Farm-to-table meals are a delicious and convenient answer to fast food. Not only are they healthier, but they also provide a more varied diet. One of the great advantages of farm-to-table restaurants is that they can access a wide range of seasonal ingredients. From fruits and vegetables to meats, cheeses and more, there are countless foods that restaurants can get from local farms.
In many cases, all food may be locally grown, meaning it's fresh, nutritious, and supports several local businesses. The Northwest is one of the best places to get winter root vegetables, as they have plenty of beets, carrots, fennel, leeks, parsnips, potatoes and turnips for everyone. On the other hand, farm-to-table restaurants source their food from local farms, so food is collected at its freshest and is packed with flavors and vitamins. Eating local, seasonal produce also has environmental benefits. Food doesn't have to travel as far to reach you, greatly reducing emissions. Because the products are often very tasty, many companies that work from farm to table don't season their food with complex sauces and overwhelming flavors, but prefer to let the freshness and flavor of the food speak for itself. The farm-to-table movement began in the 1960s and 1970s as an offshoot of the hippie movement on the West Coast.
However, it didn't become popular until the 2000s when farm-to-table establishments began opening up in cities such as Boulder (Colorado) and Seattle (Washington). Chez Panisse was very successful and the farm-to-table movement began to grow steadily during the last decades of the 20th century. The “farm to table” movement's campaign to bring locally grown food to restaurants, stores and homes has many positive benefits for consumers. In the South during springtime you'll find plenty of seasonal vegetables for everyone such as lettuce and lettuce spinach. It doesn't take much space to grow fresh vegetables and herbs because only a few pots can be used to grow a wide variety. When you know what farms your food comes from, you can support ethically responsible agricultural practices such as free-range meat, non-GMO crops and organic agriculture.
It's important for restaurant owners to understand what the farm-to-table movement is, its history and the pros and cons of opening a farm-to-table establishment.
