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In Praise of The Garden Project

February 6, 2009 on 1:53 pm | In Main Category | No Comments

In the San Francisco Bay area, the mantra of “local and sustainable” is heard so often that one wonders if the meaning gets lost. Here at Project Open Hand, we know that there is more than just buzz behind the local, sustainable movement; there is something quite real and good about fresh fruits and vegetables harvested and distributed locally. 

In early January, we forged a relationship with The Garden Project, a program at the San Francisco County Jail that trains former offenders and at-risk youth on their 125 acre organic farm. We are very fortunate to be receiving weekly deliveries of some of the freshest and most beautiful vegetables we have ever seen. Perhaps we are just food-crazy but there are few things more appealing than fresh, leafy collard greens still covered in soil or untrimmed broccoli, adorned with leaves. When you see produce this fresh, it will make you question the wisdom of machine trimmed florettes in a microwaveable plastic bag. Just saying… 

We are so proud to be distributing the collards and the broccoli along with kale, dino kale and Swiss chard and to the folks at The Garden Project, on behalf of our chefs and our clients, a hearty and sincere, thank you!