Spring Break

Hello Everyone,


    Jennifer here. Just wanted you folks to know the grow room has been doing great over the break. Love coming to work when this is my "office"! There will be some yummy produce ready to go to the dining halls when school is back in session. Enjoy your down time😉🌱☀️

Fri-Yay is Harvest Day!

Good afternoon everyone,

I hope you are enjoying this spring weather as much as I am! Today I had the privilege of delivering the produce from the first major harvest of the semester, and it was a beautiful thing to see 💚 🌱

The oils from all of the herbs have my hands smelling like dill, basil, cilantro, & happiness. 😃

Our produce totals for this week were the following:

Kale (.5 pounds)

Dill (.85 pounds)

Basil (.5 pounds)

Cilantro (.5 pounds)

Chervil (.5 pounds)

Parsley (.25 pounds)

The produce was harvested this afternoon, and delivered within 30 minutes to both the Blair-Shannon and Garst dining halls... Talk about fresh!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone,

Rachel 👩🏼‍🌾

The Plants Are Coming, the Plants Are Coming!!

Hello everyone!

It's hard to believe that the semester here at Missouri State is almost halfway done... Anyone else ready for spring break though? 🙋🏼 I've had the privilege of being in 75 degree weather surrounded by new life every day here in the growing room. 🌱☀️ Sounds like spring doesn't it?

Well, have I got exciting news for you! Coming soon to a dining hall near you,
🌷 SPRING! 🌼

(The closest we can get to it with this crazy Missouri weather anyway...) 

Jennifer and I have been prepping for weeks, and are finally ready to move some of these beautiful babies to new homes.

 

 We're so excited to show you what we've been up to! Expect to see lettuce, kales, basils, and a variety of other green goodness popping up in the dining halls in the coming weeks. And as always, enjoy your campus-grown herbs and greens!

Have a fantastic day!

Rachel 👩🏼‍🌾

New Team Member

Hello everyone,

Jennifer Rice here. I'm new to the Green Team working with the hydroponic zip grow towers on campus. I'm currently a senior at M.S.U. I'm working on dual degrees at moment - a Bachelors Degree in Envionmental Plant Science with a Horticulture emphasis and Natural Resources. I've had some experience in the hydroponic field, and love to grow plants hydroponically. I hope to help Rachel grow delicious locally grown food for all you lovely folks. Cheers to a great semester!

A New Semester!

Welcome back, fellow bears! 🐻

Hopefully everyone is staying warm - it's days like today that I'm especially thankful for my job. Rachel here, with a quick update from the Green Team! 🌱

Even though it's 5 degrees outside, the Grow Room is coming alive again. At a balmy 73 degrees, our babies are loving life! Sad to see these towers empty, but we are excited for what's to come, and planning for another successful semester. 

Also, I am happy to announce that we will have a new member joining our team, so stay tuned for an intro! 

Until next time,

Rachel 👩🏼‍🌾

Winter Break

Hey guys! 

     Sorry that it's been awhile, but with finals and end-of-semester preparations, I'm sure we've all been very busy ... and are in need of a break! The time to relax and recharge is definitely needed, and the same is true for our Grow Room. 

     Maintenance is an important part of any production system, and the Green Team has found that ours could use some TLC. We have been experiencing some leakage in our drainage pipes, and are starting to have a bit of an algae problem. For this reason, we have decided to shut our entire system down for awhile so we can take care of these problems. Although it is sad to see all of these towers empty again, we know it will lead to a more productive spring semester - an investment in the future, if you will.

     HOWEVER, because it's the holiday season, we want to do our part to help our community. Chartwells will be donating our last Grow Room harvest to local food pantries to help needy students and families right here in the Ozarks. Pictured below is a portion of our harvest from this morning!

... Now that's cool! ❄️

      Hope everyone has a safe and fun break! See you in January!

Species Spotlight 🌱

Happy Friday Everyone!

In honor of the end of another long week, I thought it would be a fun idea to introduce you to a few of our hard-working "employees" ... since they're the ones who do the real heavy-lifting around here anyways.

Presenting the Green Team's nominations for November's "Species Spotlight"

... aka our "employee of the month" 😁

Name: Butterhead Lettuce

Age: 1.5 months

The fourth generation in our grow room this semester, this plant produces gorgeous, thick green growth. Along with its neighbors, it spreads out to fill up our towers very quickly, forming a blanket of delicious salad potential!

Name: Parsley, Giant of Italy

Age: 1.5 months

No harvests from this one yet, but we're getting very close! A beautiful green baby with vigorous growth.

Name: Chervil

Age: 2.75 months

Two harvests to date of this delicate-looking herb. Exhibits beautiful green coloring and rapid growth!

Name: Fine Verde Basil

Age: 2.5 months

A kitchen favorite. This individual (and friends) have produced regular harvests for Blair and Garst for over a month now! Definitely a plant with a can-do kind of attitude.

Name: Olympic Red Kale

Age: 3 months

Beautiful deep purple foliage and rapid growth make this one a favorite as well. Regular harvests for several weeks now!

Feel free to vote for your favorite in the comments, and have a great weekend!

Rachel 👩🏼‍🌾