Tuesday afternoons from 4 to 7PM, Wild Oats of Green Hills (3909 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville) and Good Food for Good People host a producers-only farmers’ market. Delvin Farms (organic produce), Gardener Grove (organic produce, eggs and honey), and West Wind Farms (organic beef, chicken and pork) are among the regular producers that offer their farm fresh products directly to the customer.

A portion of the sales at this market are used to fund the operating expenses of Good Food for Good People’s Food Recovery Program, that distributes fresh produce for free, to Nashville households in need.

The Whites Creek Farmers’ Market is a newly created weekly market that offers Fresh, Locally-Grown, Organic Produce, along with herbs, eggs, cheese, honey and flowers, music and local crafts.

Participating farms include:

Eaton’s Creek Organics – Joelton, TN
Hungry Gnome Farm – Whites Creek, TN
Sonfarm – Joelton & Whites Creek, TN
Bramble Hill Farm – Goodlettsville, TN

The market is located next to Earthman’s General Store, 4409 Whites Creek Pike, and takes place every Saturday, from 8am until 12 noon, through October.

Whites Creek is 15 minutes north of Nashville: from downtown Nashville, take I-24 West to exit 40, Old Hickory Blvd. Go West to the intersection of Whites Creek Pike and Old Hickory Blvd., and then turn Left onto Whites Creek Pike. The market will be in the yard of the second building on your left.

For more information, contact Nancy VanWinkle at nanwinkle76@yahoo.com or 615-876-3947.

Printable flyer, here.

Enjoy a weekend of camping, fun, music and meandering through the beauty of Long Hungry Creek Farm, Tennessee’s largest and oldest organic farm, located in Red Boiling Springs.

This year’s event is the 31st annual celebration of the Summer Solstice at the farm.

Middle Tennessee residents can learn great reasons to buy fresh, locally-grown foods by visiting the Local Food and Farming section at the sixth annual Nashville Earth Day Festival. The free event takes place Saturday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Centennial Park.

Sponsored by Friends of the Nashville Farmers’ Market, the Local Food and Farming section will feature nearly 20 booths and two workshop tents where participants can attend short seminars on community gardening, farmers’ markets, raw foods, community supported agriculture and much more.

Festival-goers will also have the opportunity to meet local farmers who are growing and selling healthy, fresh food directly to the public. In addition, kids can get their hands dirty in a kids’ activity area, sponsored by the Franklin Farmers’ Market.

The day will be highlighted by the unveiling of the newly-formed Middle Tennessee “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” chapter. In partnership with FoodRoutes Network, local farmers, businesses, markets and advocates intend to bring a fun and recognizable local food marketing campaign to residents of Middle Tennessee, prompting each of us to ask “Where does my food come from?”

Organizers are also excited to partner with Grammy Award nominated Nashville musician and FoodRoutes Network partner Adrienne Young for the event. Adrienne is scheduled to perform at 3 p.m. on the main Earth Day stage, and as an Earth Day special festival-goers will be able to reserve a copy of her upcoming CD Room to Grow, which goes on sale to the public May 23, 2007. A portion of the proceeds of Room to Grow will be donated to the American Community Gardening Association.

Click here to download a full listing of the workshops schedule.

Other participants in the Local Food and Farming section include:

Avalon Acres Farm
Bugtussle Farm
Delvin Farms
Doe Run Farm
DW Farms
Eaton’s Creek Organics
ECO-Gardens Organics
Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee
Fresh Harvest Cooperative
Gardens of Babylon
GROW Nashville – Community Gardens
Hill and Hollow Farm
Journey to Bliss Raw Foods
Land Trust for Tennessee
Long Hungry Creek Farm
Mamushi Nature Farm
Nashville Urban Harvest
Plumgood Food
Tennessee Organic Growers Association
The Franklin Farmer’s Market
The Nashville Farmers’ Market
The Produce Place
The Turnip Truck
Wild Oats Marketplace

Thursday evening (4/12/07) at the Radnor Lake Visitor Center, The Middle Tennessee Group of the Sierra Club presents a free screening of the film “The Future of Food,” by Deborah Koons Garcia. The event is open to the public.

The film will begin at 7P, and last until about 8:30P. Afterwards, there will be a brief discussion and question and answer period, including information about local farming and food choices, Community Supported Agriculture, and what we might be able to do about the issues of Genetically Modified Foods being grown in our communities and state.

Radnor Lake Park is located on Otter Creek Rd., just off of Granny White Pike. Otter Creek is about halfway between Old Hickory Blvd. and Battery Lane (Harding Place). The visitor center is located next to the parking area just inside the park entrance.

For more info, contact Martha Wilson at 615-376-2535.

From the Nashville’s Agenda 2007 Website:

A non-partisan group of Nashville volunteers has launched a follow-up to the 1993 citywide goal-setting project known as Nashville’s Agenda to gauge again what Nashvillians think is needed to “make Nashville the best it can be.

The original Nashville’s Agenda was successful in identifying what people thought was most important for our city. This new initiative is to update what the city’s goals ought to be now, for the next decade.

Something needs to change.

In the results of the original 1993 survey, food was conspicuously absent from each and every one of the “21 goals for the 21st century.”

If you think that healthy, locally grown, “clean” food – produced by family farms – is important to the city of Nashville and surrounding communities, then visit the site, participate in the survey, and have your opinion be a part of this year’s results.

2007 Nashville Lawn and Garden Show
Thursday – Saturday, 10a-8p. Sunday, 10a-5p.
Tennessee State Fairgrounds

We Are What We Eat
Transforming Our Community through the Abundance of Healthy, Locally-Grown Food

Be a part of the growing excitement of reconnecting to the source of our food. As individuals and groups, we are committed to the beauty and health of local family and community farming, to empower both those who grow and those who eat.

Come meet local farmers, growers, community gardeners and other people who are actively working to provide safe, nutritious food for all. Some of the garden participants sharing these ideas include:

• ACTS, Incorporated
• Avalon Acres Farm
• Bugtussle Organic Farm
• Doe Run Farms
• DW Farms
• EarthMatters Tennessee
• Eaton’s Creek Organics
• ECO-Gardens CSA
• Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee
• Franklin Farmers’ Market
• Friends of The Nashville Farmers’ Market
• Good Food for Good People – a Truth and Reconciliation Project
• GROW Nashville – Community Gardens
• Hill and Hollow Farm
• Long Hungry Creek Farm
• Madison Creek Farms
• Mamushi Nature Farm
• Nashville Farmers’ Market
• Nashville Urban Harvest
• Tennessee Organic Growers Association (TOGA)

At 6p.m. on Thursday, March 1st, “The Future of Food” will be screened – available to all in attendance. The film is being presented by Journey to Bliss Raw Foods.

The Tennessee Organic Growers Association (TOGA) is holding its 3rd annual conference on Saturday, March 3rd, on the campus of Tennessee State University.

Eliot Coleman, an expert organic grower, author, and advocate for organic and sustainable farming practices, is the day’s featured speaker. In addition to Mr. Coleman’s keynote address, a complete lineup of workshops and presentations round out the event.

TOGA’s mission is to provide research and support for organic farmers and gardeners and to nurture relationships among local producers and consumers. The goal is to educate the public regarding the connection between healthy food, organic farming, and the economic, social, and ecological benefits of supporting local growers.

The official public unveiling of the Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee will take place on Friday, February 23, 2007, from 8A to 10A, at The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

The Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee was founded in August 2006 with support from the LifeWorks Foundation and the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies, with the aim of bringing people together to create and sustain a secure and healthy food system for Middle Tennessee, from production to consumption.

At present, the effort consists of more than thirty Food Security Partners representing all parts of the food system, from farm to fork – including farmers, community gardeners, food processors, food distributors, farmers’ markets, grocery stores, food banks, food advocates, nutrition and health experts, schools and universities, government, faith-based groups, volunteer groups, neighborhoods, and concerned individuals.

Mark Winne, co-founder of the Community Food Security Coalition, will be the keynote speaker at this event. In addition, a panel of local food security pioneers will also be speaking.

For more information on the Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee, fellow stakeholders, or the Feb 23rd event, please contact Founding Director Darcy Freedman.

A printable copy of the complete press release and list of founding partners and members can be found here.

Here is a recent Nashville City Paper article about the upcoming event. Vanderbilt University has information here.

“GROW Nashville,” The Nashville Community Gardening Steering Committee, is offering a free workshop for anyone in Nashville who is currently involved with a community garden or interested in getting one started. The focus of the workshop will be on building strong neighborhoods and community groups through community gardening. This event is particularly suited for neighborhood and community organizations, churches and schools, government agencies and people interested in growing their own fruits and vegetables.

The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Saturday, February 10th, from 9A to 1P, at Hadley Park Community Center, 1037 28th Avenue North, in Nashville.

Reservations are recommended.
For more info, or to make a reservation, please call 615/352-6299

Click here for a printable flyer.

Sponsored by:
GROW Nashville – The Nashville Community Gardening Steering Committee
Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods
Tennessee State University Cooperative Extension Service
Bethlehem Centers of Nashville
Truth and Reconciliation Project – Good Food for Good People
Metro Parks
Wild Oats Marketplace
Team Green/WRLT-Lightning 100