From Greenhouse to Grocery Store: How Fresh Produce Gets To Store Shelves

You’ve heard farms like us say things like “from our farm to your table” or “from plate to fork.” But what does that actually mean? Let’s walk through the process that our produce goes through. 

Greenhouse

Most of our produce begins as a seed in a greenhouse. They grow in the greenhouse from seed to seedling, until they are ready to be transferred to the field. 

So what is the purpose of greenhouse growing? 

Seeds that sprout in greenhouses are much more likely to survive the early stages of development, when key factors such as sunlight, water, and soil are most critical. An open field does not have the same controlled factors as a greenhouse. For example, one side of a field may receive more water, more sunlight, or simply have better soil than another side of the field. Greenhouse seeds experience the same care conditions, from temperature and sunlight to soil and water. These conditions also weed out seeds that may be dead or weak so that every plant that comes out of the greenhouse is strong and field-ready. 

Greenhouses nurture plants by controlling growing conditions so that seeds are best prepared for the open field. 

Planting

Greenhouse plants are a couple of inches tall when they come ready to be planted in the field. These transplants are moved from the greenhouse to the prepared field. 

How do we prepare the field for planting? 

All plants need clean, weed free soil when going into the ground. Therefore, we usually plant after a soft rain or after a field has been irrigated to ensure that roots can immediately soak up moisture as they enter the ground. Soil is watered, and a planter rolls across the beds, with knobs that determine the depth of each hole. Our field crew follows closely behind, filling each hole with a plant and recovering it with soil. From the moment each plant is placed in the ground, it is handled with care. 

Growing

Depending on the plant, the growing season may vary. For example, collards have a shorter growing time than cabbages. 

What will the plant experience during the growing process? 

Well, nature can sometimes make that hard to say. Some days, a plant may feel raindrops landing softly on its leaves; others, it may taste the sprinkle of irrigation as pivots roll by it. It may experience the bite of frost in December, or the hot summer sun in June. Some years, the plants could face hurricane rain and winds, and others, no rain at all as the drought cracks and dries the soil around it. Depending on the specific plant, the current season, and unpredictable timing of nature, plants can experience a lot. 

As growers, it's our job to make sure these plants have as seamless of a growing experience as possible. We plow weeds, irrigate, and care for each field as needed. While farmers cannot control the weather, we do our best to create the best conditions with the factors we are given. Soil, water, sunlight.

Harvesting

As the plant reaches maturity, it's time to get it out of the field, box it up, and send it to grocery stores. 

How do you harvest each item? 

How we harvest depends on the item growing. Collards, mustards, turnips, and kale are gathered by the leaves and cut at the base of the plant before they are twist-tied and boxed. Cabbage is cut at the base with the extra leaves pulled away from the round head. Beets and turnip roots are pulled from the ground by their top leaves and cut at the root. Certain items, such as greens or cilantro, may be allowed to regrow for a second cutting.

Our field and harvest crew is skillfully prepared when going into a field. Not only are they balancing sharp knives and delicate produce, but they are also selecting only the best quality Baker produce. All credit for a great quality item and pack goes to our field crew. As they cut and pack each item, boxes are loaded onto a trailer, where they are taken to our packing shed. 

Bagged, Bunch or Bulk

Depending on the item, produce may be processed differently before it is shipped out to grocery stores. 

How is your produce packed? 

Our packing shed crew ensures that the product coming in from the field is packed, iced, and wrapped before being sent to stores. Different items may experience different processes when brought in from the field. For example, beets will be placed onto a grading line where they are washed and graded for quality before they are placed into bins and sold in bulk. Cabbage comes straight from the field, packed and ready for the coolers. Cilantro is another item that is pre-bundled in bunches and packed in the field, so it goes straight to the cooler. 

Our collards, turnips, kale, and mustard greens may be processed in two ways. They may be cut, bunched and packed in the field before being iced and wrapped. Or, they may be cut to become bagged greens. Greens that are bagged go through a much more extensive process to make them ready-to-eat. Upon entering the packing shed facility, they are graded on a line leading to three separate wash tanks that triple-wash our greens, removing dirt and grit. They are then removed from the wash tanks and spin-dried to remove excess water. They are then cut up to the necessary length depending on the product. Based on the bag size being filled, a scale weighs the product and drops the cleaned and cut greens into their specific bag. Bags follow a conveyor belt where they are packed into boxes and carried to coolers to await shipping.

Selling & Shipping to Stores

So how does Baker Farms products get onto grocery store shelves? 

There’s no point in growing produce if we can’t get it to our customers. Selling and shipping is just as important to our farm as growing the produce. Our sales team communicates daily with our customers, both retail and wholesale, to provide orders cut to need and delivered in a timely manner. Our shipping team coordinates with truckers, loading trucks with products from our coolers. 

Trucks are a necessary component of the food chain. While farmers may grow the food, trucking ensures that your food gets from the producer to the grocery store. 

In The Store & At Home

And that’s where you come in. Now you know what goes into producing quality grown vegetables and getting it from our field to grocery stores. Once it’s on the shelves, it's up to you as the consumer to choose healthy food for your family. Have questions about what healthy looks like? Need recipe inspiration? Explore our website for more information.

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