I’m lucky to have an incredible intern, Caroline, who came to us from France. She told me that in France they heard that Americans think chocolate milk comes from brown cows (something they thought was hysterical). While that may be a bit far-fetched (for most of us), the fact is many of us grew up without any relationship or knowledge of how food grows.
I changed that years ago, and now, since starting Edible Nashville, farmers touch my life every day. I can see what they’re growing and doing everyday through Instagram and other social media. We know exactly what is in season and where to get it.
This desire to get closer to our food and the farm—and the sheer fun and romance of it—is what spawned our first farm dinner July 22 at Tennessee Grass Fed Farm in Clarksville. We set up our table under trees in the pasture where the cows had grazed days before. Thanks to the farm’s generators we could string the lights in the trees. We invited lots of our local partners and hosted 75 guests for a meal made with fresh produce from a few miles down the road, at the White’s Family Farm in Springfield. Logistics were well. . . complicated. No electricity in the field, an electrified cattle fence, no working gate to get the food to guests quickly, only a residential oven in the barn, no water in the field, and, did we mention it was 97 degrees that week?
Such is being on a farm. But it was magical nonetheless. The cows showed up socially late to the dinner, at which point guests walked out to the adjoining field to visit with them.
We love our farmers. They’ve made everything we’ve done better, from the Edible Kitchen (appearing at The Sunday Market and Cheekwood this fall), to the farm dinner, to the magazine. Be sure to visit them at your farmer’s market and “shake the hand that feeds you.”
JOIN US FOR THE EDIBLE KITCHEN:
SEPTEMBER 23 AND OCTOBER 14 AT CHEEKWOOD HARVEST DAYS.
Cheekwood Harvest Days celebrate everything the season has to offer, and this year, Edible Nashville will be there with a chef cooking demo that everyone can enjoy! Details at ediblenashville.com