We’re thrilled to announce the return of 10 Metre Greens, our popular social enterprise!
Every year, The Stop hires 3-5 community members that are experiencing barriers to employment. We provide them with training to organically grow microgreens in The Stop’s Greenhouse, and support them in selling their wares at The Stop’s Farmers’ Market every Saturday (10 metres away, get it?)
What are microgreens?
Microgreens are young seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs. Often used as salad greens or garnishes, they’re sought after for their unique flavours and nutritional content, and they’ve become increasingly popular in the last decade among both home cooks and professional chefs.
So why is The Stop selling them?
The goal of the 10 Metre Greens pilot project is to create meaningful bridging opportunities where low-income community members can gain practical work experience. In 2019, the project will create 5 part-time work opportunities compensated with a fair living wage.
With recognition that the positions created from the pilot can only provide seasonal, part-time work to a few community members, we see it as an opportunity for community members to increase social connections, contribute skills, build skills, and foster strong professional and interpersonal relationships. Participants will also be encouraged show off their existing skills, including visual artistry for product displays, social media, and customer service.
Where can I buy these fabulous microgreens?
The microgreens will be sold every Saturday, 8am-12:3pm at The Stop’s Farmers’ Market until March 2020.
How can I learn more about the project?
Contact Yuan Xu, Community Garden Coordinator, at yuan@thestop.org!
What should I do with my new microgreens?
Microgreens and super versatile and packed with nutrients—plus, they add a beautiful pop of colour to any dish. Try them in salads and wraps, blend them up in smoothies, and toss them on top of soups, pastas, and pizza!
If you need further inspiration, here’s a delicious microgreen pesto recipe whipped up by our first cycle of 10 Metre Greens growers.
Microgreens Pesto
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons seeds or nuts (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, or pinenuts)
- 3 cups microgreens (we use sunflower and pea shoots)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (you can substitute this with parmesan cheese if you want, we use the yeast to keep our product vegan)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Toast seeds and nuts in a pan
- Use a food processor to roughly chop seeds/nuts, and garlic
- Add microgreens, lemon juice, nutritional yeast or parmesan
- Blend on high, while slowly pouring olive oil in the food processor
- Salt and pepper to taste