Farm-to-table is a business model where the restaurant buys food directly from the local farmer. This practice promises freshness and quality of food that doesn’t have to travel far distances to reach your fork. This process of handpicking the products requires a lot of effort and seasonality is another factor that is limiting the offer.
Although buying local food is not any new concept, this idea has an important role in our community.
People in the past were always eating what they could grow in their area. With technological progress, transportation became faster and more effective. We can relatively easily ship large quantities of fresh food across the globe. We can enjoy a big variety of fruit and vegetable all year round. Almost everything is available all year round. But, why do professional chefs always talk about seasonal ingredients?
“Great cooking starts with great ingredients. And Great ingredients start with great farmers.†Says the Blue Hill Farm restaurant, where an award-winning chef Dan Barber sources local, seasonal ingredients to build his menu. These burst with flavour, nutrition and leave a low impact on the environment. To get the best quality, the chef and his team grow their own crops on the farm. The extra effort paid off. The Blue Hill restaurant is one of the Worlds 50 best restaurants.
In fact, the majority of famous restaurants around the world do the same. They hand-pick the best ingredients, or grow and raise their own. The quality of your dish boils down to the quality of ingredients that you use.
The Benefits Of Farm-To-Table Model
Sourcing locally produced food can have numerous benefits to your well-being as well as the community you live in.
The Flavour And Environment
Using quality food from your local area can turn even the most boring dish into an adventure. Experienced chefs always build their menu on seasonal ingredients. The farmers harvest it when it is ripe and full of flavour.
But to ship it to long distances, they have to pick it unripe. This produce then undergoes the ripening process along the shipping journey. It may look colourful and ready for a bite, but where is the flavour? It was removed from the sunlight and nutrition, remember? So it didn’t have time to fully develop its taste and nutritional content.
The environment plays an important role as well. Some food and drinks can develop very specific flavours because of the area they are made in. The first that comes into our mind is wine. Another example where the flavour is impacted directly is honey. It can have various levels of sweetness or have more floral or fruity notes. All based on the flowers that grow in the area. Beekeepers can tell you the details on how can the location make a difference.
Transparency
Sourcing food directly from the farm allows the conversation with the farmer. Get direct information on the food you eat and the farming practices. Something that is almost impossible with factory-made ingredients. There we learn vaguely the origin of the food at best.
Discover how can be fruit and vegetable grown without the use of chemicals. Or how are animals raised on the open pasture and what do they eat.
Whether you focus on the flavour, nutrition or environment. This information can help you form your own opinion and decide if it is worth your time and money. A responsible farmer that is proud of his or her farm will not shy away to answer your questions. They may even take you to their farm where you can see everything for yourself.
Nutrition
Crops harvested at the peak of their season tend to have the most nutrition. Modern farming practices and knowledge can produce food and vegetables with much fewer chemicals, or non at all. Something that Is difficult to maintain on a large scale factory-type production.
Responsible farming benefits the livestock as well. The animals living in a low-stress environment tend to have less bad cholesterol and fat compared to its counterpart. They can freely walk around the green grass. Exercising muscles and developing leaner meat.
Farmers who take care of their animals with pride usually don’t use antibiotics or anabolics to make them grow faster. Instead, they focus on its diet and stress-free environment. That impacts the flavour and texture of meat. Quality beats quantity.
Other studies show that eggs from cage-free hens have twice the amount of omega-3 fatty acids and more vitamins, especially D and B. These chicken spend their days walking around the yard picking insects, bugs and greens. That develops the flavour of the egg and give it a nice orange colour.
Supporting The Community
Buying quality food that has been made locally will nourish your body with more nutrition and indulge your palate with flavour. On top of that, you are also supporting small businesses in the area. This directly opens new job opportunities for locals on all levels of education. It also creates opportunities for other businesses to open and contribute to the community. Restaurants, clinics, equipment maintenance, transportation, schools, to name a few.
The development of the countryside allows people to stay in their hometown. Otherwise, they may have to seek employment in a bigger city.
Spending money on local produce supports the economy. The money stays within the country. Buying imported goods are making richer only the exporters in distant countries.
Creating Unique Experience
For restaurant owners. Sourcing ingredients from big manufacturers and distributors are more convenient and consistent.
Developing relationships with local producers can bring new unique ideas into your menu. Organising an occasional field trip can educate your staff a lot about how the food is made and what affects the flavour. This can lead to new innovative dishes or drinks and make your restaurant stand out from the competition.
How To Make Your Own Farm-To-Table
Visit Farmers Market
Farmer markets are the best places where to meet ambitious producers and see the quality of their products. Start the conversation, you may get some cooking tips, better cuts or what will be on the season next.
If possible, ask if you can visit the farm and take your family on a trip. Your kids may learn a thing or two about how food is made while spending some time outside. They may even appreciate more what is on their plates.
Approach Farm Directly
Most farms are open to selling even in smaller quantities. Reach out and see what’s on offer. There is also a high chance that the farm will ship fresh and seasonal produce to your doorsteps. It is much easier to include fresh fruit and vegetables when you have them always at hand.
Establishing a good relationship may also give you the priority of picking the best quality products of the season.
Engage In Social Media
Follow markets in your area and join social media groups. It is a great source to meet producers, learn about their products or order directly. Reading reviews and comments can tell you more details about the product quality or suppliers reliability.
Register at Farmlovers.org
Farmlovers.org is an online farm-to-table marketplace that connects farmers directly to their local customers.
Choose Quality
This is not to say that you should restrict yourself only to what can be grown in your area. You should take full advantage of the modern supply chain practices and make your diet diverse. Choose imported food that is not possible to grow locally or if it’s of better quality. But consider doing brief research to see what already is in your area. Is it necessary to import the same product that is in the season right now? You may be surprised by the gems that are being produced around you.
What Do You Put On Your Table?
What does an apple taste like? Like a dry matter with a hint of flavour, or a juicy and firm piece of fruit that strikes you with the rich flavour only by catching the aroma. Would you prefer an egg with pale yellow yolk or a bright orange one?
Those of you who grew up on supermarket food may not even know how flavourful and aromatic can seasonal food be. Give it a try next time you’ll come across a farmers market in your area and see the difference for yourself.