The Farm to Table movement was developed with the intention of creating a personal connection to food again. This connection was lost when the food industry turned into a corporation and stopped being human focused. The industrial revolution brought about big changes where scale and efficiency were the focus, and to sustain growth they maximized crops and livestock through GMO’s, pesticides, and many other unhealthy ways.
Life is cyclical and it’s nice to see a return to what was once considered normal. Family run farms have been around for thousands of years and considered part of the community. When I visit my Uncle in Massachusetts we stop by his friends farms to pick up what we need for dinner. This creates an opportunity to connect with friends and also with the land from which our food comes. We can see that the animals are being treated well and we know that no harmful chemicals were used when growing the produce.
When I go to a large grocery store chain it is impossible for me to have this same connection and experience. I have no idea where the food was farmed and if it’s actually organic. I live in Brooklyn, which makes it hard to swing by my friends farms to grab ingredients for dinner, however we do have amazing local farmers markets scattered all over – check out GrowNYC to find one near you!
Farm to Table restaurants are another way to support locally grown and just last month Marcus and I hit up the West Village to check out Min Ye and Morton Solberg new farm to table restaurant Blenheim named after their 150-acre farm Blenheim Hill in New York’s Catskill mountains. Morton, an established restaurateur of Smorgas Chef restaurants and Crepes du Nord Creperie, followed his dream and has successfully been able to provide 300,000 plus guests per year with “natural, sustainable, and locally grown produce and meat while simultaneously developing a financially viable model for small-scale farming”. We were excited to be included in the pre-opening friends and family night and it was delicious!
A few years ago I met owners / co-founders Arran Stephens and Ratana Stephens of Nature’s Path. They are the pioneers of organic farming and have contributed enormously to this movement! They are dedicated to keeping the business in the family and have taken a vow never to sell out to the big guys (even though they get at least one offer a day!). Their cereals are delicious and when purchasing Nature’s path you support organic farming and mother earth.
If you are a NYC local here is a way to get involved: Added Value is a local Brooklyn based non-profit that “began in April 2000 by gathering community stakeholders and outside experts to discuss the lack of meaningful educational activities and employment opportunities for Red Hook teenagers. In the spring of 2001, Added Value convened a group of local youth, neighborhood leaders, community-based organizations and regional institutions to form our Community Advisory Committee. Guided through a participatory planning process by Heifer International, the Committee outlined a three-year plan to address food insecurity, unemployment and the alienation of youth from the Red Hook community”. They have created a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system.
Farm Aid is another great organization where music is combined with food: Family farmers, good food, a better America Farm Aid features the best that music has to offer, while remaining true to its ultimate mission. 28 years of great music, supporting farmers, and strengthening America. Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Farm Aid has raised more than $45 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on their land.
~ Miss Kiss ~
