Earlier this week Woodside’s Food + Drink team took a trip out to Pat & Rachel’s Gardens to see first hand how some of our Certified Organic produce is grown and harvested. Located just 20 miles outside of KC on the outskirts of Olathe, KS, the farm provides us with our greens, including lettuce, arugula and kale, as well as tomatoes, and blackberries for our Summer in Saigon mocktail. Pat and Rachel’s Gardens is a family farm named after farmer Jim Leek’s two children, who both passed away in their 20’s and says the farm was started to help the family work through their grief and honor their children. The farm holds a deep family connection by naming each garden plot after deceased family members.
Not only is this farm a prime example of a small successful family business, their motto is to keep things simple, organic and local. The farm is run on solar panels and is a Certified Organic processor- washing, dicing and freezing their own produce for distributors and local businesses, like Hilary’s Eat Well. Pat & Rachel’s Gardens is also an owner-member of Fresh Farm HQ, a cooperative association that brings farms and buyers together in a community that benefits growers, businesses and consumers with fresh, locally grown produce that ‘adhere to a high level of quality and conditions such as USDA, GAP and Organic standards’.
Woodside Kitchen is proud to partner with local farmers to source the best possible ingredients for our members.
