Weekly roundup
Hey everyone! Here’s what we did this week!
This week, the Green Beans took a field trip to Local Leaf Farm in Highland Park! At Local Leaf Farm, they grow all sorts of microgreens indoors. It was founded and is operated by Stephanie and Daniel Cohen. We got a guided tour of all their facilities, all the way from washing the seeds to the heating system. We started with seeing how the seeds get washed and are spread out onto a sheet. We then got shown the whole heating system and how their water tanks work! The tanks lose ~10 gallons of water per day from evaporation and other factors.
We watch Todd Katz (farm director) show the process of spreading out seeds onto a tray.
We see Stefanie Cohen (co-founder) and Todd Katz (farm director) show their heating system.
From there, we got shown the most important stage of them all, where they all get grown! They use their own sprinkler system to water the plants regularly, as well as using multiple different lights. The one we definitely saw the most would be pink. Pink is a combination of multiple colors, such as red, that promote flowering and fruiting, and blue encouraging leaf and vegetative growth. The light is used for the photosynthesis process.
Todd Katz (farm director) shows us how their growing operations work.
Some of the cool things that they have been growing.
We were then able to grow our very own microgreens in a plastic bag! It’s as simple as getting a paper towel, putting seeds the paper towel, and put it in a partially open plastic bag. Then just put it near the window and you have your own microgreens. We were also able to taste some of their microgreens! We tried popcorn, which was long and looked like a tan stick, and was sweet, as well as cabbage, kale, radish, arugula and many others! Our personal favorite was popcorn! We also asked a few questions of our own!
What are microgreens?
Todd told us that it works by growing it in shallow soil for a short time until leaves (cotyledons) sprout harvesting them just above the soil line for concentrated flavor and nutrients.
What inspired you to start this?
Todd said that wanting to have locally grown healthy food and have them fresh, right in your neighborhood.
What type of plants do you grow?
He told us to just take a picture of the place! As you can see, they have arugula, basil, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, kale, mustard, peas, popcorn (Yes, popcorn!) radish, sunflower, wasabi, and kohlrabi (We don’t know what that is).
A wall with some of their offerings.
What would you like to grow in the future?
They said they want to grow mushrooms!
How will this affect farming in urban environments?
Todd told us that this can really be done anywhere and you can grow anything!
Are there any other interesting facts/info you would like to share?
Todd said that 1 cup of broccoli microgreens has equivalent nutrients to 7 cups of real broccoli. He also said that they only take around 10 days to grow! They also have a cookbook online!
A group picture with all of us!
It was a super fun field trip and we wanted to thank Todd Katz, Stefanie Cohen, and Daniel Cohen for letting us visit!
Local Leaf Farm officially opens Thursday, January 15, 2026. You can RSVP by clicking here. You can visit them at 1849 Green Bay Road, and visit their website at www.localleaffarm.com.
Thank you so much for reading!
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