TennesseeFarmTable.com

Nancy Bruns of J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works

We visit with our neighbor from West Virginia - Nancy Bruns of J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works. We'll hear about her family's land, history, and how they produce salt from their farm. Nancy and her brother Lewis Payne are partners. They are the 7th generation salt makers since 1832 to produce this agricultural product from her family's land. Nancy spent 25 years in the food industry before becoming a salt maker. And this company is an essential component of the W.V. sustainable food system community.

Lisa Rolen from Food History 360, who makes her home in Johnson City, Tennessee shares a segment on Turkey Craw Beans.

Beau Branton shares details on the opening day of the Sevierville, Tennessee Farmers' Market, which takes place Saturday, May 22nd, 2021.

Tennessee seed saver John Coykendall shares information on 2 heirloom gourd varieties, the Tennessee spinning gourd and the nest egg gourd. I (Amy) have nest egg gourd seed. If you would like to get some, just email me. And Sow True Seed sells Tennessee Spinning Gourd seed. A link to John's book is found below, along with a link to Sow True Seed.

Today, we are setting the table with our little friends, pollinators and the honey bee and ways that we can help to protect them. We will visit today with 3 families who raise bees in East, Tennessee. D & Jim Brown who own and run Honey Rock Herb Farm, in Louisville, Tennessee and have raised bees for over 40 years. Coley and Judy O’Dell who own and run Smoky Ridge Apiaries in Maryville, TN and have taught countless individuals how to raise bees, care for hives and the bees, and we will also hear about their self serve honey stand which sits in their front yard. We also visit with Beekeeper Larry Skidmore, owner of Hill Top Honey in Greenback, Tennessee. And we will visit with a really successful farmer and his wife Donna and Vernon Wilson. We also get to hear from our friend Fred Sauceman from Johnson City with his “Pot Luck Radio Series”, on this series today, we hear about “Hot Slaw” from Polk County.

Also, I make mention of the Annual Wayne Scott Strawberry Festival in Unicoi, Tennessee May 15th, 2021 until 5:00 P.M.

And The Family and Fun Day May 15th at the Greenback Farmers’ Market from 10:00 - 1:00 P.M. where you will find Vernon Wilson and Larry Skidmore as well as crafts, prepared foods and farm products.

This morning we are setting the table with a Mother’s Day treat…Strawberries. 

- I (Amy) share 2 recipes for a scratch made strawberry shortcake, and an easy bisquick shortcake for you Mothers’ Day dessert.
- Fred Sauceman shares a little story about Wayne Scott, one of Tennessee’s most respected strawberry farmers who passed away in 2008 - and news about the 17th annual Wayne Scott strawberry festival happening tMat 18, 2019 in Unicoi County, TN
- Mary Dee Dee Constantine, retired food editor from the Knoxville News Sentinel has a recipe for easy strawberry jam.
- Ronni Lundy recites her story “Drive In Strawberry Pie”.

- And Lisa Rolen of Food History 360 shares a segment on Creecy Greans.

Today we are setting the table with a good ole fashioned morel mushroom foraging expedition in search of a wild food that delivers the umami taste.

My guests are Chris Burger Farmer, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Century Harvest Farms Foundation in Greenback, TN. Chris was kind enough to invite me on a morel hunt the 2nd week of April for this mushroom that only appears from late March through the first few weeks of April annually in Tennessee. We also will be joined in the kitchen at CHFF by Chef Robert Allen in the kitchen of Century Harvest Farms Foundation. He will share with us how he cooks morel mushrooms, and what he pairs them with. We also get to hear the 2nd installment of a brand new addition to the show “Garden Variety” with Kelly Smith Trimble. Author, Gardener and Editor living in Knoxville TN. Today, Kelly’s subject is corn.

We are setting the table this day with the preservation of Appalachian food ways. My featured guest is guest is John Tulloch of Knoxville who grew up on a farm and helped his Grandmother in the kitchen in  Greenville, TN. We are going to discuss his latest book entitled: “Appalachian Cooking, New and Traditional Recipes”.  John will also share his way of making Succotash which is in the book.
- We also get to hear from D & Jim Brown. They own and run Honey Rock Herb Farm in Louisville, TN and D shares with us how she makes cornbread with Sage.
- Fred Sauceman shares a Pot Luck Radio segment about the beloved Hob Nob Drive in - which opened in 1952 outside of Gate City, Virginia.
- And Iva Spoon Wilde tells us how to make our own butte for that cornbread.

Today, we are setting the table with foods that are often shared at the table on Easter Sunday.

- Karen Zorio, Former owner of the Bakery Something Savory shares with us the history and recipe of Hot Cross Buns.

- Mary “Dee Dee” Constantine shares a recipe for Pimento Cheese from the Tupelo Honey and Blackberry Farm cookbooks. And she also shares a pound cake recipe from the Saltville Centennial cookbook by way of Sarah A Geer McIntyre - who was the cook at the Palmer Inn in Saltville Virginia around around the years of 1888.

- Fred Sauceman shares a custard pie recipe that was a favorite of WWI Tennessee war hero Alvin York. This pie was baked for him often by his wife Gracie and the recipe for this pie was shared with Fred by Alvin York’s Great, great grandson.

- And I (Amy) share a recipe for candied sweet potatoes by way of Phila Rawlings Hach’s cookbook Kountry Kooking, published in 1974.

Today, we are Welcoming Spring by setting the table 2 seasonal goodies that arrive at the beginning of Spring in the Mountain South, Maple Syrup and Asparagus.

We visit with a maker of small batch, Maple Syrup. Clint Smith of the Riverdale Community of East, Tennessee. Clint shares with us how he makes his small batch maple syrup. Clint is also a talented welder and furniture maker, and some of his work is in use at J.C. Holdway Restaurant in downtown Knoxville Tennessee.

We also have a brand new contributor to the Tennessee Farm Table. Author, Editor, and Gardener Kelly Smith Trimble. Last week, we focused on Kelly’s book Vegetable Gardening Wisdom, a collection of seasonal advice and inspiration for edible gardeners. And today Kelly shares her first installment of her new monthly segment “Garden Variety” . Today, Kelly features one of those first fruits of Spring, Asparagus.

Today we are setting the table with gardening wisdom. My guest today is Kelly Smith Trimble an editor, writer, and gardener living in Knoxville, TN. Her book Vegetable Gardening Wisdom, a collection of seasonal advice and inspiration for edible gardeners, was released in April 2019 by Storey Publishing. Kelly is currently the senior digital editorial director for HGTV, where she answers vegetable gardening questions in a social video series called Dig It, with more than a million views collectively. She has also been a writer and editor for Southern Living, the National Park Foundation, and Bonnie Plants. Her vegetable garden was featured in the June 2020 issue of Southern Living magazine which is some serious “Southern Woman Credibility right there”

She was born in Knoxville and has spent her life in various parts of southern Appalachia. Today we hear about Kelly’s book, her perspectives on gardening, and also her thoughts on growing collard greens.

In Fred Sauceman’s “Potluck Radio” series, he features “Soutissa sausage” with a recording that he made in 2018 with the “Waldensian” community of Valdese, North Carolina.

Dee Dee Constantine shares a recipe for Sautéed trout with spinach and roasted red bell peppers from the Tupelo Honey Cookbook

In this episode, we are setting the table with a story of how urban gardening joins up with a non profit foundation from a rural setting to help change lives through agriculture. We visit today with Brenna Wright formerly of Abby Field Farm, and currently of Knox City Farm and now she is with Century Harvest Farms Foundation. Brenna is well known in the Knoxville community for her success in urban farming and making a positive impact upon the community with agriculture and I want to feature her story to encourage anyone out there listening, wherever you may be that you too can do this in your community.

We also get to hear from Fred Sauceman with his “Potluck Radio” series. Fred features how to make lemonade with NC food writer “Fred Thompson” who is the author of the book “Lemonade”.

And, I also want to share with you a simple recipe that can really make body happy. Sweet potato biscuits.

Today we are setting the table with a delivery service for Farmers Markets called “Farm Grub” with our guest and co-founder of Farm Grub, Wade Austin. This is a company that is designed to make our community a better place and to answer the need to deliver farm fresh, regionally sourced groceries right to your door.

There are several of these companies that have cropped up in our region, and what makes Farm Grub a little different is that 15% of the profits are donated to 2nd Harvest East TN. An interesting and helpful way to get farm food straight to customers who for one reason or another can’t always get to the farmers’ markets.

In Fred Sauceman’s Pot Luck Radio series he shares a story about “Iron Sandwiches”.

And Amy Campbell has tips for using used eggshells and coffee grounds in your gardening.