Full Podcast: https://lovethenorth.ca/article/260927-farm-to-table-in-northern Brianna from Radical Gardens in Timmins says something that really defines their whole operation: **“Firstly, we are farmers. Secondly, we own a restaurant.”** Radical Gardens operates its own organic farm and grows all of its own mushrooms — including oyster, king oyster, shiitake, enoki and lion’s mane. Their indoor mushroom room is only about 12 feet by 12 feet with 12-foot ceilings, but Brianna says it can produce roughly 200 pounds of mushrooms per week. Those mushrooms do not just go straight into restaurant dishes. At the beginning of the farmers’ market season, Brianna says they ramp production up because local customers are waiting for fresh mushrooms. They sell at the farmers’ market, use mushrooms throughout the restaurant, and also preserve part of the harvest by dehydrating them and turning them into powders and seasonings for use later in the year. That is what farm-to-table looks like when the farm truly comes first. You grow what works in your climate. You bring it directly to the farmers’ market. You use it in your restaurant. You preserve what you can. And you waste as little as possible. For Brianna, farming in Northern Ontario is not easy. The growing season is short, winters are extreme, and energy and transportation costs can be high. But that is exactly why supporting local growers matters. **Every time someone buys from a Northern Ontario farmer, more of that food system stays local — from the farm, to the market, to the kitchen, to the plate.** Farming first means knowing where your food came from, knowing who grew it, and keeping that connection alive in the community. #RadicalGardens #FarmersMarket #OrganicMushrooms #FarmToTable #FarmingFirst #SupportLocalFarmers #Timmins #NorthernOntario #LocalFood #FoodSecurity #LoveTheNorth