Is fresher better when it comes to what you consume? According to Mark Ruben, director of Gilcrease Orchard, it sure is.

“Fresh produce tastes so much better than stuff that has been in storage,” he explains, saying some produce can sit there for up to a year. “A lot of people will come and get produce for the freshness.”

In Las Vegas, you don’t have to go to a fancy resort restaurant to eat farm-to-table. In fact, you can skip the middleman and head straight to the farm—or get a curated box of goodness.

At Gilcrease Orchard in the northwest Valley (7800 N. Tenaya Way, thegilcreaseorchard.org), visitors can nab the freshest seasonal produce by picking it with their own two hands straight from the ground. From leafy greens in the spring to juicy summer tomatoes, to sweet potatoes and pumpkin in the fall, the historic Las Vegas landmark lets you get down and dirty for your dinner in the best possible way.

It offers you-pick fruit and veggie plots with seasonal products as well as a farm stand selling produce from the region. As for what’s best for each customer, it’s entirely up to them and their green thumb.

“We have some people who really want to grow their own stuff and other people who want to buy from the farm stand,” Ruben says. “The stand is stuff we grow at our other property, like eggplant and berries. We also buy from Utah [for corn and tomatoes].”

There’s also Cluck It Farm (cluckitfarmlv.com), one of the city’s only CSA (community-supported agriculture) programs. Launched in 2017, Samantha White took it over in 2021.

CSAs operate differently than Gilcrease. Consumers buy shares of a farm’s harvest in advance and receive regular deliveries of the fresh product harvested from it.

With roughly 150 Las Vegans reaping the benefits of the bounty, White knows how special the farm is.

“We are providing Las Vegas residents with locally grown, all-natural produce, but we are also showing that it is possible to grow your food, even in an environment like the desert,” she says. “Providing truly healthy food to the community is so important.”

For those concerned about where their food comes from, CSAs and Gilcrease allow them to know exactly where it is from, how it was grown, and even who grew it.

“The produce you receive is harvested within a day or two of reaching your door,” says White. “You can taste the difference and feel better knowing the food received from us is actually good for you and better for the environment. It hasn’t been transported a long way, stored for days, or covered in chemicals.”

Customers getting their produce from Gilcrease Orchard or Cluck It aren’t the only ones who benefit; it’s reciprocal. The dollars spent go directly back to the farmers who grow the food rather than large corporations. Plus, it provides predictable income for farmers, allowing them to sell their produce at reasonable prices.

Gilcrease Orchard is open from early March through Halloween. (This is the most popular time to visit Gilcrease, because of the pumpkin patch and family-friendly activities.) Cluck It operates year-round.

‘Tis the season for fresh produce

Cluck It Farm

Year-round:Microgreens, salad greens, greens mixes, root veggies (carrots, beets, turnips, radishes)

Summer:Peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, onions

Cooler months:Broccoli, collard greens, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, Swiss chard, spinach, peas, napa cabbage, onions

Gilcrease Orchard

Spring:Leafy greens, carrots, beets, green onions, green garlic

Summer: Tomatoes, squash, zucchini, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, okra

Fall: Pumpkins, sweet potatoes, okra, cucumbers, radishes

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