Calgary has 54 days of snow a year occurring anytime between September and May, not what comes to mind as the place to grow micro-greens. Despite Calgary’s winter-wonderland reputation, local restaurants, like Yellow Door Bistro, are serving up greens picked fresh each morning from this high-tech local farm.
Deepwater Farms, located in Calgary, uses aquaponics technology to grow baby kale, arugula, watercress, pak choi, and mustard greens. For those of us who aren’t science nerds, aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (the raising of fish) and hydroponics (the soilless growing of plants). What does this create? Fresh greens that are free of pesticides and fish that are free from pollutants and rich in nutrients. Paul Shumlich, President and CEO of Deepwater Farms adds that “because we’re growing it locally … the plants retain nutrients better than being trucked in from California or Mexico.”
With an obsession for finding and using fresh local products in his restaurants, Quinn Staple, Executive Chef with the Hotel Arts Group, was an early adopter of the start-up’s greens at Yellow Door Bistro. “We like Deepwater Farms because it is a local farm that provides us with extremely fresh and tasty greens in a wide variety, which is often a challenge to source in our area,” says Chef Staple. “It’s a great bonus that we can source their greens all year.”
Looking for a taste? You can find Deepwater Farms on the Yellow Door Bistro’s new winter menu. They use their arugula, baby kale, mustard greens and pak choi in a mix for the Deepwater Farms Greens Salad. That mix has a nice pepperiness, which is paired with pickled sweet Saskatoon berries, creamy local goat cheese and a tangy mustard based vinaigrette to go along with the greens. Reserve your table at Yellow Door Bistro to give them a try.
Want to pick some up for yourself? Greens from Deepwater Farms are currently being sold at Billingsgate Fish Market and the Cherry Pit at the Calgary Farmer’s Market, or check out their crowd funding campaign to order a food basket.
