You already know that I had a fabulous time at the Green Giant Valley Visit last week. So, I wanted to share with you some interesting things I learned about Green Giant while there.

What I Learned at Green Giant

I learned that Green Giant started out as the Minnesota Valley Canning Company in 1903 in Le Sueur, Minneosta. The first ad with the Green Giant appeared in 1928. However, the company didn’t officially become Green Giant until 1950. Something I found to be very exciting was that even though Green Giant is a big-name brand (to me), the company still works with small family-owned farms to grow its vegetables. Then, the company harvests the vegetables at the peak of perfection in a timely manner to lock in the nutrients and taste.

Not only is Green Giant a great company, they are constantly trying to make improvements in the way things are done. For instance, we learned about the sweet corn sustainability projects (picture of board below). Over the last several years, Green Giant has dramatically increased the amount of yield (corn produced) per acre of land used. This means less land is needed to grow the corn. Plus, it helps farmers make more money with their land.

Green Giant also helps farmers use less water. They are in the process of converting broccoli farms to drip irrigation (versus traditional irrigation) which is 50 percent more efficient. I was really happy to learn that Green Giant has eliminated over 90 percent of pesticides used to grow sweet corn and cutting applications in half. They are also finding ways to have more efficient packaging and recycling packaging material.

Green Giant is really trying to become more green with many new and upcoming ideas and projects for sustainability. Plus, I know that they are constantly trying different variations/kind of their vegetables. I mean their test plant harvested many different types of corn the day I was there. I know they also do a taste-test every Thursday. Green Giant is really trying to become even better than they already are. So, kudos to Green Giant.

Did any of this information surprise or intrigue you? Are you a bigger fan of Green Giant now (like I am)?

Disclosure: Green Giant sponsored my trip. The opinions expressed are my own.

Wow! I still can’t believe everything I was able to experience on my GreenGiantVV or the Green Giant Valley Visit! It was so much fun and interesting. I have another post detailing stuff I learned about Green Giant. In this post, I wanted to go over what we actually did.

#GreenGiantVV Arrival

Tuesday
I arrived in Minnesota and was greeted with a great package from Green Giant and a fabulous room at the Marriott Southwest. My package contained my first blogger badge. 😀 I’m official now. Haha! It also contained a wonderful L.L. Bean tote bag with some awesome green boots, sunblock for Wednesday, a Green Giant folder which sings the Green Giant Ho Ho Ho tune when you open it and a Green Giant branded hat. My room had 2 queen sized beds in it! Plus, it had a nice television and an iPod docking system. Such a nice room!

Everyone went out for a dinner cruise on Lake Minnentonka that night. It actually stormed while we were out there. However, the conversation was lively, fun, and interesting. I somehow managed not to take any photos of this. *sigh* Afterwards, I hung out with some of the other bloggers at the Marriott, which was a real hoot.

GreenGiantVV Tours

Wednesday
This day was jam-packed with stuff! This is when I learned everything I want to tell you about Green Giant. It started with a nice breakfast and I got to meet Lil’ Sprout. 🙂 Then, we headed off to the Valley.

We visited the Green Giant Ag Research facility. I got to walk through the Seed Vault (which is colder than I thought it would be) and toured the Test Plant. I couldn’t take pictures in either of those locations. However, it was really fun. Then, we were driven to a nursery where I wore my awesome green boots and learned more about Green Giant’s sustainability projects.

Next, we went to a local farm for lunch. This lunch was simply magnificent. The apple pie was some of the best pie I’ve ever had. Plus, it was a beautiful day which made for a lovely experience. Then, we took a hay ride to the corn field where we got to pick, shuck, and eat sweet corn. OMG! The corn was so sweet!

Then, we returned to the Ag Research Facility to taste different types of Green Giant corn. Fyi: I love the canned niblets. Then, we were driven to the Le Suer Museum which has a room with just Green Giant stuff in it. It was really interesting to see all of the stuff. We also got to view a video on the history of Green Giant as well as some upcoming commercials.

We headed back to the Marriott to freshen up for dinner. General Mills was generous enough to send us bloggers to Bar la Grassa that night where the James Beard Foundation 2011 BEST CHEF – MIDWEST: ISAAC BECKER cooks. Bar la Grassa was named one of the top 10 best new restaurants by Bon Appetit in 2010 and I can see why. This meal was really the best one I’ve ever had. It was a five course meal! Some of my favorite dishes included the Soft Eggs and Lobster, Crab Ravioli, Halibut with Wild Mushrooms, and the dessert. I picked the Salted Caramel Crespelle for my fifth course and I’m so glad I did. You can see a picture of it in the slideshow above. It was to die for. I even did my butt dance for it while seated. 😉 Oh, and the conversations during the meal were very insightful – thanks to my new found friends at Robyn’s Online World, Serendipity Mommy, and Confessions of an Over-Worked Mom. What nice ladies!

GreenGiantVV Departure

Thursday
I traveled back home which was pretty uneventful (thankfully).

So, there you have it. I feel so lucky/blessed to have been chosen for this trip. Thank you General Mills and Green Giant.

Disclosure: General Mills sponsored my trip to the Green Giant Valley. The opinions expressed are my own.