For anyone familiar with East Nashville Farmers Market, it was like a mashup of everything there is to love about this little corner of organic heaven that appears every Wednesday afternoon from now until October. People milled about and chatted while looking at the vendors' tables. Families spread blankets on the green expanse in the middle of the park, listening to the live music as their children danced and played. True to the saying that East Nashville is the kind of place where everyone knows your dog's name, there were plenty of four-legged friends and their staff, noses and ears engaged as they made what would be the first of many rounds to check out tables, other dogs and the occasional curious child.
Jennifer Starks, who is here for a fifth year as a rep for her family's company, Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese, was ebullient when describing her feelings about the market's opening:
"I love this neighborhood! There are so many kids. There's kids and strollers and dogs and everybody looks forward to this. On Wednesdays it's this awesome community gathering. I gush about it all the time. I just love it. I'm looking at all these kids and I'm seeing how they've grown over the years since I saw them in October. There are mamas who have new babies. It just makes for a lively atmosphere. It's just so cool. Regular customers tell me they have waited all winter for us."Among the familiar sights and sounds and favorite vendors were some new people waiting to be discovered by Nashville's savviest green consumers. Michael "Doc" Braden was all smiles as curious visitors stopped by to get a better look at his seafood pies. Across the park, Ric Ousley of Ousley Ouch Foods used almost nonstop comic banter to entice people to try the salsa he developed with his wife. SloCal's herbs made their own statement, offering a fresh, beautiful, and delightfully fragrant alternative to your mama's Durkee packets.
These new faces will become part of something that, as many have mentioned is a tradition that is continually evolving. Amy Delvin of Delvin Farms is the director of the market sees the continual growth and refinement of the character of the market as her mission. she has worked with the market since its beginnings at the original site next to The Turnip Truck. So what was her take on Opening Day 2012?
"We had a big kick-off This is a bit bigger this year because everyone is excited now that the market is back. We can eat locally again . You can pick up anything you need for your dinner: your milk, bread, vegetables, cheese and meat. It's all here along with plants and beautiful handmade items."When invited the media to cover the event, she was pleasantly surprised to find they were receptive to giving the market coverage. "I sent out press releases and we have seen Channels 4, 5, and 17 out here. Fox did a great piece on ENFM this morning, so the word is getting out."
This sort of publicity helps the market reach a wider audience and spread the message that good, local food is not only better, it is better for everyone. What's next?
I would like to see this market be certified organic. We're giving vendors an incentive to go organic with a ten percent discount on their fees if they become certified. A lot of people who shop the market assume that everything is organic and we do have some conventional farmers here. You need to talk to your farmer and learn how your food is grown.If you were there, welcome (back!). If you haven't dropped by just yet, you should. For three hours every Wednesday, it's the freshest, greenest spot in Nashville.
NEXT WEEK: Q and A with the good people who run SloCal. Time to get all herbal, man!
(Authors note: Sincere thanks to everyone who agreed to be interviewed. There were some problems with the audio files and unfortunately not all of them could be saved. From here on out I will be working with a different program that records directly to my computer. Once again, thanks and if your quote didn't make it into the article, it wasn't because your thoughts were not appreciated.)
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