Have you ever wondered who grows all those fresh herbs in the supermarket? How do they look so good and taste so fresh at any time of the year?
Rebecca's Garden takes a behind-the-scenes look at Herbonics, a company that uses high-tech equipment to guarantee fresh herbs year-round.
Parsley, chives, tarragon, basil--you name it, Herbonics grows it. In fact, they grow more than 35 varieties of herbs in their 50 greenhouses. Since the herbs are grown commercially, the challenge is getting them to the supermarket looking as good as when they're picked.
At Herbonics, the process begins three to six weeks before the harvest when the herbs are planted. The plants are fertilized at the root level, using a nutrient-flow technique. Herbonics founder Jerry St. Andre developed this technique nine years ago when he had only two greenhouses. Today, with more than 40 employees, his lucrative herb business relies heavily on the highly-computerized fertilizing and watering system. Although the equipment is state-of-the-art, the concept is pretty simple--the computer regulates the frequency and amount of time that the herbs are exposed to fertilizer and water.
Herbonics also grows potted herbs, but with a slightly different approach. They're grown on ebb-and-flow tables which involve a high-tech technique of fertilizing and watering from the bottom of the pots. This keeps moisture away from the leaves of the plant. The plants are never watered from the top, so no diseases are introduced to the plant.
On the day the herbs are ready for harvesting, they're cut and moved into a refrigerated room where they're packed. From there, they're shipped to stores within 24 hours. So the next time you reach for that basil that you bought in the store, you'll know why it tastes as fresh as if you had grown and picked it yourself.
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