Hey folks! Ed here. I’m part of the Freshly Grown team and I’d like to share how I started becoming Farm to Table Hacker. If you haven’t already, you can read the #F2THack introduction and regenerative lifestyle right here.
At first, the concept of eating Farm to Table was pretty intimidating. I do not enjoy shopping in any form occasion and I knew very little about where food really comes from before joining Freshly Grown. Grocery shopping is something I avoid at all costs. So where do you start when you want to try eating Farm to Table?
What do you like to eat?
My first piece of advice is to think about what you really like to eat in terms of a main dish. Obviously, you have to pick something that is available from a local farm. But if you plan on eating something you enjoy, the hacking effort required becomes easier. Start with what you like to eat. For me this is beef. Protein is an easy choice. And it is BBQ season. Perfect.
I set out to buy beef for one meal directly from a farm. That’s it. And to make a party out of it, I invited my wife’s family to enjoy it together. The next thing you know, we decided to make it a taste test so we bought regular Alberta beef from a butcher too.
Where’s the beef?
Of course, being part of the Freshly Grown team, I was quickly able to look up “Beef” in our directory and found a pickup point close to my house. I found some organic tenderloin steak for a really great price in bulk (way less than the organic grocery as you can read here). I called up the farm, made the order and scheduled my pickup day. About a week later, everything came frozen in a nice box. Mission accomplished.
Then it was time to grill everything up. Just a little oil and seasoning herbs did the trick as we wanted to really taste the meat without any competing flavours (that’s how I like it anyway). Here is my BBQ with both the organic tenderloin and the regular butcher-bought beef. Both were hormone and antibiotic free. Only the organic beef was grass-finished.
The final verdict? After trying each side-by-side, I can definitely say, while both were very tasty, the organic beef had more flavor and better texture, even though it was frozen. My foodie sister-in-law agreed.
So there you have my first #F2THack. It was easy enough. My advice is to start simple and just pick something you love and go out and get it. Don’t worry about the cost or convenience. Just try it as a first step and then take the next when you are ready.
Let me know if you have any questions or ideas! Leave a comment!