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CHEF'S TABLE: Gardens our 'primal connection' to the land

Field to Fork movement sparked by the desire of chefs and cooks to reconnect to the food and ingredients and to understand each of them on a different level, says food columnist

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” ― Audrey Hepburn

June is here and at Georgian College and our cooks and hospitality students are already well into the summer semester.

Hard to believe. It feels like just a short time ago we were watching the snow retreat and waiting for the sweet summer sunshine.

One of the things I look forward to at this time of year is getting out and working on our Georgian College Community Garden. As all gardens are, ours is a work in progress and gets a little better every year.

And like most, we have had our share of ups and downs as we navigate all the pitfalls and learning curves that come with growing happy health plants. Learning as we go, making changes and solving problems takes time, patience and perseverance.

In the end, the rewards are worth the efforts! It’s a great way for our hospitality team to come together and work to grow something that benefits not only our programs and students but also our community.

Personally, I have always been interested developing my knowledge and skills around the production of food. To be a great chef and cook is to understand and respect the ingredients we work with. And to truly do that means getting out in the field and getting your hands dirty.

There are so many lessons learned and experience gained by something as simple as sprouting a tomato seed, planting it, feeding it, and watching it grow.

Then to see the new crop of tomatoes that come from that one singular seed, harvesting and tasting the fruit of your labour, is a life-changing experience.

It connects you to the world which gives you a new perspective and respect for our place in it. It’s a challenge for many of us in our generation with modern technology and urban living to remember these ancestral lessons and to feel that primal connection to the environment.

The beginning of the “Field to Fork” movement was sparked by the desire of chefs and cooks to reconnect to the food and ingredients and to understand each of them on a different level. The concepts of “terroir” and “taste of place” are very real.

Geography, soil types and weather patterns all come together and influence the properties and flavours of the foods we eat. A garden-fresh tomato picked and eaten is a very different experience than a store-bought tomato ripened on a truck and shipped thousands of kilometres to our tables.

Historically, our lives were tied to the ebb and flow of the natural seasons and this meant that our diet was restricted to items available only in season and local. Modern technology, urban development and large-scale agriculture have allowed us to create a system that gives us access to anything and everything when ever its desired.

But that convenience and luxury comes at a price.

Our food system is out of balance. We have left ourselves open to risks and created situations that increase food insecurities.

Inflation and rising costs are real and it feels like our food system is only getting more fragile.

Our communities and neighbours are struggling. Farmers are seeing the best land disappear under urban sprawl. All the costs associated with farming have only increased exponentially.

This means enviably that prices in the stores go up.

This means that more and more families will have hard financial choices to make and need to seek help just to keep food on the table.

These problems are not new in our communities and there are those who have been working hard to fight for food security and to help those in need in our communities.

So that leaves the question: “What can I do?”

The answer is as simple as growing a tomato.

Our grandparents and great-grandparents knew what to do. For them, Victory Gardens were planted across the Allied countries during the Second World War. They helped to stretch rations and alleviate food shortages.

And, in turn, it took some of the pressure off a family’s budget and help ensure that there was nutritious food on the tables.

Maybe that time has come again.

I see so many great projects happening right in our own back yards. Community garden groups, seed libraries, plant and seed swaps are all increasing. Cities and municipalities are looking to expand and integrate urban agriculture and programs that alleviate food insecurities in their regions.

And as for us at Georgian College, we plant our garden and look to the future and maybe help a young cook or two discover the true taste of place.

I’d encourage all of you to make this the summer that you try to green your thumbs and see how your garden grows.

I wish you all fair weather and a bountiful crop.

To follow along and see what the hospitality team at Georgian is growing, check out our Facebook page.


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Daniel Clements

About the Author: Daniel Clements

In his bi-weekly Chef's Table column, Daniel will be looking at everything from local crops and trends in the business to seasonal delights and the local restaurant scene
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