Growing Together Garden: The Nashville Food Project

 

On a lovely spring day this past May, we had the pleasure of visiting Growing Together, The Nashville Food Project’s market garden. This program supports New American farmers who came to Nashville as refugees from Bhutan and Burma in their desire to grow food to sell for personal income. In the program, farmers gain access to land and resources that would otherwise not be available to them due to barriers such as language and transportation.

 

The farm is a peaceful 1-acre tract of land cooperatively managed by the seven farmers, each of whom have their own space in which to grow crops. Amongst the beds, we saw a great variety of crops—many that were familiar, like lettuces, kale, and collards, small tomato plants, and potatoes, radishes alongside mustard greens—and some that were new to us like the Bhutanese herb “chamsur,” relative to cress, and a variety of Asian greens.

 

The colorful dress of the farmers against the green garden is instantly engaging (and Instagrammable). As the farmers were introduced by the program’s Education Manager, Tallahassee May, an interpreter bridged communication between the farmers and the guests. One by one, each farmer stood amongst their rows of greens and expressed gratitude for the program, the land, and for our interest in their farm.

 

“Thanks from my inner core and my heart.”

“Very excited for this work. Very inspired and encouraged.”

“It was stressful and hard for me to get a job. I’m very excited to be involved with the food project and thank you for being here today. Thank you very much.”

 

These seven farmers and their families bring with them to this program and to Nashville years of agricultural knowledge and experience. Sometimes, that looks like techniques to save the seed of precious cultural mustard greens or using foraged timber to create trellises— methods that won’t be found at other small farms in the area. But sometimes it takes the form of the most commonplace, like being ready for spring after a long winter. So many farmers can relate!

 

“I felt so discouraged—I thought winter was forever.”

The point is, food brings us together in many ways. At The Nashville Food Project, whose mission is “to bring people together to grow, cook, and share nourishing food, with the goals of cultivating community and alleviating hunger in our city,” the Growing Together program does just that. Whether you’re a customer at the farmers’ market or a chef using Growing Together produce, we learn so much from each other by sharing in food.

 

And what better way to experience this than sharing a meal after the farm tour? Each farmer prepared several dishes with their produce, highlighting the ways the farmers prepare and eat the food they grow at home. Rice and greens were abundant and some not-so-familiar dishes such as gundruk soup (with soybeans and fermented mustard greens), mixed radishes with curry, dole corsani (pickled hot peppers), and potato paneer curry.

 

Purchasing from Growing Together means supporting local farmers who are reconnecting to cultural traditions through meaningful work. You can find them and their beautiful produce at Richland Park Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, and at a Farm Stand at The Nashville Food Project headquarters at 5904 California Ave., in the Nations, on Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Also, several local restaurants support Growing Together by purchasing produce including Two Ten Jack, The Green Pheasant and City House.