{"id":12203,"date":"2016-09-15T07:30:49","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T05:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/?p=12203"},"modified":"2018-11-19T19:15:03","modified_gmt":"2018-11-19T18:15:03","slug":"eat-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/florence\/eat-local\/","title":{"rendered":"Eat Local: Farm to Table options in Florence"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the things I love about living in Florence, Italy<\/strong> is the ability to eat local food<\/strong>. Where I grew up in Canada, you could eat things grown nearby for all of 2 weeks in August. The rest of the time, it’s golf-ball tomatoes from happier places and Spanish-speaking fruit that made the long voyage by truck to our country. I think 1997 was the first time I learned what a tomato should taste like. Italians tend to eat locally and seasonally<\/strong>, and this key both to their good health and their excellent food.<\/p>\n

\"From
Me making sure the cabbages are big enough in the fields of Orto del Borro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When in Florence, there are various ways to eat “farm to tabl<\/strong>e” – the topic of this month’s Italy Blogging Roundtable<\/a>. From bio boxes delivered to your house to conscious restaurants with kitchen gardens (skip to the end of this article if you want just this list), here are some ideas on how to eat local in Florence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Understanding KM0<\/h2>\n

In Italy, the term “KM0” or chilometro zero<\/em> is what Americans might call the “hundred mile diet” – the idea that you should eat things grown within a reasonable distance range. The Italian term most of the time is not literal – if the food comes from your same region, you’re already doing well. Though there are plenty of restaurants, especially in the countryside, where the ingredients literally never travel by car (see below).<\/p>\n

The concept of KM0 tries to diminish time spent in the distribution chain, meaning less carbon dioxide emissions and fresher food sooner. Large distribution chains use centralized warehouses, meaning that it’s possible for a vegetable to be grown and sold in Tuscany, but first travel 150 kilometers to a cold warehouse before ending up at a store that may be 25 kilometers from the initial farm.<\/p>\n

\"Tommaso
Tommaso getting friendly with the goats and farmer where we buy cheese in Maremma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Buying directly from a farm, if you can do it, supports the farmer by eliminating the middleman, as well as institutes a direct social relationship that can bring pleasure to all involved. I often spend weekends at our home in Maremma, where we enjoy making the rounds of a few local farms to get vegetables, peaches, and even goats’ cheese and wine. But this takes all morning, and we’re driving around in a car! Technically this would be more efficient if a few friends were getting in on the deal.<\/p>\n

Bio box options<\/h2>\n
\"Bio
Bio Box options in Florence – this is the Winter selection from Il Borro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you live in Florence, you know that even your local Coop supermarket tends to stock on a rather seasonal basis (more so than Esselunga). Even more than fruit, I get very excited about seasonal vegetables, and have discovered new recipe horizons<\/a> thanks to these. One way to make sure you eat whatever grows locally and seasonally is to sign up for a “bio box” service, i.e. a box delivered from a nearby farm.<\/p>\n

There are numerous bio box companies that service the city of Florence, and you should do some research to find the one that suits you best. Your decision should be based on if you need to make alterations to the contents (for allergies or preferences), if you want to sign up long term or short term, if you are around on the delivery time\/day, etc. If you drive to the office, a good option might be to have a large box delivered to work, where you can either split it with colleagues, or more easily bring it home. For me, working downtown and taking the always-crowded bus<\/a> means delivery is sadly not an option.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the most popular bio boxes available to Florence residents:<\/em><\/p>\n