Food that Works: My Farm to Table Tour (read time 5 minutes)

Greetings! Spring has fully sprung! Well, maybe not at my brother’s house in Pennsylvania, where they keep seeing snow storm after snow storm! Soon, brother, a thaw will come…

This will be my final blog post for my Nexus class. I’d like to thank the Patel College, my instructor, Dr. Culhane, and my classmates for the opportunity to engage in experiential learning. I thought that a special restaurant tour would be a good way to round out the class.

What is the Farm to Table concept, exactly? How did it originate, and what did it set out to be? As you know, when a buzzword or phrase becomes popular, companies will snatch it up, put a spin on it, and use it in their media campaigns. I’ve seen this phrase used in IBM commercials, and Blue Apron ads. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, I’m just not sure that an initiative is truly “Farm to Table” when the amount of food travel miles are high.

According to Food, Energy, and Water: The Chemistry Connection, “Food security would exist when all people at all times have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to meet dietary needs and food preferences”; and, “Food production processing and distribution require major amounts of water and energy.”

I commend the following restaurants that give us a “forward” way to look at the future of food access and distribution. First up, Damfino’s. This restaurant is the brainchild of Fred and Lucy Harris of Full Earth Farms, along with other food-forward thinking friends. Damfino’s uses food harvested from Full Earth, and other farms within a 100- mile radius. I love this place!

Oh yeah, and a trip to a North Florida Roadside Boiled Peanut Stand should be on everyone’s bucket list 😉

Next, I spoke with Tyler Rice from Backwoods Crossing.  This is not your ordinary restaurant. Not even close! This is, literally, a Backyard Garden to Table establishment! You kind of must see it to believe it. Backwoods grows seasonal vegetables, on-site! They have a Garden Creations menu, where you may order a dish spontaneously prepared, based on what’s growing in the garden.

Backwoods composts their excess vegetables, which is added to the gardens, along with some mushroom compost.

They also use rabbit manure, which is rich in nutrients, and beneficial for crops. But they don’t use store-bought poop: Backwoods has working bunnies, on site! And they are too cute!

No store-bought eggs, either! Their hens have plenty of room to roam, and a nice view of the beautiful garden.

Backwoods Crossing’s goal is to become a self-sustaining establishment, where everything they need comes from them, moving away from store-bought items, to a menu full of ingredients that they’ve rendered, and a place where you can look out the window, and waive to your farmer. I think they are well on their way! Find them on Instagram

How will I apply what I’ve learned this semester? Will I drive five minutes to the national grocery store chain, where I’ll find food that has traveled very far, or will I drive for 10 more minutes to visit my local garden or farmer’s market, where my meal is straight out of the local dirt?

Learning about where my food comes from has been such a rewarding experience. To enjoy the outdoors, and discover something as simple as where to find locally-grown food, yet so complex and meaningful, that it brings about a great deal of satisfaction.

What do you think? Are there Farm to Table Initiatives in your town? I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, and thank you for reading!

Quincy, home to Damfino’s

Great story behind the sign,

Open for business!

Bounty!

Hungry yet?

Tour Time!

Beauties!

I’m fascinated with Hugelkultur, and I was so happy to see it up close and personal, for the first time.

See the logs sticking out of the dirt! My first time seeing this, and learning the correct pronunciation! 😊

Corn is coming along nicely!

Composting!

Brussel Sprouts!

Thank you, Tyler!!

My brother's front-porch view! :/