Our global journey of food and the relationship we have with it has been a long one. Moving through subsistence farming to mass production and processing, people are beginning to long for a return to the land.
The Farm to Table movement has become increasingly prevalent, as chefs and cooks around the world seek to reconnect food with its origins, while illuminating how our health and the health of our planet are linked. We would like to take a moment to explore farm to table and what it means to us at FARMHOUSE.
What is the farm to table movement?
Otherwise known as the farm to fork movement, farm to table is a call to better understand food and what it takes to bring food to our plates. It encourages restaurants to source their ingredients locally and seasonally, respecting what the earth is able to share at different times of year. This sparks a positive impact on the planet, our bodies, and our souls.
Why is farm to table important?
With the industrialisation of agriculture, food has become about efficiency, convenience, and working the land, rather than nutrition, flavour, and working with the land. Food is mutated to grow all year round, is preserved, frozen and then transported all over the globe to ensure that people are able to eat their favourite foods all the time.
To a certain extent, this has made many things easier, not only for farmers, producers and consumers, but also retailers and restaurants, who can stick to a trusty menu that never changes. We believe, however, that this has diluted much of the beauty that growing food can offer us.
Earth has a special clock
There is a reason why certain things grow when they do. The natural conditions are perfectly set to plump a fruit or vegetable with a good dose of flavour and nutrients, making the experience of tasting something that has been seasonally grown that much more impactful. Fruits and vegetables grown seasonally undeniably taste better than those that are not.
Farm to table encourages seasonal eating, inspiring chefs and cooks to play with the different colours of the rainbow the earth has to offer in the year.
It is our responsibility to foster a relationship of care
Being stewards of this planet means taking care of it, not abusing it. Choosing to work with seasonal and local foods reduces our carbon footprint and overall impact on the earth in multiple ways:
Growing in season allows fruits and vegetables to flourish outside, under natural conditions. This lowers the need for creating artificial environments, which use a lot of energy and water to run.
Sourcing locally grown foods reduces the distance they need to travel, as well as the energy required to keep them fresh.
The need for chemical treatments that are used to achieve a flavour similar to in-season fruits and vegetables is eliminated, reducing the polluting effects of this kind of farming.
Buying local food directly from farmers reduces the need for extensive and wasteful packaging that is crowding and harming the earth.\
Looking after each other
Not only are we protecting the environment by choosing local and seasonal, but we are helping each other too. For one, we are supporting local farmers, who tend to use land more productively, nurturing it, rather than simply seeing it as a means to make a profit. We also ensure that our local economy prospers.
Building relationships with local farms develops a greater sense of community and connection, something we at FARMHOUSE feel passionate about. By serving fresh, nutritional food, we improve the health of our community, encouraging people to not only find joy in good food, but understand where it comes from and why it serves our bodies so well.
Eating has a story
Part of eating is the joy that comes with realising that the seasons are changing and you are able to delight in the bursting flavour of a certain fruit or vegetable again, one that brings back memories of cosy winter evenings, or summers in the garden. Eating should not only be for sustenance; it is emotive and an opportunity to get creative and try new things, something that is partly lost when we defy the natural time for things.
FARMHOUSE58
FARMHOUSE58 cherishes the connection humans have with the earth and envisions a place where people and nature once again share a relationship of providing and nurturing. In realising that vision, we need to redefine what it means to rely on the land, understanding that this calls us to take care of it as much as it takes care of us.
We want to create a community that moves with the seasons, deepening its bonds with the earth and its people in the process. Our retreat is located in the Cradle of Humankind, where we offer an experience that allows our guests the opportunity to rekindle that bond.
Book your stay, leave your shoes at home, and let nature bring you a warming kiss for the soul.
