Chestnut Hill Celebrates Earth Month with Farm to Table Dining

The last week of April is a special time for the culinary department at Chestnut Hill Senior Living Columbus, OH. In honor of Earth Month, we will be celebrating and embracing the Farm to Table concept. While the terminology is often overused, the idea is a basic one that stems from the days when the food you ate came from the farm you lived on or nearby. Practices may have changed but utilizing the produce and livestock from local farms and growers has many benefits. For example, did you know most produce loses nutrients within 24 hours of harvesting? Have you ever noticed how fresh meat is moister and more flavorful?

Farm to Table also helps strengthen the local economy by providing jobs and keeping money in the hands of businesses run by our neighbors and friends. It helps to build relationships between the farmer or rancher and the customer. Both sides benefit greatly from sourcing local items. If an item becomes scarce, or pricing becomes high, this valued relationship can be instrumental in helping us to continue to provide the exceptional food our residents have come to expect from us with minimal interruption.

The dish I’m making is bone-in Boston butt with polenta and black swamp gouda. All the ingredients I’m using will be sourced locally from The Butcher and Grocer https://thebutcherandgrocer.com/. Our residents at Chestnut Hill are a meat and potatoes type of crowd, I wanted to put a little twist on their plate with this dish.

My memories of eating local ingredients from my childhood include trips to Amish country. Every weekend we would go to the butcher in Geauga County for ribs and chicken. They would cut them fresh while we looked around at the different cheeses.

Sustainable farming has a huge impact on our area. It is important that we support our local farmers. I am getting to know them and taking my son to experience what farm life is like, showing him how much hard work goes into it and how much they mean to our society.

For us, buy local isn’t just a bumper sticker. It should be embraced and promoted as much as possible. Even if you couldn’t be here to enjoy it with us, I hope you can enjoy the content included here and feel inspired to visit some of these local vendors!