro, parsley, sage and more. Seeds are available at your local garden center, along with all the necessary items to get started.

Locate Your Growing Space
For basil, choose the warmest window ledge in your home that receives full sun for up to 6 hours a day. Be sure to rotate your plant once a week to give extra TLC to the shaded leaves. Basil thrives at 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (when growing), so it’s important to choose a space in your home can get close to that temperature. The warmer and brighter, the better! 

Avoid Cold Air Drafts
In the winter, windowsills can seep cold air. Make sure your window is properly insulated, and if not, consider an indoor insulation film (this will cut down your heating bill, too!) For best results, also avoid spaces near a fan, air conditioning vent, or door that will create a cooler draft of air.

Water Mindfully
Watering seems to be the step that stunts most at-home growers (no pun intended). It’s simple — water your basil plant when the surface soil is dry, about once or twice a week. Be sure to water the plant at its base and not on the leaves. Overwatering can be as much of a problem as underwatering, so make sure to select a pot with holes in the bottom for effective draining!

After Harvest, Keep It Growing
Once the plant is about four to five inches tall, you can begin to harvest! Start by snipping a stem just above the point where two large leaves meet, and make sure to pick the leaves regularly to encourage growth. Harvest only up to 2/3 of the plant so that it can continue producing fresh basil.

Too timid to try this at home? Grab a container of freshly harvested Gotham Greens Basil at your local grocery store. Shop now! 

The post Tips for Growing Greens Indoors appeared first on Gotham Greens.

New technology, climate-control features, and scale — same leafy greens you know and love. 

Our new farm is our 12th greenhouse nationwide and is our largest and most technologically advanced yet. Located right in between Atlanta and Athens, Georgia, our greenhouse is ready to supply retail, restaurant and foodservice customers throughout the Southeast region. 

Features
As our first farm in the Southeast, we decided to go big. And we mean really big (210,000 square feet, to be exact). The greenhouse has sophisticated new technology to overcome the region’s hot, humid climate and ensure we’re delivering the highest quality leafy greens and herbs. In contrast to traditional open-field farming methods that rely heavily on supplemental irrigation, our farms use up to 90% less water and 97% less land compared to conventional farming methods. We provide a consistent way of growing food closer to where people live.

Georgia Grown 
Agriculture is Georgia’s oldest and leading industry, contributing $70 billion to the state’s economy. With increasing high-impact weather events, it is essential to embrace new, innovative forms of farming. While field crops are especially vulnerable to the elements such as heavy rains or drought, our fully closed greenhouse system provides protection and reliability while cutting down drastically on water, land and energy.

“As we celebrate National Farmer’s Day, this expansion into the South is a pivotal moment for Gotham Greens and brings us one step closer to our goal of being able to deliver Gotham Greens fresh produce within a day’s drive from our greenhouses to 90% of consumers across the U.S.”
– Viraj Puri, Gotham Greens CEO and Co-Founder

Always in Season
So, what does this mean for you? It means local and sustainably grown fresh produce, available all year round. This includes new offerings, such as the regionally-inspired Coastal Crunch lettuce and family size packs of our best-selling Butterhead and Gourmet Spring Mix. To find our greens near you, please visit www.gothamgreens.com/find-us/. 

The post Our Game-Changing Georgia Greenhouse appeared first on Gotham Greens.

1 year, 365 days, 52 weeks, 525,600 minutes: no matter how you break it down, it’s been a year of exciting growth and new milestones at Gotham Greens. Here are five highlights from 2022:

1. We delivered more greens than ever
We celebrated a new round of funding to help accelerate our greenhouse expansion—meaning more fresh greens grown closer to you. We welcomed FresH2O Growers to our team, a 540,000 square foot hydroponic greenhouse in Virginia. We expanded our Rhode Island facility and announced new locations in Texas, Georgia and Colorado. By 2023, we’ll own and operate more than 40 acres (1.8 million square feet) across nine states.

2. We grew more with less
This year alone, we saved more than 450 million gallons of water. That’s 681 Olympic-sized swimming pools! We know this because conventional farms use up to 10 gallons of water per head of lettuce, and Gotham Greens only uses 1 gallon per lettuce.  

3. We created 4 new plant-based dips
This year we introduced 4 new plant-packed dips: Green Goddess, Spinach Artichoke, Green Harissa and Tzatziki. Ideal for crudites platters, appetizer spreads, and simple snacking, these new dips are already becoming a must-have in the fridge.

4. We gave back
This year, we gave back to our communities by donating more than 44,000 pounds of food to families in need and providing 27,000 seedling donations for community gardens and educational purposes. We’re especially grateful to our local community partners who help distribute, pack and deliver goods to our deserving neighbors.

5. We grew our team
It’s not just how we grow – it’s who grows it. Our dedicated team members are the real secret to producing delicious fresh food, from seed to store. As a Certified B Corp, we balance profit and purpose, prioritizing positive impact for employees, communities and the environment. We’re proud to grow our organization this year and are energized to grow with this team into 2023 and beyond. 

The post 2022 Year in Review appeared first on Gotham Greens.

Summer is here, which means the thought of standing in front of your fridge for half an hour… actually sounds pretty nice! Take that as your cue to clean out your fridge and stock it with the good stuff — greens, fruits, veggies, and a little dairy, if that’s your thing.

The top shelf is one of the warmest parts of your fridge, which makes it ideal for already-cooked foods that can stand a slight change in temperature, like leftover grain bowls or pestos. 

For cold-loving herbs like dill and cilantro, prolong their lifespan by treating them like the plants that they are. Fill a small jar with water and place your herbs stems down like you would a bouquet of flowers. This way, you’ll have fresher herbs for a longer time — and a perky plant to greet you when you open the fridge. 

One thing you won’t find here? Basil. We recommend keeping Gotham Greens Basil at 50 degrees, which is a bit warmer than your fridge but cooler than your countertop. Fun fact: It’s actually the perfect temperature for wine, too, so if you’re lucky enough to have a wine fridge, stash it there! 

Lastly, the crisper drawer. Can it prolong the lifespan of your fruits and vegetables? Sure, but it’s also easy to forget about fresh foods that are tucked away down there. Out of sight, out of mind, right?  

Good news on that front: Gotham Greens lettuce stays fresher for a much longer time than anything else you can get at the store. That’s because we grow our greens in the same time zone as you, so they can get to the grocery store faster and stay fresher for a longer time in your fridge. So even if you forget about it in the crisper drawer for a few days (or weeks!) too long – your Gotham Greens lettuce will likely be just fine. 

Share your dream fridge photos with us by tagging @gothamgreens! 

The post How to Stock the Fridge of Your Dreams appeared first on Gotham Greens.

We often say that greenhouse growing marries art and science—and, boy, does this project fit the bill.

To celebrate our Grateful Greens collaboration with the Grateful Dead, we challenged our multi-talented growing teams in Providence, Chicago, Davis and Baltimore to grow some Grateful Dead-inspired greenhouse art. (You can probably guess what our greenhouse playlists have sounded like for the past few weeks.)

The key to greenhouse art is contrast (our distinct Red Oak Leaf pops against most of our other greens, like Crispy, Green Oak Leaf and Butterhead) and lots of thoughtful planning. We knew the designs would be good—but we didn’t know they would be this good. That dancing bear? Incredible!

Which ones are your favorites? Let us know on social @gothamgreens and @gratefuldead.

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