Glass and Vine prides itself on serving delicious locally sourced food. We source local produce directly from nearby farms and farmers’ markets. We also specify where our ingredients come from on our menu. This gives our guests a memorable food experience in terms of flavor and seasonality, among other benefits of eating local. Our guests can then fully enjoy their locally sourced meal confidently, knowing where the food they eat comes from, including how it was grown and harvested. Overall, our locally sourced foods sourced from local farms, farmer markets, and backyard vegetable patches reflect our from the farm to the fork ethos.
What is local produce?
Essentially, locally sourced produce refers to the food that’s been produced within a 100-mile radius from where it’s used and consumed. Of course, to different people, buying local foods can mean different things. Some see food from as far as 100 miles as coming from too far a place to qualify as locally sourced food. At Glass and Vine, we do our best to source our local produce from the farmers’ markets and farms that are closest to us. We complement that from our very own vegetable patches and fruit gardens. Our broader goal is to provide cuisine that connects with our customers by making the most out of the benefits of eating local.
The Benefits of Eating Local
More Nutrients, Better Health
Usually, locally sourced produce retains and provides more nutrients. This is because producers allow them enough time to ripen naturally. Locally sourced foods specifically have a shorter time range between harvest and the plate. On the contrary, producers from hundreds of miles away are likely to pick food too early. Often, they do so before the crop has reached its full maturity or is not yet ripe for the harvest and then proceed to ripen the produce artificially.
In addition, longer transport means that these foods spend more time on the road and in distribution centers before reaching the nearby stores. Such food, therefore, falls short of some nutrients, compared to the locally sourced option.
Food That’s Full of Flavor
Farmers growing food locally often let the crops ripen naturally, which allows them to harness their full flavor. They also pick it when it has reached full maturity or ripeness, rather than too early to meet shipping and distribution goals. In our experience at Glass and Vine, if you buy local produce from the nearby farm or local market, or enjoy it at a locally sourced restaurant, you can be certain that the farmer picked it from the garden only a few hours earlier.
Fewer Pesticides and Preservatives
Locally sourced food, compared to that from far areas, such as imports from other states, regions, or countries usually contains fewer artificial preservatives and pesticides. This is because local area farmers worry less about how long their food will be in transit or distribution centers. On the contrary, importers make sure there are artificial preservatives to keep their food intact and edible through transit, distribution, and local store storage. Buying local foods, therefore, confers more health benefits.
Environmentally Friendly Food
Climate change is upon us; that much is increasingly obvious due to the myriad effects on rainfall and temperature extremes. One must appreciate the impact this is having on our planet, and play some role in mitigating it. At Glass and Vine, we recognize the key impact of food systems on the planet and on greenhouse gas emissions. In that sense, local matter more than ever. We, therefore, choose to act as one of the locally sourced restaurants and support local farmers by using locally sourced produce on our menu. This lowers the carbon footprint, which aids our green and sustainable goal.
What’s more, by eating locally sourced foods at our restaurant, our guests also help reduce the distance that our ingredients have to travel in order to reach us at our premises. This way, they indirectly contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. Local farmers also keep their farmlands in agriculture, staving off the building and home developers, and helping the local area remain green, thus preserving the environment.
Promoting Local Farmers and Enhancing the Local Economy
We strongly believe that local matters and that buying local foods presents a way of promoting local farmers, supporting the local community, and enhancing the local economy that sustains our menu. We buy local produce from local farms and farmers’ markets, partner in community agriculture projects, and spread awareness about the importance of locally sourced goods. This places us at the center of the local food market and builds our community profile.
Local Produce Is Safer
Usually, the more steps that foods have to go through from the farm to the time it gets to our plates, the more chances there are of contamination. Buying local foods is much safer because this practice involves fewer steps, compared to food that gets produced at distant places. Such food has to go through several stages, including harvesting, sorting, washing, distributing, and other handling procedures that expose it to contamination.
We at Glass and Vine are proud to be among the locally sourced restaurants. Local matter, in more ways than one, and we want to use this opportunity to encourage everyone, regardless of their location, to buy local produce. That said, feel free to visit our dining oasis located in the green paradise of Coconut Grove, right by the sea. Not only will you escape the city’s hubbub but you’ll also get to enjoy our delectable menu and support the local community.
