*
Local Table
A Guide To Food And Farming In Middle Tennessee
Spring 2013
Views from the table and beyond

Publisher’s Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Biodynamics’

Celebrating The Spirit of Farming

Friday, October 8th, 2010

Last weekend I attended one of my favorite events of the year, the annual Harvest Festival: Biodynamic Celebration at Jeff Poppen’s Long Hungry Creek Farm in Red Boiling Springs. I’ve been going to this fall gathering for 9 or 10 years now – from just hanging on the porch and absorbing the atmosphere to becoming even a little conversant in the language of biodynamics and applying many of the principles to my own garden. The gathering is a homecoming of farmers, home growers, health practitioners and educators who care about the earth and our inter connectedness to the world around us. And, the food is incredible- filled with energy and life.

It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the harvest and begin to think about next year’s garden and planting – a real rejuvenation of the body and spirit. In these crazy and sometimes what feel like dark times, it’s truly heartening to spend time with folks who believe in the power of the positive. Food can be a truly healing force in our lives and it’s such a pleasure to be surrounded by people who believe that how we take care of the land affects the food we eat.

To learn more, check out www.biodynamics.com or www.jpibiodynamics.org

Fall is in the air!

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

I love the change from summer to fall – I grew up in an area where the change of seasons was quite dramatic. Fall was piles of brightly colored autumn leaves, apples, fresh cider and a definate cool, crisp feel to the air. So even though in Middle Tennessee we don’t have such chilly temperatures, it is a wonderful time to celebrate the past growing season and start to think about baking, warm drinks and burrowing in for the upcoming winter season.

The Autumn issue of Local Table is an exciting look at fall in Tennessee – fall fun at the farm, area apple orchards, local breweries and our area’s own expert at the ancient food preservation method of fermentation. The issue should hopefully be in most of the Metro distribution spots by Monday.

During the next few weeks, I’ll visit some local apple orchards and post my findings.

This weekend though is one of my favorite events of the year – the Annual Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Conference at Jeff Poppen’s Long Hungry Creek Farm, www.barefootfarmer.com. It’s a 3 day festival of those who love to grow things, love to eat and just love to celebrate our simple and bountiful blessings. There are gardening workshops, farm tours and the most amazing food you’ll ever have – straight from the garden and prepared in the farm kitchen. The conference starts tomorrow, Fri., Oct. 2 and runs through Sun. Even if you just want to hang on the porch and enjoy the company, it’s a great way to spend a beautiful fall weekend in Tennessee. jeff_poppen