Think back to your last trip to the grocery store.

Visualize it: you’re standing in the fresh produce aisle. In front of you is a wall of bright green leaves, freshly misted (does anyone know why?). Above, the names of the plants outline your choices: romaine, cilantro, kale, parsley, dill. Maybe, if it’s a good day, there’s a surprise endive hiding somewhere too. On a nearby shelf, sterile containers of arugula, spring mix, and spinach wait to be picked up. All together, your decision making is pretty simple–there can’t be more than 40 varieties to choose from.

What you probably don’t realize this is just a tiny fraction of the thousands of varieties of edible greens that exist in nature. At Freight Farms, we are able to grow plants that you commonly won’t see at your big-box grocery store (and if you have, please tell us where this magical place is, we would love to visit). 

Check out just ten of these awesome greens:

Anyone else feeling hungry? We sure are! However, all of these unique plants and global dishes serve a purpose beyond just tasting good. While it can be easy it is to stay in our comfortable food niches, eating a diverse assortment of vegetables is important for two big reasons:

Variety is good for our health

Last year, the world got a first look into the results of the American Gut Project, in which scientists analyzed samples from 11,000 people to see how a person’s microbiome (i.e. the millions of bacteria that reside in our intestines) can affect various health outcomes. Needless to say, there were a ton of interesting findings (read them here), but the most fascinating was that the greater the variety of plants in someone’s diet, the greater diversity of microbes in their gut. A diverse microbiome leads to a stronger immune system, healthier body weight, better mental health and more. By contrast, a less diverse microbiome is linked to obesity, IBS, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. So, diverse microbiome–good. Varied food (especially fiber)–great.

Variety helps us expand our worldview and appreciate new cultures through food

One of the best ways to get to know a different culture while traveling (or even in your hometown) is to seek out dishes that showcase unique regional ingredients, or that are part of a spiritual or historical food tradition. There are few better ways to bridge gaps in language and experience than to share a meal and understand what each part of the dish signifies about the larger culture.

The cool thing about Freight Farms hydroponic technology is that we can help people achieve healthy variety in their diet by recreating diverse environments indoors, temporarily transforming a deserted industrial parking lot into an English seashore or Myanmar jungle. Once you start to see just how many edible greens are actually out there, we guarantee you’ll never look at that grocery produce aisle the same way again.

Looking to bring all of these amazing greens to your business?

Explore how a Greenery can expand your access to year-round unique crops.