The “hot and bold” flavor description on the plastic-seal package wasn't an overstatement of the new microgreen variety, Micro Wasabi Mustard, launched mid-February by AeroFarms, Newark, N.J.
Four members of The Packer and PMG staff met on a video call to simultaneously taste-test the four varieties the company mailed.
First impressions of the new wasabi variety included:
- “That hits you,” said Brooke Park, digital strategist. “I need water.”
- “Wow,” said Jennifer Strailey, editorial director. “I love wasabi.”
- “It's wasabi-y. I like it. Oh, whoa, that's like a kick at the end,” said Melissa Treolo, copyeditor and content coordinator.
- “It really does taste like wasabi. Oh, that's exciting,” said Amy Sowder, PMG editor and The Packer retail editor (this article's writer).
To further test the samples they received, staff members made salads, smoothies, and topped several meals with the microgreens, including enchiladas, breakfast egg tacos, soups and burgers.
Photo: Brooke Park
AeroFarms is an indoor vertical aeroponic grower with several commercial, research and development, and community farms in the U.S. and one in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The newest commercial farm is coming this summer to Danville, Va.
With the company's proprietary growing technology platform, AeroFarms has grown more than 550 varieties of plants and has developed multiyear strategic partnerships, ranging from government to major Fortune 500 companies, to help solve agriculture supply chain challenges.
The company is also a Certified B Corporation, which measures an entire for-profit company's social and environmental impact. The rigorous evaluation and public scorecard looks at the company's practices in governance, workers, community, environment and customers.
AeroFarms' leafy greens are available in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and New England regions of the U.S. at major retailers such as Amazon Fresh, Eataly, FreshDirect, FreshMarket, SayWeee, ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Walmart and Whole Foods.
The new Micro Wasabi Mustard will be available initially at retail in the Northeast at FreshDirect, SayWeee and Whole Foods.
The new Danville, Va., farm will expand product availability to the South and Southeast regions, as well.
Photo: Courtesy of AeroFarms
The greens are packaged and marketed according to a FlavorSpectrum, color-coded and designed to present the rainbow range of flavors and varieties grown inside the vertical farms, like a rainbow of tastes. The new Micro Wasabi Mustard product offers the red-hot flavor profile to the spectrum.
The cool blue colors represent the sweet and mellow notes, while the intense reds represent bold and zesty flavors.
Staff dishes included:
Mashed avocado toast with AeroFarms Micro Rainbow Mix, lime juice, salt, pepper and sunflower seeds. Photo: Amy Sowder
Enchilada with AeroFarms microgreens. Photo: Brooke Park
Salmon burger with lemony aioli and AeroFarms Micro Wasabi Mustard. Photo: Amy Sowder
Lobster bisque with AeroFarms Micro Spicy Mix. Photo: Amy Sowder
Tomato partnership
AeroFarms is part of a multiyear research collaboration to advance the growing of high-value tomatoes indoors.
Led by University of Florida researchers involving experts at University of California-Riverside, Wageningen University and AeroFarms, this project is funded by a $2,112,454 grant from The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research's Precision Indoor Plants Consortium, according to a news release.
The goal of this partnership is to figure out how to grow high-yielding, consistently flavorful tomatoes.
AeroFarms has been successfully growing several tomato varieties in its research and development facilities, and this project builds on that expertise with a high-value “snacking” tomato, according to the release.
“AeroFarms has created a robust growing technology platform to solve a broad array of agriculture challenges, and we are excited to partner with world-class experts through the [Precision Indoor Plants] Consortium and leading universities in different categories like tomatoes,” AeroFarms CEO and Cofounder David Rosenberg said in the release.
Learn more: All about tomatoes
This tomato research partnership follows the 2021 appointment of AeroFarms Chief Technology Officer Roger Buelow to the USDA-ARS Grand Challenge Project Stakeholder Advisory Committee for Controlled Environment Agriculture, focused on tomatoes.
The Grand Challenge is a national coordinated research effort to generate knowledge for both greenhouse and vertical farming practices by improving plant genetics and breeding, LED lighting and environment controls, nutrient solutions, plant pest and disease management, and food quality and safety practices.
Both the committee appointment and collaborative projects reflect the company's focus on expanding into new categories beyond leafy greens.
“While our mission began with leafy greens, it certainly doesn't stop there, and we are excited about this opportunity to further our relationships with University of Florida, University of California-Riverside and Wageningen University, and contribute our knowledge, research, and insights to this important produce category,” Buelow said in the release.
AeroFarms is also building the AgX research and development farm in Abu Dhabi, set to open by the end of 2022. Other partnerships include Cargill on cacao, AB InBev on hop rhizomes and Hortifrut on blueberries.
