Blue Apron today announced a partnership with the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) to promote community well-being and raise awareness for the benefits of sustainable gardening and cooking with fresh ingredients.

As part of Blue Apron’s commitment to making delicious home cooking accessible and bringing families and communities together, Blue Apron is aligning with the NYBG’s Edible Academy, a new state-of-the-art garden-based education facility. Opening June 14, 2018, this three-acre campus of gardens and indoor/outdoor smart classrooms will teach youth firsthand how to plant, water, grow, and harvest edible plants—and then integrate these fruits, vegetables, and herbs into nutritious meals.

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“We are proud to partner with The New York Botanical Garden to help promote healthy lifestyles and well-being in the community,” said Christine Fu, Sr. Director of Partnerships at Blue Apron. “One of our core company values is lifelong learning, and we are excited to be working with an organization that has a best-in-class model for hands-on, integrated nutrition education programs. We believe visitors of all ages will benefit from learning more about how to use fresh ingredients to create delicious meals at home.”

“The New York Botanical Garden is thrilled to have Blue Apron as a Lead Program Partner as we debut the new Edible Academy. It is with the collaboration of visionary companies such as Blue Apron that we will be able to continue to affect real change for current and future generations in New York City, inspiring a connection to nature, developing an early affinity for fresh vegetables, and encouraging a healthful diet and active lifestyle,” said Terry Skoda, Executive Vice President for External Relations at NYBG.

The partnership includes seasonally rotating kid-friendly educational signage in the Edible Academy’s Green Thumb Garden used by school groups, drop-in families, and community visitors. The interpretive messages will share information on varied topics, including the life cycle of plants, growing tips, soil care, cooking ideas, and fun crop facts. Participating students will receive co-branded recipes and bags of fresh produce to encourage cooking at home with their families. Select Blue Apron customers will be excited to find that their seasonal delivery kits will reflect vegetables and herbs growing in these garden beds and contain offers to access special tickets and discounts to visit the Edible Academy.

On Saturday June 16th, Blue Apron chef Tim Kemp will lead a 30-minute cooking demonstration at the Edible Academy, followed by a tasting of the dish and a discussion with visitors. The recipe, Cucumber “Ants On a Log”, is designed to stimulate interest in cooking from the younger audience members by showcasing specific, achievable culinary skills.