Frozen green beans may not be the first ammunition that comes to mind when staging a local food revolution, but for Luc Roels and Jim Hyland (left to right) - the owners of Farm to Table Co-packers in Kingston, New York - frozen vegetables and berries are critical in their arsenal.
In June, the team opened the food processing facility, Farm to Table Co-packers to pursue a singular goal. They hope to reshape the regional food system in the Hudson Valley.
For more on the story, check out my article on Farm to Table Co-packers in the Autumn 2010 edition of the quarterly magazine Edible Hudson Valley. ©2010 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved
11 comments:
Ooh, la la. Haricot vert. They are one of our very favorite vegetables. I'm off to read your article.
Sam
Super article. Farm to Table is such an amazing concept. I was not familiar with it and it rather reminded me of cuisine du terroir.
What a wonderful thing for the local farmers and WE benefit!
This is terrific! We need more kitchen facilities (whether it's co-packing facilities or culinary incubators) to better sustain local food systems. The more we can do in our own communities the less reliant we are on the industrial giants. Thanks for showcasing them.
Nice article! It's fun to see how they are using the local produce. The Mormons do a pretty good job of this in Utah; they have regional "canneries" where church members can go and help with the work of canning local crops in return for a share of the canned goods (I think mostly fruit, green beans, and canned tomatoes.) Most of the canned food is given to needy people except for that the workers are "paid" so it's a win-win.
That is a great article. I didn't know that there was so much produce at risk of waste because farmers can't get them to market in time. This is an excellent and commendable example of creative solutions that can benefit everyone.
This IS a great idea, like you said it simple, but someone had to think of it and implement it. I could see this being done here as there is virtually nothing to help local farmers, most of them not staying in this trade as a result. In our local village, we do use a common olive oil press and a common industrial-size refrigeration room to store our excess apples, and dry a lot of veggies like onions and such, But this is taking it way further and it is a great way to motivate small farms and counteract the huge food businesses. Great article, really enjoyed it.
I loved your article, TW. I am so sick of hearing about farmers getting shafted by conglomerates who pay a fraction of the crop's worth and get away with it because it would have to be plowed under otherwise and then the conglomerate reaps all the profits... this puts the model back in the right order. Now how to get the word out to all those wonderful farmers????
WHenever I talk to the guys in Union Square they all say it has made farming profitable... no middle man! KUDOS on the article~!!
I'm heading over to thorough;y read your article now. It sounds like a great concept. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary
Great article!! It's catching on in Richmond now, the farm to table mentality. So great to see your article on Edible Hudson Valley!
What an enlightening article T.W. I'm learning so much about the farm to table movement here in PA. Many Amish families are using Birdseye's methods right here in central PA.
Thank you so much for sharing...
Proof that you can get local produce fresh to the consumer. A win-win for everyone.
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