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local sourcing

Hyper-Local Sourcing: A ServSafe MN Guide to In-House Restaurant Gardens

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Minnesota diners’ demand for fresh, locally sourced food has inspired a new level of farm-to-table innovation: the in-house restaurant garden. To meet this trend, many ServSafe MN professionals are now growing herbs, vegetables, and garnishes on-site. While this practice can elevate a menu, it also introduces unique food safety variables that every manager must control.

Growing your own produce is permissible under food safety regulations, but it doesn’t grant a pass on the fundamental rules of safe food handling. You must treat an ingredient with the same diligence as any item arriving from a supplier the moment you harvest it. Let’s break down the three critical areas of focus for maintaining a safe and successful restaurant garden.

The Foundation: Starting with Clean Inputs

in-house restaurant gardens

Do you have an in-house garden at your restaurant?

The safety of your final product begins long before the harvest. The soil, fertilizer, and water you use are the building blocks of your garden, and they can also be primary sources of contamination if not chosen carefully. Assuming that “natural” automatically means “safe” is a critical error.

  • Use Sterile Growing Media: Pathogens like E. coli are often found in raw animal manure. To mitigate this risk, always use commercially prepared, sterilized fertilizers and potting soils. This step is crucial for preventing the introduction of harmful bacteria at the very start of the growing process.

  • Ensure a Potable Water Source: The water used for your plants will inevitably come into contact with the edible portions. Use only clean, potable water—the same water you use in your kitchen sinks. Avoid using rain barrels or other sources of stagnant water, which can harbor bacteria like Listeria or algae.

Protecting Your Garden: Controlling the Environment

An outdoor garden exposes its produce to numerous environmental risks that can compromise its safety. A core part of your responsibility is to create a controlled space that minimizes these external threats. This means thinking beyond just planting seeds in an open patch of ground.

  • Secure the Location from Pests: Protect your garden from animals and other pests. Birds, rodents, and even neighborhood pets can carry pathogens in their waste, which can easily contaminate low-growing produce. Consider using raised garden beds, fencing, or netting to create a physical barrier.

Prevent Environmental Runoff: Be mindful of where you place your garden. Avoid areas where runoff from parking lots, lawns, or garbage enclosures could introduce chemical or biological contaminants to the soil and plants.

From Harvest to Plate: Applying ServSafe MN Protocols

Herb garden-in-house restaurant gardens

Treat all produce the same, from the in-house restaurant garden to the regular outside supplier.

Once you clip that first sprig of mint or pull the first ripe tomato, your formal ServSafe MN training must kick into high gear. You must handle these raw ingredients accordingly to prevent foodborne illness as they enter your kitchen’s workflow.

  • Wash Produce Thoroughly: Wash all harvested items under clean, running water immediately after bringing them indoors. This crucial step removes soil, which can contain spores like Clostridium botulinum, as well as unseen pests and surface contaminants.

  • Prevent Cross-Contamination: Use a designated and sanitized food preparation sink for washing produce. Never use a handwashing or utility sink. After washing, store the items in clean, sanitized, and covered containers, away from and preferably above raw animal products.

  • A Note on Selling Retail: The guidelines discussed here apply to produce used for items on your menu. If you intend to sell raw, harvested produce directly to customers for retail, you may face different regulations. Contact your local health inspector to ensure you have the permits or licenses for this type of sale.

Embracing an in-house garden is an excellent way to innovate, but it requires a diligent application of food safety principles. Upholding these standards is a core part of your responsibility as a ServSafe MN certified professional.

For comprehensive training that covers these critical details for you and your team, explore our instructor-led options in Minnesota. 

CFPMs and In-House Grown Herbs

CFPMs and In-House Grown Herbs

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Springtime is here, and with it the fresh aromas and flavors of the new season. Flowers are blooming, and fresh herbs become more readily available. That got us to thinking about CFPMs and In-House Grown Herbs, what’s to prevent them from adding some of that freshness to their menu by growing their own herb gardens in-house?

CFPMs and In-House Grown Herbs
Image credit: Max Pixel

CFPMs and In-House Grown Herbs Use

It should first be noted, that growing herbs at your facility should only really be done on a small scale. Mass production may be outside of the realm of certified food protection managers’ abilities, but growing live plants can help cut down on costs and help you ensure that your ingredients are fresh. Here’s a few things to think about if you’re considering growing your own herbs:

  • Keep herb boxes and gardens away from the production floor
  • Avoid soil additives such as fertilizer, manure and pesticides
  • Always wash picked herbs before using

We’re in no way suggesting you plant a garden in the middle of your kitchen, so an herb garden may not be for every facility. When considering an in-house herb garden, look for locations outside and away from the kitchen. Some restaurants make this a feature for their guests to see, either in front of the restaurant or guest pathways leading to the facility. This implants the idea of fresh ingredients before they’ve even viewed your menu. For some, a garden may not be possible, but smaller box style planters around the facility allow you to grow commonly used ingredients.

Certified food protection managers need to be very aware of contaminates and unnatural pathogens when using freshly grown herbs. For this reason, we’d recommend using pure soil rather than adding any fertilizer or compost. Many gardening supply stores have special mixes that would help grow savory herbs without additives.

Some jurisdictions may have different rules about growing herbs or other produce onsite, so if you need help with local rules, don’t hesitate to contact your local health inspector.

Would you consider growing any type of ingredients at your restaurant or other food production facility, or do you prefer bringing it in from your suppliers?