Food In The Time Of Corona

Necessity is the mother of Invention.
As the curve flattens and we start dipping our toes in the social waters again, caution will be the watch word.  The way we live, celebrate, and eat will be adjusted for the foreseeable future, as we create new ways to navigate.

Almost overnight, chefs, cooks, servers, bartenders, and musicians were without work (and of course countless other professions not mentioned here). Produce was grown for restaurants closed. Flowers were grown for events cancelled. Consumers were confronted with empty shelves and new challenges to feed themselves. As a result, the next few months ahead hold new ways to approach our food system. Here are some solutions:

Farm to Table…Really
With empty shelves at the supermarkets and anxiety about going to the store, consumers looked for alternate ways to get their food, and many found one that’s been there all along—local farmers.  This presented opportunities but also challenges for many farmers. Sugar Camp Farm, who had invested this year’s harvest into restaurants, pivoted and “ripped up the edible marigolds and planted potatoes!”  Others scrambled to develop online stores and delivery systems.

Farmers markets had to rethink their market structure. The Richland Park Farmer’s Market on Charlotte Pike increased space between vendors and maximized social distancing between customers while The Nashville Farmers’ Market instituted a drive-through market in the parking lot. Markets are asking folks to pre-order from farmers, expediting pick-up and limiting social contact. And it’s working. CSAs are full and some farms can’t keep up. Bryan Whitaker of Whitaker Farms that sells beef, chicken, and pork is slammed with deliveries. Like many others, The Farm and Fiddle in Santa Fe, TN has 15 extra families in their CSA this year. We’ve assembled a guide to farms and what they have available. To find the one that’s perfect for you, visit our CSA Guide at ediblenashville.com.

Family Meals for All 
Restaurants and caterers started cooking family meals at a lower price point, the former scaling up on portions and the latter back. With events cancelled, TennesSweet Food Company started doing chef prepared heat-and-serve family meals. Upscale restaurants like Miel in West Nashville started serving “Sunday dinner”. Chagos Cantina on Belmont did a brisk business of tacos, margaritas, chips, and guacamole, while their daughter did homework at a bar typically filled to the brim on a Friday night. And “curbside” became a part of our everyday lexicon. Go to ediblenashville.com for our Family Meal Guide.

Drive-Thru Bars
Wine and beer are good but after a couple weeks, we started missing our cocktails. As a result, cocktails and booze of all kinds became typical carryout and delivery items from restaurants, bars, and even out-of-work bartenders. The Yellow Porch in Berry Hill offers Georgia Mules and Sangria packaged up complete with fresh herbs. Walden Bar in East Nashville is offering cocktails in to-go pouches. Go to ediblenashville.com to see our Booze during COVID-19 Guide.

Victory Gardens Make a Comeback
During World War II, large numbers of people planted Victory Gardens as a way to enhance food supply and help alleviate food insecurity. Many farmers and garden centers have reported selling out of vegetable plants, seeds, and herbs. With nothing but time on our hands, many of us took to the land, planting gardens for the very first time. At Edible, we always focus on seasonal foods and recipes, but we’re beefing up (pun intended) our seasonal cooking section of the website to provide you with recipes and inspiration for the next few months as you harvest peas, potatoes, salad greens, herbs, etc. Our goal is to keep them on your plate and out of the compost bin. If you’re a new gardener, here are some of our favorite resources to help. Follow them on Instagram:

-              Nashville Foodscapes  @nashvillefoodscapes
-              No. 9 Farms  @no9farms
-              Dirt Academy  @dirtacademy
-              Thrive Garden Center  @thrivegardencenter
-              Earth Mix  @earthmixgarden