Nowadays, the phrase “farm-to-table” can cause eyes to glaze over and mouths to yawn. It’s almost as if those three words have lost their meaning. And that’s a problem, because the philosophy behind farm-to-table is an important one.
The concept is about much more than just getting food from a farm. For chef Natasha Yruel of the Bistro inside Brandywine Branch Distillers, it’s about supporting a local economy and allowing small producers to thrive while growing the highest-quality products.
“It’s a closely knit network,” said Yruel, describing the local farming community. “Everybody wants to support each other because they know how hard they work, and they all respect each other for that.”
Located in Elverson, Pa., the Bistro prides itself on sourcing many of the ingredients it uses from local farmers and artisans.
Emma Cunniff, owner of Kneehigh Farm in Pottstown, is one of those farmers. Cunniff rents seven acres of land from Lundale Farm, a nonprofit that supports sustainable farm operations. This year, she’ll be growing over 150 varieties of crops.
“It’s nice to work with the local restaurants and producers in the area because we’re so small, and we don’t have a lot of outreach,” said Cunniff. “Natasha [Yruel] stops by the farm in the morning before work and picks up her veggies, which is awesome.”
During the summer months, Yruel sources a wide variety of products from Kneehigh Farm, including padrón peppers, eggplants, cherry tomatoes, carrots, beets and even some greens.
As far as produce goes, what Yruel looks for is both a quality product and a producer that uses responsible farming practices. Luckily for her, nearly all the local farmers she’s come into contact with agree with that philosophy.
“For me, it’s less about how much I grow or how good things conventionally look,” said Cunniff, who follows organic standards when growing Kneehigh’s vegetables. “It’s about getting people excited about new varieties and flavors, and having people come out to the farm and eat stuff right from the ground.”
Norman Fetter, owner of Woodland Jewel Mushrooms, is another local producer who isn’t certified organic, but grows sustainably and without chemicals or pesticides. For a farm his size, he explained, there would be too much red tape to go through the process of getting certified.
And again, the label isn’t nearly as important as the quality of the product. For Woodland Jewel Mushrooms, which specializes in gourmet and exotic mushrooms, freshness is key. Fetter says he delivers his mushrooms one to two days after they’ve been harvested.
“There are so many great producers out in our area, but we haven’t always had the venue to showcase and highlight all the amazing products,” said Fetter. “So it’s amazing to meet somebody like Natasha [Yruel] who really gets it, and is into supporting local farms.”
This philosophy of farm-to-table reverberates throughout Brandywine Branch Distillery. In the distillery itself, distillers Gabe Barnard and Mike Higgins control every step of the process.
“We could go an easier way and connect with a distillery that produces the alcohol for us,” said Barnard. “But we just want to have control of everything from the beginning.”
The distillery sources ingredients locally whenever it can, and donates all the spent grains created in spirit production back to local farmers for animal feed. Next year, Brandywine Branch Distilling will release an apple brandy with apples sourced from Weaver’s Orchard, which delivers a custom-pressed juice to the distillery.
“What we make, our spirit, is something no one else can make,” said Barnard. “It’s totally unique to us.”
That’s because the local environment influences all of the company’s craft spirits. The distillery uses its own water to add to the grain for brewing and to proof its spirits down at the end. Fermentation happens in a barn that’s over 100 years old, which has all kind of wild yeasts in the air and in the barn wood. And that creates a product that couldn’t be made anywhere else but in this distillery.
Whether it’s with spirits or food, Brandywine Branch Distillers utilizes the same selective approach when it comes to quality ingredients. Its commitment to farm-to-table is beneficial to everyone involved.
The distillery supports a local economy of producers, and those producers, in turn, treat the land with respect and care. Ultimately, everyone eating or drinking at Brandywine Branch Distillers gets to enjoy the freshest and highest-quality products around. So maybe we should rethink how we think about farm-to-table.
Visit the Bistro’s website for kitchen hours and to take a look at the ever-changing menu.
Find Brandywine Branch Distillers at 50 Warwick Rd. in Elverson; phone: (610) 901-3668.
- Feature photo: Zoe Schaeffer
- Kneehigh Farm photos: Kneehigh Farm
- Norman Fetter/Woodland Jewel photo: Jeremy Hess
- Carrots and onion photo: Deana Clement Photography
- Bottle photos: Brandywine Branch Distillers
