by Jasmine Wang, Guest Contributor
Farming Turtles is a 22-acre microgreen farm in Exeter, Rhode Island — known for its fresh microgreen produce and a strong commitment to sustainable and organic farming. Founded in 2008 by owner Lauri Roberts, the farm started with a small team of passionate individuals who planted baby greens by hand. Currently, Farming Turtles has over 15 years experience of microgreen farming and six large greenhouses with a fully automated harvesting and planting system. While the farm continues to expand, Farming Turtles retains the attention to detail it was founded with from the beginning — every product is carefully harvested, inspected, and packaged before its delivery to customers, with no exceptions and no shortcuts taken.
With a team of 30 employees or so, Farming Turtles has a workforce that is extremely organized to ensure the smooth running of the farm. The employees are split into teams: seeding, harvesting, and packing, each with their own managers and a general manager that oversees the entire farm. Each worker is an expert at what they do, allowing for smooth running of the farm from the early morning to after dark, when shipments are done sending out. Farming Turtles is thorough in its commitment to hygiene and its stance against use of any pesticides or chemicals; Food and Safety checks are done every day on the farm, and the farm is also Certified Organic by Baystate Organic Certifiers. This thoroughness is what produces such fresh and clean microgreens, which are enjoyed by a wide variety of home and wholesale customers, including supermarkets and restaurants.
Farming Turtles’ most popular products include their cilantro and arugula, both microgreens with delicate and intense flavors that taste just like greens should, straight from the soil! Their wheatgrass is also growing in popularity, often used by customers in juices at home. All these types of produce and more are available via Farm Fresh’s Market Mobile program, an incredibly convenient service that Farming Turtles consistently uses to distribute their products. Through the direct access to farms that Market Mobile provides for home and wholesale buyers alike, Farming Turtles always knows exactly where their products are going, and they take especially great pride in their produce being used in local restaurants.
Market Mobile has been a great asset to Farming Turtles, as it serves as an important bridge from farm to customer. In addition to Market Mobile, Farming Turtles’ products can be found in regional Whole Foods supermarkets, Dave’s Marketplace, and Belmont Market. Farming Turtles’ exquisite and fresh microgreens, salad mixes, and pet salads are also advertised on their website — making them easy to identify and find in your local organic grocery stores.
The farm is also always doing something new, so look to the Farming Turtles website for an opportunity to join workshops and services that are yet to come. And keep an eye out for Farming Turtles the next time you’re looking for fresh salad ingredients!
