Farm to Plate

Have you ever imagined how old that fruit or the vegetable should be, that is nicely sitting on that rack?

FARM TO PLATE

‘Farm to Plate’ or ‘Farm to Fork’ or ‘Farm to Table’ is a social movement which aims at providing local fresh food through direct purchase from the producer. It is different from Sustainable and Organic food as it’s about the travel time of the Produce from the farm to the food service establishment. The lesser the time taken the better.

The roots of the farm to fork trend stretch back to the 1960’s and 70’s when Americans became increasingly dissatisfied with processed foods that they found bland. One of the first farm to table restaurants that opened up was Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California in 1971.

I am sure that all of us, especially the ones living in a Metro city or Town has had an opportunity to visit supermarkets and in particular the food section. The lovely looking vegetables or the nice shiny fruits are so eye catchy that we do indulge in surplus buying and moreover even get addicted to visit the store often.

Have you ever imagined how old that fruit or the vegetable should be, that is nicely sitting on that rack?

It was only when I started enquiring and talking to a few people in this profession that I realised the amount of time these ingredients travel before they are comfortably sitting on that shelf . Well, it’s definitely gratifying to see that these big brands have enabled us to get access to ingredients that we could not have imagined to eat. Saying this, it’s also worrying to see that eventually they are also spoiling our health, our immune system and the entire natural ecosystem. These products call for the use of a lot of chemicals and pesticides to ensure that they remain fresh for a lot many days.

With the Global warming on the rise, many countries and people have started addressing the issue with great concern. The rise of the farm to plate movement is not new. Chefs all over the World have slowly started buying their produce directly from the farmer or probably trying to grow their own kitchen garden.

Let me ask you a very simple question?What will you prefer - To pick up a Raddish from the soil, wash and eat it OR pick it upoff the shelf at a much later date?The difference is in the freshness, that aroma, those flavours. Gone are the days when customers used to get inspired by the stale Passion fruit garnish or exotic ingredients on the menu which have lost all their natural taste and flavours.

The pandemic has come as a blessing in disguise to look at it in a positive way. With travel not being possible, people are literally forced to use the available ingredients in their vicinity and cook. How wonderful it will be to see all restaurants using ingredients confined to a specific distance and/or growing their own produce. An idea which has always inspired me so much that one day I do dream to own a small place self sustained with these naturally grown produce. The dishes on the menu are seasonal and made with the freshest ingredients available on that particular day.

India has one of the most fertile cultivation lands in the World. We unfortunately lack the proper distribution system so that most restaurants are able to contact the producer directly. There are however a lot of new age chefs who are insisting on using local ingredients.

During this pandemic, my daughter unfortunately got stuck up in a remote place, away from the hustle bustle of Bangalore city. The place is called Maddur where she had gone to visit her friend. While I did panic initially, I was so thankful to god at a later date. The place she was staying was self sustained in everything. The vegetables were plucked everyday for cooking, The fruits came from the backyard, The chicken came from their own poultry farm, The fish was brought from a nearside lake..... absolutely brilliant. Now imagine having a nice country side restaurant located in a place like this..... People wouldn’t mind travelling a distance for this wonderful experience and to add to it the freshness of the ingredients...oooh! lala Urge to All the Chefs – Lets make this Farm to Fresh Movement really really big.