Starting this week, The Abbey Group will be buying all of our lettuce for the Barre, Montpelier, Rice and Winooski area schools from the Green Mountain Harvest Hydroponic (GMHH) farm in Waitsfield, Vermont. Green Mountain Harvest Hydroponics grows year round, chemical free produce in the Mad River Valley of Vermont. The proof is in the pudding, GMHH’s lettuce looks and tastes absolutely delicious. Make sure to stop by one of our schools in these areas to taste the difference for yourself.

What exactly is Hydroponics you ask?

Hydroponics is a method of growing vegetables in a mineral nutrient solutions in water rather than soil. This method allows for a plethora of benefits than traditional methods of farming. here are some of the key advantages to hydroponic farming:

* Eliminates water waste/harmful fertilizer runoff – a properly-designed hydroponic setup will use 10% of the water it would take to grown in soil outdoors.

* Minimizes land usage- a hydroponic greenhouse can produce as much plant matter as conventional field ten times the size.

* Minimizes or eliminates the use or herbicides and pesticides – in fact, most hydroponic locations are certified organic.