For some chefs, “heirloom variety” and “farm fresh” are buzzwords reflective of today’s trends in food. For Chef Matthew Lackey, they are simply his heritage. Growing up in Castalian Springs, Tennessee, he spent his days helping on his grandfather’s farm. From feeding cattle to laying out garden beds, Matt’s earliest memories are of the most basic beginnings of food. In the evenings he settled comfortably into Cricket’s Diner, watching his grandmother cook and absorbing the social community that inevitably forms anywhere food is served. “Watching the faces of all those people, hearing their stories, that’s how I knew I’d found mine,” Matt reminisces fondly.

Lackey is the only honoree from Tennessee to make the list. The Young Guns Committee, which includes culinary talent like Sean Brock, Mario Batali, Paul Kahan and Alice Waters, will pare the list of 50 semifinalists down and select the 2013 Young Guns of 2013, which will be announced in June.

Saturday morning includes activities for the whole family include live music, chef demonstrations, gardening tips, games for children and free prizes.

Contact Amy Delvin Tavalin, 615-­‐445-­‐9354, amy@delvinfarms.com
for more information.

“Tennessee has unique traditions in agriculture and home gardening,” Mrs. Haslam said.

“Phase II of the landscape renovation project, which includes the addition of a kitchen and cutting garden, will provide an exciting opportunity to highlight these special traditions with visitors from across the state and country.”

As chair of the Tennessee Executive Residence and Preservation Foundation, Mrs. Haslam has been helping to generate private funds for the landscape renovation project. Phase I of the project was completed in fall of 2012, which included the restoration of the historic lily pond garden, the entrance to Conservation Hall, and the Great Lawn. Tennessee companies Nissan North America and Scripps Networks Interactive, HGTV’s parent company, will partner to assist with Phase II of the project, donating funds towards the building of the kitchen and cutting garden.

“Nissan North America and our companies across the world have a vision to enrich people’s lives by offering unparalleled products and services and improving the communities in which we operate,” Scott Becker, Nissan North America Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance said. “We are excited to partner in this work to improve Tennessee’s home, making it an excellent representation of the state for business recruitment and for visitors to enjoy.”

“Scripps Networks Interactive is dedicated to positively impacting the communities in which we live and work,” Ken Lowe, Scripps President and CEO said. “We are proud to partner in a project that restores a beloved treasure for Tennessee and shares our values and vision for agriculture and farm-to-table sustainability.”

To fit this need Michael and Christa launched ACTIVEBUYS.com, a website dedicated to inspiring and connecting locals to all things healthy and active in the Nashville area. They spend their days exploring local businesses trying new products & services and then and share what they’ve found with their readers. This first-hand experience provides Michael and Christa the ability to report back to their members a realistic, straight forward review of the opportunities around town.

ACTIVEBUYS.com offers healthy recipes, stories about living an active life in the area, a comprehensive local calendar and a complete resource guide where readers will find everything from hiking spots to where to pick up their next pair of running shoes- all with advice from other locals, specifics about each business including their hours of operation, product lines they carry, photos and more. ACTIVEBUYS readers will also find weekly deals to be had on some of the best active & healthy activities in the area.

“Our goal is to connect our members to all of the great things to do in Nashville. We do that in a lot of ways- the blog, deals, resources and the calendar. And, the best part is we’re able to provide these opportunities at a discount for our members.”

For more information about ACTIVEBUYS or to sign up to receive deals, local event spotlights, healthy living articles and local active resources visit www.ACTIVEBUYS.com

Mac Stone of Elmwood Stock Farm in Georgetown, KY, was among the farmers that made the trip to Washington. Stone has been farming for over 30 years and currently produces certified organic beef, poultry, lamb, eggs, and produce. He spoke with legislators about the value of conservation and sustainable agriculture programs both for his farm’s success and for other farmers in Kentucky and around the nation. Stone says, “a little bit of investment has spurred so much growth of our business.”

Another participant, Daniel Doyle, is a co-founder of Yokna Bottoms Farm in Oxford, MS and current director of the Mississippi Sustainable Agriculture Network. Doyle sees tremendous potential across the state for more sustainable agriculture to thrive.

Doyle, Stone, and other farmers met with legislators and USDA administrators to help them understand how farm bill programs – particularly those left without funding – affect their farms and their communities. Participants urged Congress to restore funding for key programs that boost rural economic development, leverage local initiatives, and support future American farmers in the Continuing Resolution that it debates in March. They also urged Congress to take immediate action to allow USDA to hold a 2013 enrollment for the Conservation Stewardship Program.

They also advocated for passage of a new five-year farm bill that:

· Invests in young farmers and ranchers by funding programs and improving policies that support beginners, and removing barriers that deter entry into farming.

· Increases economic opportunity for farmers, food businesses, and rural communities by investing in the development and growth of local and regional food systems.

· Improves natural resource protection and rewards farmers for good stewardship by increasing investment in and improving voluntary conservation programs such as the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

· Brings fiscal responsibility and transparency to farm policy by targeting commodity and crop insurance subsidies to working farmers and tying subsidies to basic stewardship practices.

The Good Food Awards recognizes exceptionally tasty, authentic and responsible food from nine categories including beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, confections, pickles, preserves and spirits. Winning products were selected in a blind tasting that included nearly 1400 entries and then evaluated on how the products were sourced and crafted. Winning products represent the finest, most delicious and most sustainable food and drink available in the country.

“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized with an award that exemplifies our ideals,” said Amy Lorber, co-owner of Bathtub Gin. “We strive to create the best tasting preserves while holding fast to our belief that the extra cost and effort needed to source high-quality, organic ingredients is the responsible choice for our environment and for our consumers.”

The third annual Good Food Awards, nicknamed the “Oscars of Food”, was held in San Francisco’s renowned Ferry Building where host Alice Waters (famed author and owner of Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California restaurant famous for its organic, locally-grown ingredients and for pioneering California cuisine) presented the coveted awards for delicious and responsibly crafted foods. Good Food Awards Director Sarah Weiner commented, “More than in past years, I am blown away by how delicious everything is. There is no doubt that this is the most impressive group of Good Food Award winners to date, and it is a true reflection of what is happening around the country.”

Started in 2011, by sisters Amy Lorber and Erin Ackley, Bathtub Gin is an artisanal fruit spread business born from two sisters’ passion for homemade jam, handcrafted cocktails and a love of the Prohibition era. Unlike many commercial preserves, all Bathtub Gin products are made using ingredients free from synthetic inputs and artfully preserved without the use of artificial flavors or pectins. “We are so thrilled that our Peaches ‘n Cream preserves received this prestigious award,” said Erin Ackley, co-owner of Bathtub Gin. “Each jar is made the old-fashioned way using fresh, beautiful fruit that is slow-cooked and then hand-packed and labeled so that our customers can enjoy a taste of the perfect, summer cocktail whenever they desire.”

“There are 43 million acres of lawn in North America, which is practically worthless for supporting a healthy environment, “ said Kathleen Williams, executive director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, “We want to demonstrate how to responsibly re-wild urban spaces.”

The Tennessee Concrete Association is assisting the Foundation with the project by providing installation of a 1,000 gallon cistern, retaining walls, and pervious concrete to their parking lot and walkways. Native plant nursery GroWild and David Humphreys Landscaping are providing plants and landscaping services for the project.

“We are happy to support this project. Through this work we can share the benefits of pervious concrete for storm-water management as well as realistic approaches to sustainability, such as using a cistern as a water source,” said Alan Sparkman, executive director of the Tennessee Concrete Association.

The Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation is a statewide land trust whose mission is to preserve Tennessee’s natural treasures. Since 1998, they have protected more than 40 natural treasures, and recently secured permanent protection for 1,550 acres at Virgin Fall, helped establish Tennessee’s 54th state park at Cummins Falls and its 124th Wildlife Management Area at Short Mountain: the Headwaters WMA.

To help vendors better understand how to market their produce and how to address certain business issues, the University of Tennessee Center for Profitable Agriculture and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture are offering farmers market “boot camps” in February and March 2013.

Many of the sessions are designed to help vendors understand marketing techniques that can help make their booths more profitable. For example, the boot camps will include presentations and discussions on effective signage, understanding and connecting with customers and the subtle messaging involved through word and wardrobe choices.

On the business management side, additional discussions will center on understanding sales tax requirements and exemptions, expanding sales through market-wide electronic payments and insurance applications and limitations. Workshops will also feature time for attendees to interact with other market vendors and with scheduled speakers.

Organizers of the boot camps emphasize that the sessions will focus on issues for farmers market vendors. Production-related sessions are not planned for these training opportunities. Educational sessions for producers, farmers market managers and board members are available as part of the Tennessee Horticultural Expo. For details about the expo, see the website http://www.tnthe.com

The day-long sessions are free to attend and sessions are scheduled in each of the state’s grand divisions. The entire program will be repeated in each location, so there is no need to attend multiple workshops. Boot camps are scheduled for the following locations and dates:

Bolivar, February 11
Dresden, February 12
Cookeville, February 18
Spring Hill, February 19
Knoxville, March 4
Kingsport, March 5

The workshops will begin with registration at 9 a.m. local time and teaching sessions will begin promptly at 9:30. The workshops will conclude around 2:30 p.m. Complete details can be found online at the Center for Profitable Agriculture website: https://ag.tennessee.edu/cpa/

Note that pre-registration is required at least five days prior to the workshop. Please pre-register by contacting Nancy Austin in the UT Food Science and Technology Department at naustin@utk.edu or 865-974-7717. When registering, please provide your: (1) name, (2) phone number and (3) e-mail address. Due to space limitations, registration is limited to 50 participants at the Kingsport location.

The farmers market boot camp curriculum is a collaboration of the UT Center for Profitable Agriculture and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. The Center for Profitable Agriculture is a joint effort of UT Extension and the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation.

UT Extension provides a gateway to the University of Tennessee as the outreach unit of the Institute of Agriculture. With an office in every Tennessee county, UT Extension delivers educational programs and research-based information to citizens throughout the state. In cooperation with Tennessee State University, UT Extension works with farmers, families, youth and communities to improve lives by addressing problems and issues at the local, state and national levels.