Farmer D offers some tips on going local:

1. Go to the local farmer’s market and meet the farmers. Ask them about their farming practices and philosophy. Usually, the produce will speak for itself about the product’s quality, the way it’s grown and whether it’s organic. (For a list of state, city and county farmer’s markets near you, visit the Marketing Division section of http://agr.georgia.gov.)
2. Find local farmers by contacting Georgia Organics. Its annually updated Local Food Guide, available online at www.georgiaorganics.org, lists farms by region, contact info and what they grow. The Department of Agriculture also has a Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Directory at http://agr.georgia.gov.
3. Talk with your distributors and ask them if they can find organic produce, whether it’s fruit, meat or a specific vegetable, for you.
4. Grow your own. Many restaurants are growing their own food on auxiliary farms in urban areas, but you can start small with growing herbs on the rooftop or micro greens near the kitchen. A side benefit to growing your own is you can get the wait staff involved. They become really knowledgeable and passionate about the food they’re serving if they are involved in growing it.
5. Contract with local farmers and ask them to grow the foods you want to use in your restaurant. Let them know the types of produce you’re interested in using and how much you go through. Farmers will often sign contracts with a restaurant before they get into growing a particular crop. Some farmers form a co-op (one such example is Athens Locally Grown, http://athens.locallygrown.net) to ensure there is enough of a certain product for restaurant use.

To learn more about Farmer D Organics, which supplies seeds, organic plants, tools and advice, visit www.farmerd.com.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 1:59 pm and is filed under Chef Insights, Management.