Cook County Jail Garden's Produce Now For Sale At Daley Plaza Farmer's Market (VIDEO)

Produce Grown In County Jail Garden Available At Farmer's Market

Starting Thursday, the positive impact of Cook County Jail's urban garden initiative reaches outside the jail's boundaries: produce grown by inmates is now available for sale at the Daley Plaza Farmer's Market.

The gardening program, launched back in 1993, now operates nearly 65,000 square feet, and will yield an expected 5,000 pounds of produce this summer, according to ABC Chicago.

“I’m very happy to see this program expand into the farmers markets and also bringing gardens into communities which may lack local supermarkets that provide healthy and sanitary produce,” Sheriff Tom Dart said in a statement, according to NBC Chicago.

Some of Chicago's top-tier restaurants have sourced their produce from the jail's gardens, including The Publican and, until recently, Charlie Trotter's, the Chicago Tribune reports. The program is mostly self-sustaining, reinvesting profits back into the garden.

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