Chipotle Wants You to Grow Your Own Burrito Ingredients

Chipotle launched a cool new initiative on Earth Day (April 22) that allows fans of the fast-casual restaurant to grow some of the eatery’s signature dishes at home. This new collaboration, dubbed Chipotle’s Harvest Plan, is a joint venture between the chain and Lettuce Grow — a company that sells hydroponic farmstands and seedlings so you can successfully grow your own fruits and vegetables at home.

With this collaboration Chipotle lovers can reduce their own carbon footprint and grow everything they need to make some of the chain’s most popular menu items at home. Chipotle’s Harvest Plan comes with a variety of seedlings including butter lettuce, garlic cloves and kale.

With those and other ingredients at the ready, Chipotle Executive Chef Chad Brauze even shared a series of recipes inspired by Chipotle’s Mild Tomato Salsa, Cilantro-Lime Rice, Fajita Veggies and Supergreen Salad Mix.

“There’s this natural alignment between Lettuce Grow and Chipotle as both brands know the best food starts with fresh, clean, and unprocessed ingredients,” Brauze said in a statement. “This is why we’re partnering with Lettuce Grow to show how easy it is to grow and make some of our favorite Chipotle-inspired recipes at home.”

Lettuce Grow, which was co-founded by actress Zooey Deschanel, actually worked directly with Chef Brauze to curate the Harvest Plan, as Brauze has been a longtime fan of the sustainable product. In fact, the culinary pro is known to use his own Lettuce Grow Farmstand to experiment with new ingredients in the test kitchen of the Chipotle Cultivate Center in Irvine, California. Not surprisingly, he’s a fan of the environmentally friendly gizmo that also comes with plenty of tools so you can properly care for your plants.

With the Lettuce Grow boxes, people can also grow healthy foods such as scarlet cherry tomatoes, jalapenos and lunchbox peppers. What’s more? Chipotle’s Harvest Plan also includes herbs, such as cilantro and oregano, so your food has that extra burst of flavor.

“I have been using my Farmstand for rapid development of potential Chipotle menu ideas. Now, when I need an ingredient like fresh baby kale leaves or cilantro, I don’t need to travel to the farmers’ market,” he added. “I just walk over to my Farmstand and trim a few leaves. You can’t beat its fresh flavor.”

In addition to yielding super fresh food, growing your own ingredients at home is also great for the planet. According to One Green Planet, it helps reduce fossil fuel emissions because of decreased travel, and lessens the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers. So what are you waiting for? Flex that green thumb!

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