Today, we are setting the table with a brand new book, The Creative Vegetable Gardener, written by a Tennessee Author, Kelly Smith Trimble. 60 ways to cultivate Joy, Playfulness, and Beaty, along with a bounty of food. Kelly also shares a recipe for carrot top pesto.

This book offers a different take on backyard gardening, encouraging us to rethink the rules of vegetable gardening. Breaking out of perfectly straight rows or boxy raised beds, Kelly suggests planting in circles, spirals, or labyrinths and encourages us to grow herbs with our flowers and vegetables - mixing perennials with annuals and creating a meditative sanctuary and pollinator paradise.

Kelly Smith Trimble is the author of Vegetable Gardening Wisdom. A lifestyle editor for over 20 years, she has worked with HGTV, Southern Living, Lowe’s, Bonnie Plants, and the National Park Foundation. A Master Gardener with degrees in English and environmental studies, she grows vegetables, herbs, and flowers in her backyard in Knoxville, Tennessee. And a note, Kelly does not advertise on this show.

Kelly also has a book launch on February 28th on the release date of this new book at Union Avenue Books in downtown Knoxville at 5:30 P.M. I'll be there interviewing Kelly live about her book that evening. This ticketed event is free with registration from the Union Avenue Bookstore website.⁣

Blue Stem Hollow is now in full swing of their CSA signup for full or 1/2 shares, delivered weekly or bi-weekly. Blue Stem Hollow offers catering, pasture-raised beef, eggs, charcuterie, and sustainably raised fruits and vegetables. These fruits and vegetables are sustainably grown right on the farm. Each week's CSA Box includes an email of what's in the box and a video from Chef Robert Allen (formerly of Citico's) with seasonal cooking tips for what's in the box. They also offer weekly add-ons such as honey, desserts, eggs, charcuterie, and pasture-raised beef. Weekly delivery locations include Greenback, Maryville, and Knoxville.