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 NOTEWORTHY FOOD COMMUNITY NEWS - June 2008

Greetings Friends! Hope you are enjoying the amazing growing season here in Middle Tennessee.  It's been great to see so many friendly faces at the Nashville Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings.  I know I am hooked on the fact that I can get almost everything I need for the week there from local farmers and it is only going to get better. If you have a weekly favorite or a request for something specific, drop us a note and we'll see what we can do!

**BARBOUR FARM HAS MOVED** - Look for Barbour Farm on Saturdays in their new permanent space in the front of the 7th Avenue Farm Shed.  New to the Market this year, Barbour Farm brings brings a variety of fresh and sustainably grown farm products on Saturdays from the farm in Canmer, Kentucky.  For those of you who don't already know, Barbour carries a selection of pork cuts and sausages (spicy Italian is my personal favorite), farm fresh eggs and many vegetables including lettuce, onions, peppers, eggplant, squash, melongs, broccoli, beans, peas, spinach and much more.  Visit them this Saturday early to make sure you get the choice picks!  The pork roast and pork tenderloin are a MUST BUY.

In addition, we want to let everyone know about some upcoming opportunities to get involved with the Market on Saturday, June 28th.

Take a break from your Saturday shopping at the Market and join Friends of the Nashville Farmers' Market for our June Board meeting at 10am on SATURDAY JUNE 28th.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about the plans for the Market this year as well as to make your voice
heard about the changes at the Market and what you think Friends should/could do to improve the Market experience and promote the Market as a community resource!   We'll be set up in the second set of Farm Sheds (7th Avenue side) - near Barbour Farms NEW SPACE.  If you can join us and want to talk specifically about an issue or topic, please send them to me before next Friday, June 27th at
theurbankitchennashville@yahoo.com.

After the FNFM meeting (or even if you cannot make the meeting), make sure to visit the Farmers' Market Midway to learn how to prepare local food from one of Nashville's best chefs. Bring a friend and join Chef Joe Shaw at the Farmers' Farm Sheds, Saturday June 28th at noon, for this summer's first Chefs at the Market cooking demonstration. Gather around the JennAir portable kitchen for a lesson on preparing some of summer's best produce, eggs and meats, fresh from
the farm sheds.

When not shopping at the Farmers' Market, Chef Joe Shaw is cooking up his own twist on southern food at The Standard restaurant at the Smith House on Rosa L. Parks Blvd. in downtown Nashville. The Smith House is Nashville's only remaining grand townhouse from the 1840's era still standing, and the recent addition of chef Shaw to the restaurant has brought a supply of fresh local produce and new ideas to the Standard menu.

Joe will start the day by shopping for fresh meats and produce at the market's farm sheds and cook a few scrumptious dishes for everyone to sample. The event starts at noon at under the shade of the Farmers Market tent in the Market Midway, between the two farm sheds.

This event is the first in a series of cooking demonstrations that will take place every month at the Farmers' Market and features some of Middle Tennessee's finest chefs and best farm products. For more information about events at the Farmers' Market, visit the Farmers' Market web site or call Marne Duke at 615-880-2001.

Make it a complete Farmers' Market weekend by joining Slow Food, the Nashville Farmers Market and the Friends on Sunday at the first "Slow Dog Days of Summer" with I Dream of Weenie in East Nashville.  From 5pm to 9pm you can enjoy homemade sausages from City House made with locally raised pork from our very own Barbour Farm (at the Nashville Farmers' Market) and DW Farm, as well as locally raised lamb from Chigger Ridge (also at the Nashville Farmers' Market).  Come enjoy the sausages and donate a few bucks to Slow Food for a taste of some gourmet sides from local chefs featuring seasonal produce from the Market!  Feel free to contact me with any questions!

Cheers!
Jennifer Hagan-Dier
President, FNFM

Who Are Friends?  What Do We Do?

The Mission of the Friends of the Nashville Farmers' Market is to provide development and support for the Nashville Farmers' Market to enhance the Markets role as a civic resource and to accomplish the following long-term goals:

  • To improve the availability of a diverse range of affordable quality foods to all Nashville-area citizens;

  • To connect and promote local and regional producers and farmers to chefs, restaurateurs, food organizations and all members of the Nashville community;

  • And, to support small Tennessee and regional family farmers and promote a healthier community through education and marketing to foster an appreciation for local, fresh and sustainably raised produce and products. By providing volunteer assistance to farmers and the Markets education and marketing initiatives, the FNFM will help promote healthy eating and food education in the entire community. The FNFM will also coordinate its efforts with other community organizations in outreach activities in Middle Tennessee and beyond.