Photo Karen Graham.
Larrissa Nicholson was a new vendor at last week’s Millbrook Farmers’ Market offering fresh, nutritious microgreens she and her husband grow in Cavan.
Five years ago, Larissa Nicholson and her husband John Hassell moved from Ajax to Cavan in the hopes of transitioning from employees in the horticultural industry to entrepreneurs in that field.
Working with plants in a farming situation had been a lifelong ambition for the pair, who both have extensive experience working with plants. Larissa is a certified horticultural technician with experience growing a variety of crops including microgreens.
They launched Littleleaf Farms out of a 1200’ Quonset hut on their Cavan property, where they produce a variety or microgreens using GMO-free seeds and primarily organic processes, including certified soil and ozonated water for their plants. Microgreens are the shoots of salad vegetables such as arugula, Swiss chard, mustard, beetroot, etc., picked just after the first leaves have developed. Despite their delicate appearance, they are heavyweights in terms of nutrition. They provide vitamins including C,E K, lutein and beta-carotene as well as potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, copper and plant compounds such as antioxidants. Studies have shown they can deliver as much as 40 times the nutrition of their mature plant counterparts.
Among the products offered are microgreens from arugula, basil, beets, broccoli, red cabbage, red clover, curly cress, Kale, mustard, peas, popcorn, a variety of radishes, sunflower and swiss chard. For retail customers, the most popular option is mixed salad which has a variety of ingredients including lettuce, pea and radish shoots. It is crunchy and a bit spicy because of the radishes. With a focus on quality and freshness, Littleleaf microgreens are harvested and delivered within 24 hours to make sure they are crisp and flavourful. The product has a refrigerated shelf life of one week.
Earlier this year, things were going well for the young couple. They had even reached a level of sales that allowed them to leave their jobs to focus on their business and had secured contracts with 25 restaurants in Peterborough, Port Hope, Cobourg, Oshawa and Whitby, and selling their products through some farmers’ markets. After learning they could not build a greenhouse on their 4.5A property due to zoning restrictions, they were even considering relocating to a property where they could build a facility that could accommodate their growing business. Then COVID hit, and their sales plummeted. Some of their restaurant customers have now closed for good. With sales down more than 80% from their high, it was time for a rethink.
This week they are revamping their approach to focus on their retail customers, with the thought that as seasonal markets close down, customers will be looking for fresh vegetable alternatives.
They have been selling through the Millbrook REKO and Farmers’ markets and have regular customers ordering through their website, but their restaurant sales are not bouncing back to the levels they need to survive. Retail orders are much smaller than restaurant ones, and so they are working on optimal package sizing to boost orders while maintaining quality and freshness.
Whether you use microgreens as a garnish or a main ingredient, they add interest, freshness and nutrition to everyday meals. To learn more, visit their website at www.littleleaffarms.ca or speak to Larissa at the October Millbrook Farmers’ Market. KG
