Eats: Olivia’s Garden in New Gloucester

Offering the fresh, home-grown tastes of summer all year long.

Vibrant beefsteak tomatoes, crisp baby cucumbers and the sweetness of pea shoots sitting atop a bed of tender greens is one of the celebrations of summer’s bounty we truly miss when the snow is falling and the wind is howling.

But eating fresh, local produce doesn’t have to end in September any more. At Olivia’s Garden, located at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, the hydroponic greenhouse produces the fresh tastes of summer all year round.

“It’s like Florida in here every day,” said owner Scott Howard with a smile. “And eating a fresh, beefsteak tomato or baby cucumber off the vine is extraordinary. It’s nothing like the bulk tomatoes found in our grocery stores in winter that travel across the country, losing flavor and texture with every mile marker.”

Olivia’s Garden, named for Howard’s first born, came to life in 1997 at the owner’s home on Tobey Road, just five miles away from Pineland.

“I was looking for an idea for self-employment,” explained Howard. “I actually saw this ecosystem concept in 1995 and decided to give it a try. I started out with 6,000 square feet and by 2003 it had expanded to over 15,000. About that same time, the Libra Foundation began the Pineland Farm venture and after much discussion and planning, a state-of-the-art greenhouse was built and so began the shape of things to come.”

Olivia’s Garden is now a 19,000-square-foot greenhouse, yielding garden-fresh, mouthwatering produce daily.

“Beefsteak tomatoes are as popular as they are rich in color, and on average weigh over a half-pound. With their exceptional taste and meaty flesh, these delicacies are great for sandwiches, bruschetta, canning, sauces and just plain eating,” said Howard.

“Cherry tomatoes are small and plump, but large in flavor with their firm, thin-and-smooth skin and juicy texture. They’re so versatile, they can be used to sweeten party trays, top a summer salad, roast or saute with cooked pasta, basil and olive oil.”

Cucumbers at the Pineland site are of a baby European variety, which are sweet, crunchy and seedless. Besides being a snack straight from the vine, they are great in salads and relishes, and create the tastiest of sandwiches on their own, or add cheddar cheese and slather with mayo.

“The rest of the greenhouse is devoted to lettuce, basil and micro greens as well as Swiss chard and nasturtiums, an edible flower,” said Howard.

Basil is a culinary herb with a strong, sweet smell and taste. It’s best known for Italian cooking, generally added at the last moment of preparation, as well as chopped and used as a garnish. In pesto, the leaves literally come to life when blended with olive oil, garlic and pine nuts.

“We also grow delicate Boston Bibb lettuce that is the ideal foundation to any salad, and the plant looks much like a blooming bouquet of flavor,” Howard said.

Micro greens include delicious radish greens, savory mustard greens, baby kale and pea shoots. Each has a distinct zest of its own, like the sweetness of nutrient-packed baby kale and the amazing taste of pea shoots — so similar to immature peas straight from the pod. Nasturtiums also add color and flavor to any mixed-green salad. Eat any of these greens separately or mix them all together and you have one incredible salad.

“They all taste great,” Howard said. “Especially when you savor them all in one meal! We often have what we call an Olivia’s salad, which is a combination of my favorite greens, alongside a pizza topped with fresh beefsteak tomatoes and garnished with basil.”

Hydroponic harvest

Having full control over all environmental aspects of the greenhouse results in premium produce. Howard uses a process called NFT, an acronym for nutrient film technique.

“For produce such as basil and micro greens, plants are placed in watertight gullies, known as channels. A very shallow, running stream of filtered water (containing all the nutrients needed for optimal growth) continually circulates through the channels. The bottom of the bare root mat is exposed to the ‘film’ of water and nutrients . . . while the top of the root is open to an abundant amount of oxygen,” said Howard.

“The tomatoes and cukes are grown in a media-based container filled with organic coconut fiber and intermittently watered and given nutrients by a timer.”

The focus at Olivia’s Garden has always been to grow top-quality produce without the use of chemical pesticides, according to Howard, striving to nurture a healthy and diverse self-contained ecosystem.

Ironically, bugs are a critical component of the garden’s pesticide-free environment.

“Olivia’s Garden uses a highly effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management; we use insects,” said Howard. “And as unappetizing as insects may sound, they are an integral part in any pesticide-free growing process of healthy plants. We breed beneficial insects on host plants, which feed on insects that harm the plants.”

He added, “Bumble bees are also brought in, as they are essential in tomato pollination.”

The gardeners at Olivia’s Garden take on several tasks to maintain each and every plant through its entire growth process.

Suckering and de-leafing are important components to growing perfect tomatoes and cucumbers. Suckering is removing smaller vines to allow water and nutrients to go directly to the main fruit. De-leafing is exactly as it sounds, but more complex than it seems.

“You need enough leaves to block the sun, and allow enough of them to stay in order to improve aeration, help direct the nutrients to the growing tip and fruit, and regulate the internal temperature of the fruit,” said Howard.

Clipping, as in vine “clips,” are a necessity at Olivia’s Garden.

“Tomatoes grow to almost 50 feet and are replaced twice a year; cucumbers to about 20 feet and are removed every three to four months,” said the owner. “As the plants grow, they are attached to string with vine clips. As they grow beyond the clip, the string is lowered and angled, a process called leaning and lowering, so that each plant stays at a height manageable for the gardeners.”

At night, plants go through a controlled cooling process.

“They like to be dormant for about 6 to 7 hours each day. First thing in the morning we wake them with warm water, so that once the sun comes up, they are ready to hit the ground running using the sun’s energy to produce.”

Fruit is only picked and packed when it’s ready; never before.

“Every morning we monitor and harvest only those items that are at their peak, and we deliver locally to restaurants and grocery stores the same day,” said Howard.

Olivia’s Garden products can be found at Pineland Farms Market, Whole Foods, Hannaford’s Supermarkets from Brunswick to Dover, N.H., and many farmers markets, including both Portland’s summer and winter market. The public can also buy produce directly from Olivia’s Garden on site.

Howard’s Olivia’s salad

Ingredients:

Olivia’s fresh (Asian greens) salad mix as a base

Top with:

A small amount of micro radish greens

Baby Euro cucumber, sliced

Yellow beefsteak tomato, sliced

Cherry tomatoes, whole

Toss lightly with your favorite dressing.

Tomato medley bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 pound beefsteak tomatoes

1/2 pound cherry tomatoes

1/2 red onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade, about 2-3 leaves

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1 crusty French baguette, sliced

Extra olive oil

Instructions:

Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and chopped garlic in a non-reactive bowl.

Dice onion and beefsteak tomatoes; halve cherry tomatoes and add to liquid mixture.

Add basil and toss.

* To chiffonade basil, roll the leaves up into a tube shape and slice as if slicing bread.

Refrigerate.

To prepare bread: Slice thin at an angle and brush both sides with extra olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet for about 8 minutes (until bottom is brown), flip and continue until both sides are toasted.

While still hot, rub both sides with peeled garlic.

Mound tomato mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Seared cherry tomatoes and pasta

Ingredients:

12 ounces of linguine

3 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 garlic cloves, finely diced

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Basil, around 4-5 leaves, chopped (or chiffonade)

Extra olive oil

Instructions:

In large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package.

When pasta is just a few minutes away from being done, heat large skillet (medium-high heat) with olive oil. Add cherry tomatoes and salt. Saute for about 2 minutes or until tomatoes are seared. Add garlic and saute for about another minute. Do not allow the garlic to burn.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of water and return to the pan. Add tomato mixture to the pasta, splash in extra olive oil and toss with parmesan cheese. (Add pasta water if desired.)

Add basil just prior to serving. Serves 3-4.