Eating Greeneville

Farming, bartering and foraging for meals in East Tennessee.

Tag Archives: farming


by Leave a comment

Extremities.

snowbunny

Post sled selfie.

ex·trem·i·ty
ikˈstremədē/
noun

1.  The furthest point or limit of something.

2.  The extreme degree or nature of something.
Happy New Year from the Snowpocalypse!  I’m having a blast here in East Tennessee. I feel relief rather than disappointment when I am snowed in being a naturally introverted hermit.  It gives me a great excuse to hunker down and avoid the world without running the risk of offending those that would like to be social and looking like a loner weirdo.
I’ve started, deleted, restarted, deleted and restarted this post many times.  I’ve been jotting down thoughts for a while now on social media, consumption, community, equality and how to “judge” or weigh in on it all.   The winter is such a reflective time.  I think about what I really want to accomplish in the next year of my life, the remaining 3 seasons.

Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

Sweet Potato Crusted Flounder with Collards Pesto.

potatofish

Flounder crusted with crispy sweet potatoes and smothered with sage and butter toasted panko and collards pesto.

If you love a bright green, garlicky and lemony pesto as much as I do, you don’t just sit around and wait for basil season.   Pestos can be made of many different greens including kale, chard, collards, cilantro, parsley or a combination of any of the aforementioned.  Young, tender collard leaves as found in the high tunnel last week during the deep freeze that covered the ground of East Tennessee outside were perfect for pesto.

Continue reading →


by 1 Comment

Year of the Goat Dumplings.

Beef filled dumplings ready to steam/fry in a cast iron skillet

Beef filled dumplings ready to steam/fry in a cast iron skillet

Happy belated Chinese New Years which fell on February 19, 2015.  The Year of the Goat.  The goat represents introversion, creativity, shyness and being a perfectionist.  These are all traits I highly identify with.  In East Tennessee we have been bearing the full brunt of winter these past few weeks.  Seeing as it was Chinese New Years and I was trapped in my house due to icy hills I made egg drop soup and these delicious dumplings.

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

You Can, Can.

Whole Peeled Garden Peach Tomatoes.

Whole Peeled Garden Peach Tomatoes.

After 6 years of farming I have concluded that farming is all about excesses and failures.  Lucky for us, that these excesses lead to year round abundance.  I started a lot of traditional varieties of sauce tomatoes like Amish Paste and San Marzano but it was a bit too early and they did not make it out of the greenhouse this season.  This is totally fine with me because a few years ago I started canning this heirloom variety of tomato called Garden Peach that falls in between a large tomato and a cherry tomato in size.  The thick skin peels off easily after being blanched and I’ve enjoyed them for 2 winters now in soups, chillies, stews and braises.

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

Tempura Squash Blossoms with Smoked Sardines.

friedsquashblossoms

This week, we are giving the CSA a break after 3 steady weeks of summer squash heavy in the baskets.  It’ll be there as an optional grab in our walk-in, but not mandatory.  Just to mix it up a bit, squash blossoms will make an appearance in the basket.  Squash blossoms are so beautiful and delicate and unless you are growing squash or eating out, you probably rarely see them.  They are so highly perishable that I can’t imagine any major retailer of food would ever be able to sell them and if they find a way, I wouldn’t trust it.  Good, more for me.

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

Dog Days and Ethereal Sweetness.

“The Romans referred to the dog days as diēs caniculārēs and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the “Dog Star” because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). Sirius is also the brightest star in the night sky. The term “Dog Days” was used earlier by the Greeks.”

Cherry Tomatoes of all sizes, colors and shapes.

Cherry Tomatoes of all sizes, colors and shapes.

It’s happening.  The “dog days” of summer are just around the corner in the southeast.  Telltale signs include mandatory afternoon river breaks, sweaty nights and ripe tomatoes.  Yes, those green ones are ripe.  They are called “Green Doctors” and if you don’t grow them, you should.  Not only do they get to confuse the heck outta everyone harvesting them, they are so super sweet it’s hard for me to not eat them all in the field.

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

Spring Coconut Curry with Zucchini and Peas

There is no denying varying shades of green steal the show in late spring.

There is no denying varying shades of green steal the show in late spring.

Do you have a favorite season?  Mine is Spring.  I think.  From the first foraged salad of the early days to the summer solstice, watching the plant world come alive after a long winter of hibernation is magical.  I forgot just how magical it was after spending 4 years in the 2 seasons that are Northern California, rainy one and not rainy one.

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

Greens Reign Supreme. Nettle Soup with Green Garlic and Anchovies, Butter and Radish Toast.

Image

The first few meals of the season to be had from the farm or forest make me positively giddy.  This here is one of them.  My friend Jon once made me this nettle and potato soup at his farm, Azolla Farm, just north of Sacramento and I have been making it ever since.  Stinging nettles when cooked have a creamy consistency that is unrivaled by any other green in my opinion. 

Continue reading →