Home & Farm

Tenne sse e

tnhomeandfarm.com
Spring 2011

Iron-Clad
Success
Lodge Cast Iron cooks
up an American icon
See video online

Mother’s
Day Menu
Treat mom to the homemade
meal she deserves

Growing for
Generations
Tennessee century farm families
are deeply rooted in agriculture

tnfarmbureau.org Published for the 655,633 family members of the Tennessee Farm Bureau
 Home & Farm
Ten n e ssee

Editor’s note
An official publication of the Tennessee Farm
Bureau Federation © 2011 TFBF

Tennessee Farm
Bureau Federation
tnfarmbureau.org
Agriculture Is Life
Editor Pettus Read After an especially snowy winter, we welcome signs of spring here
circulation manager Stacey Warner
in Tennessee. Nowhere is that more evident than out in rural areas,
Board of directors President Lacy Upchurch,
Vice President Danny Rochelle where many farmers are beginning their planting season and enjoying
Directors at large Jeff Aiken, the warmer weather and a couple extra hours of daylight.
Charles Hancock, Catherine Via
district directors Malcolm Burchfiel, James Haskew,
In this issue, we feature several farming operations, from designated
Eric Mayberry, Dan Hancock, David Mitchell century farms (page 8) to a comparitively young second-generation farm
state fb women’s chairman Jane May (page 16). For each of these families, agriculture is a way of life.
Advisory directors Buddy Mitchell, Jamie Weaver
Chief administrative officer Joe Pearson
Inspired by our farmers’ tireless efforts to feed the world, we chose
treasurer Wayne Harris this slogan, Agriculture Is Life, as one of the categories for the 16th
Comptroller Tim Dodd annual Tennessee Farm Bureau Photo Contest. We look forward to
seeing the ways our readers interpret this concept. Our other
categories – Tennessee Gardens and the Animal Kingdom – also give
a nod to farms, though photo subjects may include off-the-farm flora
Managing Editor Jessy Yancey
and fauna, too. For more details on the photo contest, turn to page 47
Audience Development Director Lisa Battles or visit tnhomeandfarm.com to enter online.
Copy Editor Jill Wyatt
Content Coordinator Blair Thomas Jessy Yancey, managing editor
Contributing Writers Lori Boyd, Melissa Burniston,
Susan Hamilton, Laura Hill, Tiffany Howard,
thaf@jnlcom.com
Anthony Kimbrough, Jessica Mozo, Ronda Robinson,
Karen Schwartzman, Julie Vaughn, Jessica Walker
Creative Director Keith Harris
Photography Director Jeffrey S. Otto
Media Technology Director Christina Carden
At a Glance/A sampling of destinations in this issue
Senior Photographers Jeff Adkins, Brian McCord
Staff Photographers Todd Bennett, Antony Boshier 2/Portland
Senior Graphic Designers Laura Gallagher, Vikki Williams
1/Cookeville
Proofreading Manager Raven Petty
Ad Production Manager Katie Middendorf 4/Jackson
Ad Traffic Assistant Krystin Lemmon, Patricia Moisan
Web Content Manager John Hood
3/Normandy
Web Design Director Franco Scaramuzza 5/South Pittsburg
Media Technology Analysts Chandra Bradshaw,
Yamel Hall, Alison Hunter, Marcus Snyder
Integrated Media Manager Robin Robertson
1/ See how Cookeville is cooking up Cajun cuisine at Crawdaddy’s
West Side Grill. page 29
Chairman Greg Thurman
President/Publisher Bob Schwartzman
2/ Pick strawberries in Portland this spring at Bradley Kountry
Executive Vice President Ray Langen Acres. page 7
Sr. V.P./SALES Todd Potter, Carla Thurman
3 / Get the girls together for a weekend retreat at Petticoat Junction
sr. V.P./operations Casey Hester
V.P./Visual Content Mark Forester in Normandy. page 6
V.p./external communications Teree Caruthers
4 / Teach the kids about life on the farm at Donnell Century Farm
V.P./custom publishing Kim Newsom Holmberg
v.p./content operations Natasha Lorens
Adventure in Jackson. page 8
controller Chris Dudley 5 / Tour the Lodge Cast Iron Foundry in South Pittsburg during the
Advertising sales Manager, Custom division
Tori Hughes Cornbread Festival in April. page 12
Distribution DIRECTOR Gary Smith
Custom/Travel Sales Support Rachael Goldsberry
office manager Shelly Grissom
receptionist Linda Bishop Tennessee Home & Farm (USPS No. 022-305) Advertising Policy For advertising information,
Issued quarterly by the Tennessee Farm Bureau contact Robin Robertson, (800) 333-8842, ext. 227, or
Federation, 147 Bear Creek Pike, Columbia, TN 38401, by e-mail at rrobertson@jnlcom.com.
Tennessee Home & Farm is produced for the Tennessee Farm (931) 388-7872. Periodical permit paid at Columbia,
Bureau Federation by Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool TN, and additional entry offices. All advertising accepted is subject to publisher’s
Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080. approval. Advertisers must assume all liability for their
All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be Postmaster Send address corrections to: Tennessee advertising content. Publisher and sponsor maintain
Home & Farm Executive Offices, P.O. Box 313, the right to cancel advertising for nonpayment or reader
reprduced in whole or in part without written consent.
Columbia, TN 38402-0313. complaint about service or product. Publisher does not
Member Association of Magazine Media accept political or alcoholic beverage ads, nor does
Subscribe or change address Contact your publisher prescreen or guarantee advertiser service or
Member Custom Content Council county Farm Bureau office. TH&F is included in your $25 products. Publisher assumes no liability for products
Farm Bureau annual dues; no other purchase necessary. or services advertised in Tennessee Home & Farm.
Please recycle this magazine

2 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

 Table of Contents

Features
8 / Growing for Generations
Tennessee century farm families
are deeply rooted in agriculture

12 / Iron-Clad Success
Lodge foundry in South Pittsburg
cooks up an American icon

16 / Twister of Fate
Eagleville farmer recounts
Good Friday tornado experience

22 / Mother’s Day Menu

Treat mom to a homemade meal
she deserves with our simple menu

38 / Life in the Slow Lane

The back road of Highway 411
opens up charming, peaceful vistas
8
Departments
33 27 5 / Read All About It
Farmers will feed 9 billion by 2050

6 / Short Rows
How to prune peach trees

27/ Country Classics

Sour Cream Pound Cake

29 / Restaurant Review
Crawdaddy’s in Cookeville

30 / Gardening
Space-efficient gardening guide

33 / Farmside Chat
Humphreys County farmer raises
corn, soybeans, wheat and cattle

16 35/ To Good Health

TRH helps navigate health-care
reform confusion

36 / Farm Bureau Almanac

Support FFA and 4-H programs

42/ Events & Festivals

Things to do, places to see

48 / View From the Back Porch

Without change, there would
be no butterflies

On the Cover Photo by Jeffrey S. Otto

Rocky Glade Farm in Rutherford County

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 3
 From Our Readers
tnhomeandfarm.com
FOOD Tr avel Home & Garden Agriculture TN Living
In Ice Is Nice
My husband and I were married in
1995 when I was working with Matt
[Simonds, “Artistry in Ice,” Winter 2011]
at the Crowne Plaza. As a wedding gift,
Matt offered to carve a bus in ice to
surprise my husband, who owned a bus
company at that time. It was beautifully
displayed as you walked in the door of
our reception, and my husband was
thrilled when he saw it. He still tells the
story today of what a great surprise that
was and how beautiful the bus looked in
ice. Thanks, Matt, for great memories!

Jimmy Ramsey
Hilary Spellings
via tnhomeandfarm.com

Missing Recipes
What happened to the recipe archive?

Photo Contest Online

There used to be a salad recipe that
included maple ginger walnuts for
garnish. I found it as recently as a
Visit tnhomeandfarm.com to enter our annual photo contest. Online month ago, and now it’s gone.
entrants are also eligible for special web-exclusive readers’ choice contest.
Jennifer Goode Stevens
via Facebook

Online Library Read past issues and new online-only magazines Editor’s note: Don’t worry – we have big
plans for our recipes! Not all of them
made it onto our new website yet, but
simply
SummerA COLLECTION OF REFRESHING SUMMER RECIPES
TENNESSEE
RESTAURANTS
recipes are being added seasonally.
Stay tuned for a big announcement
about our recipes soon.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for a
specific recipe, let us know by posting
on our Facebook page as Jennifer did,
Sponsored by Tennessee Farm Fresh vol. 1
or by e-mailing us at thaf@jnlcom.com,
and we’ll send it your way.

Correction
Connect with us online! We made an error in the Turkey Pot
Pie recipe on page 27 of our Winter
2011 issue. The recipe calls for 6
Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/tnhomeandfarm tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons
heavy cream. View the correct version
Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/tnhomeandfarm of the recipe in its entirety at
tnhomeandfarm.com/turkey-pot-pie.
Visit us on YouTube at youtube.com/tnhomeandfarm

Questions, comments and story

Share with us on Flickr at flickr.com/groups/scenictn
ideas can be sent to: Jessy Yancey,
725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400,
Sign up for the e-mail newsletter at tnhomeandfarm.com Franklin, TN 37067, or e-mail us at
thaf@jnlcom.com.

4 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

 Read All About It

9 Billion Folks to Feed

This earth day, celebrate the farmers who feed the world

W
hen one starts fending for himself, it
is amazing what food source a single
man can retrieve from today’s
modern food outlets. While shopping recently
for my staples of oatmeal, lite-bread, green
salad makings and chicken thighs (which if
you’re smart can make a lot of meals once
baked by the gross in a Pyrex dish), I
discovered the aisle made for us single guys
who expound to be self-sufficient, but really
are not. There to my amazement were all sorts
of boxed goods containing ingredients, mostly
noodles, to make full meals by just adding milk
and meat from any animal you feel compelled
to eat. Each item’s box label professed that in
a matter of minutes you could be cooking like
the man that hollers “Bam!” on TV with just
about the same results.
Being pretty gullible and really hungry, I
choose the store brand Hamburger Hinder and
drooled all the way to the checkout, picking up
a pound of ground meat on the way. The car
wouldn’t go fast enough so I could get my
gourmet meal started and on the table.
Carefully following the instructions, college. Today the call is to make the planet
I poured, mixed and simmered all of the
ingredients of the Hamburger Hinder in a
covered skillet, which I discovered was almost
too small, but worked all the same to achieve
my final results. Those results were enough
Hamburger Hinder to feed all of the children Agriculture has always been green, and if you
of Israel after crossing the Red Sea. And,
speaking of the children of Israel, being It is good to have an Earth Day to talk about
a person of only one eating this meal, I
determined that the manna they ate in the
wilderness must have been Hamburger Hinder
because even after I had all I could eat, the
leftovers seemed to grow each time I ate it much more important than Hamburger Hinder
for the next five days.
One night as I ate my Hamburger Hinder for
the umpteenth time, I got to thinking about
how many folks I could have fed with the
beginning dish of this magical concoction. Just
the amount that had spilled onto the electric
range eyes and into the lower area beneath the
elements, which I must remember to clean out
someday, could have made a difference for a
small army. I read somewhere the other day
that by the year 2050 there are going to be
9 billion people to feed instead of the current About the Author
6.8 billion. That means 40 years from now Pettus L. Read is
there will still be a place for Hamburger Hinder. editor of the Tennessee
In fact, I think what I’ve got in plastic bowls in Farm Bureau News
my refrigerator right now will still be around, and director of
communications for
because I’m sure it grows every night when
the Tennessee Farm
I close the door and the little light goes out. Bureau Federation.
Maybe I can work Hamburger Hinder into
this year’s Earth Day celebration. It has got
to be environmentally safe because it has so
many uses, and it got its start about the same
time Earth Day came about. This year marks Read More About It
the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, which began Read has collected his
way back in 1970 when I was a senior in favorite columns into a
book titled Read All
greener. They don’t mean literally green like About It. Part of the
the color, but more environmentally green. It proceeds of the book
sales go to Tennessee
all sounds good to me because I have been
4-H and Tennessee
working in green jobs since I was large enough FFA programs.
to help with the chores around our family farm. Buy a copy online at
tnhomeandfarm.com/
want to go green, agriculture is the way to go. store.
what is needed to save our environment, but it
is more important to be doing something about
it. If you want to go green, support our Earth’s
first green industry: agriculture, which will be
to feed those extra folks in 2050.

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 5
 Short Rows
1 2
1/ Just Peachy
Peach tree pruning rules got you
puzzled? Learn how to prune your fruit
trees by following these simple tips.
• Don’t prune before February, and do
your best not to prune within several
days of cold weather.
• Before pruning, prepare the tree by
cutting off any dead or damaged
limbs, and remove any suckers
growing off the roots.
• When you’re ready, prune the shoots –
the new, red branches – and remove
any branches growing toward the
center of the tree, as well as any small
or thin shoots and downward hanging
or horizontally growing branches.
• After the tree has bloomed, prune
some of the buds; ensure that the
peaches grow about six inches apart
6 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org
by pinching off buds by hand.
If all of that pruning talk made you
hungry for peaches, here’s some good
news – you don’t have to wait until they
ripen. The folks at Flippens Fruit Farm
are known for cooking up fabulous fried
pies made with peaches grown on their
farm. Browse their online store at
www.flippenhillbillybarn.com.
2 / Stately Flowers
Did you know that Tennessee’s state
flower is the iris? The green-thumbed
group at Iris City Gardens certainly does.
Located in Primm Springs, about 40
miles southwest of Nashville, Iris City
Gardens grows a variety of species of
irises, and they open their gardens to
the public on Wednesdays through
Sundays from April 13 to June 26.
Potted daylilies, peonies, water lilies
and other perennial plants grown at the
gardens’ nursery are also available.
The plants may be purchased at
the garden, as well as online. Visit
www.iriscitygardens.com for details.
3 / Scrapbooking and
Spa Service
Ladies, if you’re looking to get away
from the hustle and bustle, and hunker
down with your scrapbooking supplies,
listen up. A women’s retreat at Petticoat
Junction may be the place for you.
Bonnie Esslinger created Petticoat
Junction, located in a recently
renovated historic home in Normandy
(outside of Manchester), where women
are invited to enjoy delicious meals,
decadent desserts and pampering.
 TN
FARM
FRESH
Scrapbooking is but one activity that
guests may partake in. Kayaking trips
on the Duck River will be offered this
summer, along with the year-round
sightseeing, relaxing and spa services,
including massages.
Learn more about Petticoat Junction,
which also hosts church retreats and
family reunions, at www.pjretreat.com.
4 / History Comes Alive
Located in Athens, the McMinn
County Living Heritage Museum
collects, preserves and displays the
artifacts, documents and other items
that represent the history of the county.
Although some exhibits rotate, the
museum’s textile collection is on
permanent display and showcases
more than 2,100 examples of textiles,
including quilts and hooked rugs.
In addition, the museum is home to
more than 7,000 artifacts that
represent and tell the histories of
McMinn County and East Tennessee.
Workshops and special events are also
offered and open to the public.
For additional information, visit
www.livingheritagemuseum.com.
5/ Gorgeous Gardens
According to many scholars, the first
botanic gardens were actually herb
gardens. Visitors to Memphis Botanic
Garden can explore the three areas of
the attraction’s newly expanded herb
garden opening in March.
The formal garden, a traditional
European-style herb garden, features
around-the-world herbs such as
thymes, germander, rosemary, sages
and lavender. The meadow is home to
more robust plants such as shrub
roses, comfrey and indigos. The
woodland, sectioned by continents,
contains an array of herbs from around
the world, including medicinal, dye,
cosmetic and utilitarian plants.
More than 20 specialty gardens are
located on the 96-acre Memphis
Botanic Garden. Find out more at
www.memphisbotanicgarden.com.
tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 7
TN
FARM
FRESH
Springtime Means Strawberries
If you are in search of fresh fruits and vegetables this spring, look no
further than Bradley Kountry Acres. Located about 30 miles north of
Nashville in Sumner County, the farm will begin their season offering pick-
your-own strawberries, along with tomatoes and a variety of other produce,
flowers and herbs.
After milking cows at a Grade A dairy operation in Cottontown for more
than 30 years, the family decided to sell the herd and transition into a new
venture. For Mike and Cathy Bradley, that meant growing and selling 6 acres
of fruits, vegetables and an assortment of flowers.
Today, Bradley Kountry Acres produces four different varieties of
strawberries, which they grow in raised beds using plastic mulch and drip
irrigation, a process known as plasticulture. According to the Bradleys, this
method promotes better watering and fertilization as well as cleaner and
healthier strawberry fields – and also makes them easier to pick. Visitors
are welcome to come out and pick their own berries, though they offer pre-
picked berries for customers too.
Each year on the first Sunday in May, the Bradleys host their Spring Open
House, which is filled with all things strawberries to kick off the pick-your-
own season. While visitors are shopping for their long-awaited fruit or
flowers, they can also taste-test plenty of strawberry cakes, pies and other
delicious dishes.
In addition to the strawberries, the Bradleys also have three greenhouses
filled with bedding plants, herbs, ferns, hanging baskets and potted flower
arrangements, as well as tomatoes, blackberries, peaches, broccoli, squash,
peppers and various other vegetable crops. Come autumn, they also have
sweet potatoes, pumpkins, gourds and fall decor.
Visitors are welcome at Bradley Kountry Acres almost anytime, especially
during strawberry season. For more information on the farm’s pricing, the
availability of their products or to schedule a group outing, please contact
them at (615) 325-2836. You can also find them online at
www.bradleykountryacres.com.
 – Tiffany Howard,
 Tennessee Farm Fresh coordinator
 Agriculture

100Century farm families are deeply rooted in agriculture

Years and
Counting

Story by Jessica Mozo

Photography by jeff adkins

I
f you visit Donnell Century
Farm near Jackson on Easter
weekend, you’ll see children
gathering colorful eggs in
baskets, holding baby chicks,
posing for pictures with the Easter
bunny, and discovering the ins and
outs of farm life. The 175-year-old
farm hosts an annual Easter egg
hunt and spring field trips as
part of its agritourism program,
which also includes a fall season
complete with barnyard animals,
a pumpkin patch and a corn maze.
Donnell Century Farm has come a
long way since founder John Donnell
settled on the original 500-acre tract of
land in Madison County in 1835. John
is now buried in the family cemetery,
and his sixth-generation descendents
are farming the land he loved.
“We celebrated our 175th birthday
in 2010 by creating a corn maze in
the shape of a birthday cake,” says
Rose Ann Donnell, whose husband,
Billy, is a descendent of John
Donnell. “Our main business is
farming, but in 2005, we started an
agritourism business that’s very
educational and grows each year.”
A Donnell Family
Tradition
Though much has changed, much
has stayed the same on the Donnells’
farm over the last 175 years. It’s still
a family operation – Billy and Rose
Ann live on the land with their son
Andrew, his wife, Jessica, and their
three children. Together they produce
registered Angus cattle, cotton,
soybeans, corn, wheat and hay.
“We sell all-natural, dry-aged
Angus beef to restaurants and at
farmers markets, and we sell our
white corn to Martha White to be
used for cornmeal,” Rose Ann says.
“We raise cotton, which we have
found people love to see grow – they
are just fascinated by it.”
Like more than 1,300 historic farms
across Tennessee, the Donnells
applied for designation as a century
farm through the Tennessee
Department of Agriculture.
“It was my mother-in-law’s desire
to fill out the application. She really
wanted to obtain the century farm
designation,” Rose Ann says. “I
helped her with it, and it really was
pretty easy. We went to the library
to look up the record of deeds.”
Bacon Farm
In East Tennessee, Bacon Farm is
another century farm, established
in 1891. The Washington County
farm near Jonesborough is home to
Bruce Bacon Jr., a fourth-generation
descendent of founder Robert Bacon.
Bruce and his wife, Debbie, live in a
brick home they built on the property

Donnell Century Farm in Jackson farms cotton, cattle, soybeans, corn, wheat, hay and an agritourism venture where kids have
hands-on interactions with real animals. Top center: Bruce Bacon Jr. represents the fourth generation of his Jonesborough farm.

8 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

 Tennessee Living

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 9
 in the 1970s along with their 23-year-

What Qualifies a Tennessee old son, Benjamin. Their older son,

Bruce III, lives in the farm’s 110-year-
Century Farm? old farmhouse with his wife, Amber,
and their two daughters.
Established by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture in 1975 as part of our
“The farm has changed
nation’s bicentennial celebration, the Tennessee Century Farms program honors the
dedication of families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 completely since 1891,” Bruce says.
years. The statewide program has more than 1,300 certified century farms, 603 of “The farm itself will always be our
which are more than 150 years old, and 136 have reached the 200-year mark (as of old home-place, but it’s hard to
January 2010). More than 40 farmers are in an even more exclusive club, Pioneer make a living today milking cows
Century Farms, those established before or in 1796, the year of Tennessee’s statehood. and growing tobacco like my daddy
The eligibility requirements to register as a Tennessee century farm are as follows: and mommy did.”
• The farm must have been in your family continuously for at least 100 years. Bacon is retired from Eastman
• The farm must include at least 10 acres of the original founders’ land. Chemical Co. and spends his days
• The farm must produce at least $1,000 in farm income annually. raising hay and steers and “keeping
• At least one of the farm’s owners must be a Tennessee resident. the farm clean.” Bruce III works for
If your farm qualifies, you can find an application at www.tncenturyfarms.org or by Eastman Chemical Co. like his father
calling (615) 898-2947. If you’re curious about century farms in your neck of the did, and Benjamin works for UPS.
woods, the website also provides a list of century farms by county. “We grow a garden that we eat out
of, and several years ago I

10 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

 The quilt block on the 1891 barn at Bacon Farm is modeled
after the quilt made by Bruce Bacon Jr.’s grandmother that
hangs behind him, his wife, Debbie, and their granddaughters.
Top left: Billy Donnell harvests corn. Bottom left: Arrington’s
Brian McCord Ozburn Hollow Farm is part of the Land Trust for Tennessee.

remodeled our old barn,” he says.
“We’re sort of proud of it. We keep it
decorated with flowers, and we use
it for family picnics. The cattle get
their feed there, and we have some
peacocks and guineas.”
Bacon Farm is part of the
Appalachian Quilt Trail and has a
replica of the LeMoyne Star quilt
pattern (popular in the early 1800s)
hanging on the restored 1891 barn.
Ozburn Hollow Farm
In Middle Tennessee, Ozburn
Hollow Farm has been rooted in
Williamson County near Arrington
for more than two centuries.
Revolutionary War veteran Robert
Ozburn established the 500-acre
homestead in 1804, and his
descendent (a successful Nashville
businessman) Frank Perry Ozburn
acquired the property in 1976.
Ozburn Hollow Farm is now home
to the eighth generation of Ozburns
as well as a restored log house,
smokehouse, springhouse and log
barn from the 19th century. In 2006,
Perry and his wife, Elaine, donated a
conservation easement on the farm
to the Land Trust for Tennessee to
protect it from being divided and
developed in rapidly growing
Williamson County.
Carrying the Torch
Meanwhile, back in West
Tennessee, the Donnells are doing
their best to help people understand
the importance of farming, whether
100 years ago or today.
“Our agritourism venue shows
visitors how John Donnell got bacon
from his pigs, eggs from his chickens
and picked cotton by hand. He had
everything he needed right here on
the farm,” Rose Ann says. “People
see on the tour how farm life was a
century ago, and then they see the
cotton picker we use today and our
modern-day tractors. We hope to add
a farm museum so we can display
artifacts we have, like a butter
churn, cotton sacks and an old plow.”
Of his family agricultural heritage
in Jonesborough, Bacon says he
loves “being in the middle of it all.”
“I’ve been on this land 61 years,”
he continues. “I just like it out
here.”

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 11
 12 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

Iron-Clad
Success
Lodge foundry cooks up an American icon
Story by laura Hill
Photography by jeffrey s. otto
W
hat do a high-end gourmet
kitchen shop, a sporting goods
store, your local hardware
emporium, a big-box discounter
in Georgia and an upscale Manhattan
department store have in common? A
Tennessee product that is both an American
icon and one of the hottest trends in the
food world: Lodge Cast Iron cookware.
Manufactured as it has been for more than
112 years in tiny South Pittsburg (population
3,300), the company’s skillets, Dutch ovens,
griddles and more have been kitchen fixtures
for generations, much-loved and passed down
from one cook to another. Once relegated to
the shadows by non-stick aluminum and
stainless steel pots and pans, cast iron has
again emerged into the culinary limelight,
thanks to smart thinking and an unexpected
boost from television cooking shows.
“We’re doing extremely well in today’s
marketplace,” says Mark Kelly, public
relations and advertising manager for Lodge.
“More people are cooking at home than
traditionally have. And the emergence of the
Food Network, where people see great chefs
Jerry Don King is a third-generation employee at Lodge, which has made cast iron cookware since 1896.
tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 13
Tennessee Living
cooking a wide variety of foods in cast iron, More Online
has really helped. It’s hilarious, but people Go inside the Lodge
come into our factory stores and say ‘I saw foundry in a quick video
so-and-so on the Food Network – where’s that at tnhomeandfarm.com/
pan?’ It’s like that all over the country.” lodge-cast-iron.
What keeps cooks coming back for more, Lodge will be giving
away a cast iron skillet
Kelly says, is a combination of manageable
to one of our e-mail
prices, ease of use and extreme durability. subscribers. Find out
Cast iron cookware heats evenly, retains heat more by signing up for
beautifully, and is virtually indestructible. our e-newsletter at
He himself uses his grandmother’s skillet and tnhomeandfarm.com.
Dutch oven, not an uncommon story. Many On our website you
can also find cast iron
Lodge items produced 100 years ago are still
skillet recipes and tips
in daily use by devoted cooks. from Lodge on how to
“I can pick up a cast iron skillet or a Dutch clean cast iron skillets.
oven, and I know that I hold in my hands a
quality instrument that, barring great
clumsiness on my part, will certainly outlast
me,” says collector Rick Mansfield on his
website www.cookingincastiron.com. “Cast
iron is solid, and its weight when I hold it in
my hand says to me that it will still be with
me when I come to the end of my days, waiting
to be passed on to the next generation.”
Cast iron enthusiasts like Mansfield, a
professor and doctoral candidate in Kentucky,
 Cookin’ Up
a Fun Festival
Nearly all year, the Lodge Cast Iron foundry is
closed to the public. But on two special days each
spring, you can tour the state-of-the-art facility and
have a grand time before and after.
The National Cornbread Festival, which celebrates
its 15th anniversary April 30 and May 1, 2011,
is fun, but it’s also a celebration with a mission.
Worried about a local economy dampened by big
shopping centers and a busy highway that bypassed
the town, community leaders came up with the idea
of an event to promote South Pittsburg and benefit
charitable, civic, church and youth organizations
from the proceeds in return for volunteering.
Besides saluting all things cornbread, the festival
has helped scouts, athletics programs, building
projects, education and the arts. South Pittsburg’s
now-thriving storefronts are a testament to how the
festival has put the community on the map.
Besides Lodge factory tours, the festival offers
great music, Miss Cornbread pageants, cook-offs,
arts and crafts, a historic tour, a carnival, exhibits
and a classic car show. No wonder 45,000 people
attend each year. “It’s hokey fun,” says Mark Kelly
of Lodge Cast Iron. “And hokey is a good thing.”
Learn more at www.nationalcornbread.com.

are legion, and growing. Websites
abound, and scrounging for cast iron
cookware at garage sales and flea
markets has gotten tighter and tighter.
Mansfield admits to a passion for
cast iron, praising its versatility and
low-tech reliability. His 40-piece
collection, including a wok and his
grandmother’s treasured skillet, holds
pride of place on a baker’s rack in
his kitchen. But his emphasis is on
using his collection every day.
“If you enjoy cooking, you want
great tools to cook with, and that
naturally leads to cast iron,” he says.
As the last cast-iron cookware
foundry in the United States, Lodge
is especially proud of its history and
commitment to quality. The company
was founded by Joseph Lodge, an
Englishman who came to this country
in the late 1800s and worked for
various foundries before starting
Blacklock Foundries in South
Pittsburg. In 1910, when that foundry
burned, he moved his business down
the road to its current location and
reincorporated as Lodge Cast Iron.
The company is still family-owned
and -operated – a great-grandson,
Bob Kellerman, is chairman and
CEO, Henry Lodge is president and
COO, and a fifth-generation family
member is special projects manager.
The family tradition also extends to
employees, some of whom are third-
and fourth-generation workers.
Changes have certainly been made
over 112 years – Lodge today also
sells two highly successful lines of
colorful enameled cookware, has
improved the melting process and
pursues a vigorous pro-environment
policy. But the basics behind Lodge’s
cast iron cookware remain much the
same. Pig iron and stamped steel are
melted down at 2,800 degrees and
poured into specially crafted sand
molds, tooled to create impressions
of individual pieces. The iron cools
in the molds as they go down the
production line, molds split open and
the red-hot cookware cools and is
cleaned and seasoned before
packaging. Total time elapsed from
melting to packaging: 90 minutes. On
average the foundry produces 800
pieces an hour. “If all the cast iron
gods are aligned,” says Kelly, it can
turn out 1,600 pieces an hour.
Factory seasoning has been
critical to Lodge’s success. An
unseasoned gray iron pan, as many
cooks can attest, takes a long time
to become that trusty blackened
heirloom, the result of much cooking,
gentle cleaning and a lot of oil. Eight
years ago the company decided to
give customers a head start on the
process by spraying its cookware
with a soy-based vegetable oil and
then baking it. The result was a
much more user-friendly product that
appealed to contemporary cooks.
“It rocked our world,” says Kelly.
“We got a lot of instant press. We
had a huge article about seasoning
in the Washington Post, and a Good
Housekeeping Good Buy award, and
we’ve been on a roll ever since. We
had been primarily a regional brand,
but now we’re a national brand. If I go
to Seattle or New York or wherever,
people in the food business know
exactly who we are.”

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 15
 Home & Garden

Twister
of Fate

16 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

 Tennessee Living

Eagleville farmer recounts

Good Friday tornado
experience and aftermath

Story by Julie Vaughn

O
n April 10, 2009, Good Friday
became known as “tornado
Friday” in our family’s history as a
twister touched down on our farm
in Eagleville. This same tornado minutes
later struck nearby Murfreesboro as a class
F5, destroying homes, businesses and
taking the life of a young mother and baby.
It was a crazy day anyway, much more
chaotic than our “normal” crazy farm life. We
each had our assignments. My husband, Jim,
would take his parents to the doctor in
Nashville. Along with my two boys (then
ages 4 and 1), our part-time employee Kelley
and I finished harvesting vegetables and
packing half-bushel boxes for our local
CSA distribution.
Of course, when you are shorthanded,
things are always a bit more stressful. The
wind that Friday was making our work
nearly impossible, as our spinach was flying
Jeffrey S. Otto

The tornado destroyed greenhouses, mangled trees

and caused other damage to Rocky Glade Farm.

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 17

away faster than we could harvest it. My
1-year-old son simply would not take a nap
at his normally scheduled time, and one of
our expectant ewes was going into labor and
seemed to want to do it her way (out in the
field) instead of my way (in the barn). It
was about as much as this farm wife could
handle. I had no idea how much more I
was about to be called on to manage.
When the harvest was finally complete, we
decided to take a break for lunch. The 1-year-
old finally was napping peacefully, and the
day was feeling a bit more manageable
when I heard a screaming noise coming from
the west side of the farm. I ran to the kitchen
door and tried to open it, but it would not
budge. At the exact same moment my ears
and Kelley’s ears popped, our eyes met and I
knew something big was going on outside.
tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 19
Photos by Jeffrey S. Otto
You might wonder what was going Tornado Tips From
through my mind? One word sums it up: Rocky Glade Farm
BATHTUB. Yes, bathtub. That is what I
said, and that is where we all went. All
FOUR of us! In our more than 100-year-old
1. Tornado watches
and warnings are
given for a reason. Don’t
farmhouse, the bathtub is indeed as safe ignore them (like I did!).
as any other location.
The screaming sound continued, followed
by strong wind and hail that seemed to last
2. Tornadoes happen
in seconds. Decide
right now where you
a long time, but in reality it was over in a would go if a tornado
few seconds. Seconds indeed, but that was were to take place.
3.
all it took to remove the roof and sides from Remain calm (if
our hay barn, completely collapse our hen possible). Think
house, damage countless stretches of through what needs to
fences, twist off and mangle massive trees be done afterward. Once
and completely destroy all four of our you know your family is
safe and taken care of,
greenhouses.
think about the rest of
You might think I would have cried seeing your farm. Does anything
all that damage, but I did not. Instead, I need to be unplugged?
looked at my two boys and my friend Kelley, Are power lines down?
still in the bathtub, which was still located in Are your fences damaged
my house, which was still standing, so badly that your
livestock needs to be
completely untouched by the wind. I was so
moved to keep them
very thankful to God. The damage was
off roads?
painful and would set us back in finances
and time, but everything that was destroyed
could be replaced, and I knew it was the hand
4. Remember to be
thankful. It could
be, and most likely is,
of God that protected my home and family. worse for someone else
As crazy as that Friday began, so it ended somewhere else.
with neighbors bringing food and promises
of help. A few chickens found their way home
from their windy trip to who knows where,
and that stubborn, uncooperative ewe safely
delivered twins that we aptly named Tornado
and Twister.
Bottom: Julie, Jim, Caleb and Dylem Vaughn’s
Eagleville farm is thriving today, despite setbacks
caused by the storm. Top left: Kelley Gallagher
was working at the farm the day of the tornado.
 Identity Theft
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Cannot be combined with any other offer. Pinpoint Plus,
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*You must be an active member of the Tennessee Farm Bureau
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and offer subject to change without notice.
*36-month monitoring agreement required at $31.99
per month ($1,151.64). $99 customer installation charge.
Form of payment must be by credit card or electronic
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20 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

 Farm Bureau Bank Prescription
Auto Loan Discount Program
Refinancing

For a more complete

list of benefits, visit
www.tnfarmbureau.org/
memberbenefits or visit the
TN Farm Bureau Member
Benefits Facebook page.
Prescription By visiting our page you
will be able to stay
Discounts informed on new benefits,
TFBF members are eligible to hear what other members
receive prescription discounts
with up to 60% savings at over have to say about these
Refinance your 56,000 chain and independent
pharmacies on over 12,000 FDA
products and services,
automobile loan approved drugs, including both
and will be eligible for
give-a-ways from our
and save! name-brand and generic drugs.
affiliate partners. Prizes
Simply present your member-
ship card at a participating will include Choice Hotels
• Save up to $1,365 in interest pharmacy to receive your
on a 60-month vehicle loan** vouchers, Enterprise car
discount (information on back
• Special Farm Bureau of card). rentals, Farm Bureau
member rates* apparel and much more.
Don’t have a membership
• Up to 100% financing card? Visit our website to Been hesitant to join the
• Call (866) 645-8123 or visit reprint your card or to check world of Facebook? There is
farmbureaubank.com/tfbf for participating pharmacies
to apply today and drug pricing. no better time than now!

Looking for information

on these benefits?
*Some restrictions apply based on the make and model of vehicle offered *This card is not an insurance benefit and will not
as collateral. Loans are subject to credit approval. Rates and financing offer additional savings on pharmacy discounts
options are limited to certain model years and are subject to change
offered through insurance plans.
without notice. Finance charges accrue from origination date of the loan.
**Savings comparison based on a financed 60-month new vehicle loan as
of June 24, 2010. Rates are subject to change without notice. To qualify for
Toll-Free: (877) 363-9100
Farm Bureau Bank’s lowest loan annual percentage rates, members must
have excellent credit and sign up for automatic payments. Additional
discounts also apply when purchasing one or more vehicle protection
plans. National average for 60-month new auto loans is 6.92% APR as
Visit us online at
quoted by Bankrate.com. Banking services provided by Farm Bureau Bank,
FSB. Farm Bureau Bank, FSB is a service to member institution that www.tnfarmbureau.org/
provides banking services to Farm Bureau members. Services are not
available in AL, IL, MI, MO, MS, OH or WY and may not be available in
some counties or parishes. Farm Bureau, FB and the FB National Logo are
memberbenefits
registered service marks owned by the American Farm Bureau Federation
and are used under license by FB BanCorp and its subsidiaries, including
Farm Bureau Bank FSB. FB BanCorp is an independent entity and the *Offers subject to change without notice.
AFBF does not own, is not owned by, and is not under common ownership
with FB BanCorp or its affiliated entities.
tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 21
 Tennessee Living

22 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

 Food

Mother’s Day
menu Treat mom to a homemade meal she
deserves with our simple menu

Story by Karen Schwartzman

Photography by jeffrey s. otto
food styling by kristen winston catering

A
dd a little originality to Mother’s
Day by trying your hand at
something homemade. Even if
concocting something special in
the kitchen isn’t exactly your style, we’ve
got a few recipes on hand to make the
process go smoothly.
Designed with novice cooks in mind, these
recipes are sure to satisfy mom on her
signature day and keep things simple for
dad with a few easy-to-follow steps. The best
part? There’s plenty to do to accommodate a
few extra hands from little helpers.
The centerpiece is a marinated steak,
easily flavored with soy sauce,
Worcestershire and ground mustard, and
forgotten about overnight as it marinates.
Our green bean, tomato and Vidalia onion Find a Tennessee
salad with Dijon vinaigrette dressing adds a Restaurant
delicious spin to the requisite veggie portion. Don’t feel like cooking
Since mom’s only chore for the day is on Mother’s Day? We’ve
relaxing, help ease her into the job with a compiled an online-only
little comfort food. Twice-baked potatoes collection of some of our
should do the trick. This take on the loaded favorite restaurants
across the state. You
potato combines all the classics – sour
can flip through the
cream, cheese, scallions and butter – into the pages of Tennessee
mix, so it’s ready and loaded when it comes Restaurants, Vol. 1 at
out of the oven. tnhomeandfarm.com/
To satisfy a sweet tooth, finish the meal online-library.
with a blueberry dump cake. This
deceptively simple dessert requires little
preparation and delivers big flavor.
So there you have it – a simple and
satisfying meal tailor-made just for mom.

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 23
 Food

Marinated and Grilled Steak Green Bean, Tomato

2 New York strip steaks (1-1/2 inches thick, about
and Vidalia Onion Salad
14 to 16 ounces each; the thickness is more 1½ pounds fresh green beans
important than the weight)
½ large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
Marinade: 1 large beefsteak tomato, cut into thin wedges
¼ cup vegetable oil
Dijon Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons course ground mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup light olive oil
Mix together marinade ingredients and pour over
Blanch green beans in a pot of boiling water until
defrosted steaks. Marinate 4 hours or overnight.
crisp tender, about 2-3 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Remove the steaks from the refrigerator about 30
Whisk together first 5 vinaigrette ingredients in
to 40 minutes before cooking. Heat grill to medium
bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified.
high, about 450 degrees.
Toss green beans, onion, tomato and dressing.
Place the meat on the hottest part of the grill. If at
Add salt and pepper if necessary.
any time the grill flares up, move the steaks to the
outside edge, returning them to the center when the
flame dies down. Do not slide the steaks across the
grill; gently pick them up with tongs. Grill steaks
cooking each side twice for 3 minutes at a time
(for a total cooking time of 12 minutes).

24 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

 Twice-Baked Potatoes Blueberry Dump Cake
4 Russet potatoes, about 8 ounces each 4 cups frozen blueberries
½ cup sour cream ½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter 1 box yellow cake mix
½ cup milk 1½ sticks butter
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
4 ounces cream cheese
Dump blueberries and sugar into baking dish.
½ cup chopped scallions
Stir together.
1½ teaspoons kosher salt Sprinkle cake mix over the fruit. Slice butter and
¼ teaspoon pepper distribute over the surface of the cake mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Adjust oven rack to upper middle position, and
heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes on foil-lined
baking sheet until skin is crisp and deep brown and
fork easily pierces flesh, about 1 hour. Transfer
potatoes to wire rack and let sit until cool enough to
handle, about 10 minutes.
Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Using a small
dinner spoon, scoop flesh from each half into
medium bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch thickness of flesh
in each skin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, mash potato flesh with fork until
smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients, including salt
and pepper to taste, until well-combined.
Spoon mixture into skins, mounding slightly at the
center, and return to oven. Broil until spotty brown
and crisp on top, 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10
minutes. Garnish with additional chives, if desired.
Serve warm.

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 25
 Country Classics

Taking the Cake

Versatile pound cake can be dressed up many ways

W Sour Cream Pound Cake

hen it comes to baking, Kay Hungry for More?
Upchurch’s recipe for Sour Cream Each issue of
Pound Cake proves simple is best. 2 sticks butter or margarine Tennessee Home & Farm
It uses only six ingredients, most of which highlights recipes like
3 cups plain flour, sifted
are staples you probably already have in your those featured in
1 (8-ounce) package sour cream Country Classics
fridge and pantry.
3 cups sugar Volume II. Copies of the
“It’s a really simple, easy recipe for plain
cookbook are available
pound cake, and you can dress it up a lot of 5 eggs for $17 each, including
different ways,” says Upchurch, wife of 1 teaspoon vanilla shipping and handling,
Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation President from county Farm
Lacy Upchurch. “We enjoy the cake a lot in the Cream sugar and butter well. Add eggs Bureau offices, or by
one at a time, beating after each addition. calling the Tennessee
spring and summer with fresh or frozen
Add flour and sour cream alternately. Farm Bureau home office
strawberries or fresh peaches.” at (931) 388-7872,
Upchurch discovered the Sour Cream Pound Beat well, and bake in greased tube pan at
ext. 2217.
Cake recipe in a cookbook compiled by ladies 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
from the Cumberland Homesteads area. A Top with fresh or frozen strawberries or other
Jamestown native, she is a self-taught cook fruit if desired.
who learned by trial and error, with lots of
“flops” along the way.
“My mother was a beautician who didn’t
really like to cook, but my mother-in-law was a
great cook and a real inspiration to me in the
kitchen,” Upchurch says. “The best compliment
she ever gave me was when she told me I
turned out to be a better cook than she was.”
The Upchurches have three grown children
and seven grandchildren, and they gather at
holidays for “lots of home cooking,” Upchurch
says. Her oldest daughter also loves to cook
and is a big help in the kitchen.
Their permanent home is in Crossville, and
they have a second home in Columbia while her
husband is serving as Farm Bureau president. He
is an avid gardener and grows potatoes, green
beans, corn, peppers, cabbage, onions, apples,
blueberries and blackberries at their Crossville
home, where they spend most weekends.
“We do a lot of our own canning and freezing
of fruits and vegetables,” Upchurch says. “In
the summer we love to make barbecue chicken
on the grill, and I do homemade potato salad
and coleslaw. I also like to make coconut and
Jeffrey S. Otto

chocolate cream pies, fried pies, and

homemade cookies and brownies.”
 – Jessica Mozo

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 27
 Restaurant Review

Photos by Antony Boshier

The Bayou and Beyond
Cookeville cooks up Cajun cuisine and more at Crawdaddy’s

C
rawdaddy’s West Side Grill is like a chop,” Blalock says. “Our best-selling seafood The Dish on
slice of New Orleans right in the dish is our Citrus Glazed Salmon, which is pan- Crawdaddy’s
middle of Cookeville. A local favorite, seared with orange-ginger sauce and topped West Side Grill
Crawdaddy’s offers a diverse menu and lots of with goat cheese. Another great dish is the In each issue,
outdoor seating in the courtyard and on the California Sea Bass, which has a lemon basil we feature one of
balcony of its 100-year-old brick building. cream sauce on top of rice.” Tennessee’s tasty
“Our patio and courtyard are a big draw, and Of course, no meal is complete without eateries, and you can
find some of our
our building has a lot of character,” says Drew dessert, and Crawdaddy’s does dessert in true
favorite restaurants at
Blalock, who owns Crawdaddy’s with business New Orleans fashion.
tnhomeandfarm.com/
partner Blue Hensley. “We play a lot of up-tempo “We make our own creme brulee and bread food/restaurants. As
’60s music, and we’re known for some of the pudding, and they are best-sellers on our always, please call
best food, service and atmosphere in the area.” dessert menu,” Blalock says. ahead before traveling
Though many entrées are Cajun-inspired, Blalock and Hensley bought the restaurant long distances.
Crawdaddy’s doesn’t limit itself to Cajun fare. in 2007. “We’ve been able to increase our sales Crawdaddy’s West Side
Grill is located at 53 W.
“Our menu has several high-end items right every year, which surprised me considering the
Broad St. in Cookeville.
down to chicken wings,” Blalock says. “It may state of the economy,” Blalock says. They serve food Monday
look upscale, but we’re anything but stuffy. We do In 2009, Crawdaddy’s was voted the Best through Saturday from
our best to build relationships with customers.” Local Restaurant by readers of the Cumberland 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and
Menu favorites include appetizers such as Business Journal. Sundays from 10:30
Gator Bites (Cajun-battered and fried bits of The key to their success? A slew of loyal a.m. to 10 p.m., with
alligator tail), steamed mussels, fried oysters customers who keep coming back over and Sunday Jazz Brunch
from noon until 2 p.m.
and several dips, from the Pesto Goat Cheese over again. “A lot of people say the toughest
Contact them at
Dip to the Bayou Shrimp Dip. part of running a restaurant is dealing with the (931) 526-4660
Popular entrees include the Carpet Bagger public, but I’ve found that to be 180 degrees or www.crawdaddys
Filet, an 8-ounce, center-cut tenderloin topped from the truth,” Blalock says. “The public is grill.com.
with lump crab cream sauce, and the French the reason I love what I do. We don’t see them
Cut Pork Chop. as customers – we see them as friends.”
“We get so many compliments on our pork – Jessica Mozo

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 29
 Gardening
Lost in Space?
How to Grow a space-efficient backyard veggie garden
V
egetable gardening has never been so
popular. Whether it’s for economic
reasons or because of awareness of the
local slow food movements, growing your own
tomatoes is in.
So is space-efficient gardening. It goes by water, and they contain all the nutrients your
a variety of names (raised-bed gardening,
intensive gardening, square foot gardening,
block style gardening, close-row gardening,
wide-row gardening, and vertical gardening);
About the Author
but whatever the name, the trick is to eliminate
Dr. Sue Hamilton is an unnecessary walkways by planting vegetables
associate professor in
in rectangular-shaped beds or blocks instead
the University of
Tennessee Department of long single rows.
of Plant Sciences and Don’t think you have enough space to grow
director of the UT your own veggies? Think again. Raised-bed
Gardens. The gardens gardening allows you to concentrate soil
are a project of the
preparation in a small area, resulting in the
University of Tennessee
AgResearch program,
efficient use of soil amendments and an ideal
with locations in environment for vegetable growth. Construct
Knoxville and Jackson: the frames out of wood, stone, brick or
http://utgardens. concrete block to give your raised beds a
tennessee.edu. border and to hold an organically rich soil in
place. You can also create free-standing
mounded beds to your desired width and
length. Such space-efficient gardening can
increase yields five-fold compared to the
traditional row-style garden and 15-fold for
smaller kitchen garden vegetables.
Raised beds provide many advantages. They
look neat and tidy (fewer weeds!) and make it
easy to add drip irrigation and protective
features. An ideal width of a framed raised bed
is 4 feet if it is free-standing and accessible
from all sides. If you locate your bed up
against a wall, such as the side of your house,
and can only access it from one side, don’t
make beds any wider than 2 feet for easy
access to all the plants. The height of a raised
bed should be at least 6 inches. Deep-root
crops such as carrots, potatoes and leeks your sun-lovers will not be shadowed. Plants
do well when they have a growing depth grown vertically may have lower yields (but
of 12 inches.
Soil preparation is the key to successful
intensive gardening. Plants compete for
30 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org
available water and nutrients, and adequate
supplies must be provided. I like using a
commercial-grade, composted growing media
used by the greenhouse and nursery industry.
These growing media are great at holding
plants need (no fertilizing!). You also don’t
have to dig, till, shovel or wheelbarrow soil.
You typically can buy such media bagged from
a garden center, nursery, co-op, or nursery and
greenhouse supply company. If you prefer to
use soil, have your soil tested (contact your
county’s UT Extension office) so you know its
pH, organic matter and nutritional status, and
which amendments it might need.
Space-efficient gardening uses an
equidistant spacing pattern – the center of one
plant is the same distance from the centers of
all surrounding plants. The recommended
distance from one plant to the next should be
listed on the seed packet under row-spacing
recommendations. The close spacing tends to
create a nearly solid leaf canopy, acting as a
living mulch, decreasing water loss and
keeping weed problems down. However, plants
should not be crowded to the point where
diseases arise or competition causes stunting.
Growing plants vertically is another
intensive gardening technique and a great way
to adapt gardening for those with physical
challenges. Using trellises, nets, strings, cages
or poles to support growing plants upward
constitutes vertical gardening. Vining and
sprawling plants, such as cucumbers,
tomatoes, melons and pole beans are obvious
candidates for this type of gardening. Some
plants entwine themselves onto the support,
while others may need to be tied. Remember
that a vertical planting will cast a shadow.
Plant shade-tolerant crops near the trellises so
not always). Still, the yield per square foot of
garden space is high. Because vertically
growing plants are more exposed than
non-staked plants, they dry out faster and may common practice, consisting of multiple Read More
need to be watered frequently. Fast drying is plantings of one crop to provide a continuous Square Foot Gardening
an advantage for those plants susceptible to harvest. Sweet corn and bush beans are by Mel Bartholomew
fungus diseases. usually recommended for relaying, but How to Grow More
To use raised beds efficiently, keep them cucumbers or other crops that yield for two Vegetables: And Fruits,
filled. When a spring vegetable is harvested, weeks or less are also good prospects. Nuts, Berries, Grains and
plant a summer vegetable in its place. Follow A space-efficient garden requires detailed Other Crops Than You
summer vegetables with fall vegetables. Small planning, but the time saved in working the Ever Thought Possible on
Less Land Than You Can
vegetables such as radish and lettuce can be garden and the increased yields make it well
Imagine by John Jeavons
interplanted between tomatoes and other large worthwhile.
vegetables. They will mature and can be For more information about space-efficient Find additional links at
removed before the tomatoes need the space. gardening, lots of resources are available to tnhomeandfarm.com/
Peppers can be interplanted between lettuce help you. Books, articles, and UT Extension space-efficient-garden.
plants in the same way. Relaying is another publications abound.

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 31
 32 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

Meet Eric
Mayberry
Humphreys County farmer
raises soybeans, corn,
wheat and cattle
W
hen Eric Mayberry graduated from
high school, he had a decision to
Antony Boshier
make. Go to college and get a job
behind a desk, or return to the farm. Following
his heart, Mayberry went straight to work on
the family farm, and he never looked back.
“My first love was always farming – being
close to the land, being your own boss, not
having the daily grind with someone else
looking over your shoulder,” Mayberry says.
“That’s a big plus, just staying close to farm and
family. Raising my kids in the rural area on the
farm was a huge factor in my decision to stay.”
Mayberry and his father are partners in a
family farm in Humphreys County, where he
and his wife, three kids and parents all live.
They raise corn, soybeans, wheat and cattle.
Does a love of farming run in your family?
The land has been in the family for around
60 years now. Both my parents’ moms and dads
and all of their ancestors were all farmers as far
back as we can think. My children also have an
interest in agriculture. My son looks like he’s
going to be a farmer one of these days, and my
daughters were in FFA and 4-H. One concern
we have is whether there’s going to be room for
one or more of them to come back to the farm.
Why do you raise cattle on your land?
The land we have is very suited for cattle – a
lot of hillside ground that isn’t conducive for
row crops [corn, soybeans and wheat]. A lot of
people think that we’re wasting grain and
resources on beef production in this country,
when the truth is there’s just a tremendous
amount of land that’s only suited for cattle and
sheep grazing. We can get a tremendous
amount of food products, protein – some
pretty good, healthy stuff – off the land that’s
tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 33
Farmside Chat
really most suited for animals. I think people More Online
have a perception that livestock is all cooped To learn more about
up in a building, and we raise corn and haul it how farmers care for
to them, but that’s just not the case. their animals, visit
www.conversations
How do you care for your animals? oncare.com.
Find fun farm facts on
It’s just natural for me; it’s a part of who I
soybeans, Tennessee’s
am to care of my animals. But to relate that to
top farm commodity, at
the general public, who have one cat or dog, tnhomeandfarm.com/
and here I have 200 big ol’ cows out here in the farm-facts-soybeans.
pasture – they may not be able to understand
that. The point I struggle to make people
understand is that the better that animal is
cared for and the happier it is, the better it is
going to be not only for that animal but also
for me and my pocketbook. That animal’s
welfare and well-being has a direct effect on
how it provides for my family’s well-being.
How do you stay positive despite constant
struggles with weather, cost and other issues?
It’s something every year, so after you’ve
been in it a while you realize it’s just part of
the job. Nothing is ever going to go perfectly;
it’s just the nature of the business. Farmers are
accused of being eternal optimists, and I guess
that’s probably true because if you were a
natural pessimist, when that hiccup comes
along, you’d give up pretty quick. Any
occupation is going to have its struggles and
trials. It’s just the love for the land and what
you do that helps you overcome a lot.
 – Melissa Burniston
 Visit Our
Online Store

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Dumplings Cookbook
A few years back, when Pettus Read
lamented about how hard it is to find
good chicken and dumplings, we got
such a response that we decided to
hold a contest – the World’s Greatest
Down-Home Dumpling Cook-Off.
This cookbook is a collection of the
dumpling recipes we received – and
the heartwarming family stories that
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34 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

Fear of the Unknown
TRH helps navigate health-care reform confusion
T
hank goodness our organization’s
president was standing in the office
lobby and quickly greeted me, or I might
simply have just slumped down in the corner,
pulled into the fetal position and sobbed. But
with Farm Bureau President Lacy Upchurch
distracting me with conversation, I was able to
remain composed as my oldest and, as of that
very morning, 16-year-old daughter dropped
me off at the front doors and for the first time
ever drove away by herself.
By the time I reached my third-floor office,
the diminutive blonde in the little blue car had
disappeared down the hill and out of sight. driving. Now they are trying to best determine
An anxious 13 minutes later, at 9:02 a.m., her
Daddy received this text, still preserved today
on my phone: I got here. Love you. :) And at that
point I was able to concentrate once again on
the day’s work.
I know I’m not the first parent who’s stood at
that particular threshold of life, but this was
my daughter. It was just that I thought this day
would come later for me, especially since there
was a real hope – with her having my family’s
genes and all – she would not be able to even
reach the pedals and steering wheel.
Unfortunately, the modern-day convenience of
adjustable everything took away that hope.
So as McKayla drove off to school that day,
it also struck me that this teenage passage
represents far less one-on-one time for Daddy
to spend with his daughter. All those hurried-
but-special journeys to practice and back are
gone – ‘Daddy, remember, I can drive myself
now. You can stay home.’ (Back to that fetal
position again.)
And finally, I found myself confronting
head-on – and there’s no airbag for this
collision – one of life’s most challenging fears:
fear of the unknown. Would McKayla even get
to school safely that morning, not to mention
all the mornings to come? Dad or Mom won’t
be there, either to help avert an accident or
simply to comfort their little girl if one occurs.
But okay, enough, you say. Quit your
tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 35
To Good Health
whining. So I will (and pray a lot). After all, we
all deal with this and various unknowns every
hour, every day. And doing what I do, working
in the health-insurance industry, I have seen
individuals and companies alike over the past
year struggle through the unknowns of health-
care reform. After passage last March of a
massive federal health-care reform law,
everyone has tried to put the pieces together
and understand the implications. One segment
of our population especially concerned about About the Author
any changes is senior citizens, that group that Anthony Kimbrough
has already navigated the travails of teen is vice president
of marketing and
how to navigate our health-care system. government relations
for TRH Health
Through TRH Health Plans, the health-care
Plans. His e-mail is
arm of the Tennessee Farm Bureau, more than akimbrough@trh.com.
56,000 seniors have a Medicare Supplement For more information
plan to help fill the gaps in their Medicare about TRH Health Plans,
coverage. They, along with 12 million baby call (877) 874-8323 or
boomers who will turn 65 this year, no doubt visit www.trh.com.
have wondered about all the ‘unknowns’
associated with health-care reform. I wish we
could put their minds at ease, even while they
know that $500 billion is to be cut from the
Medicare program to help finance health-care
reform. At least for supplement holders, we do
remind them that most of that money, we are
told, will come from changes in Medicare
Advantage plans.
The truth, as best we can tell, is that
Medicare Supplement plans, which we’ve
provided Farm Bureau members since
supplements were first offered, are the
products least affected by the health-care
overhaul.
No, we can’t erase the fear associated with
the unknown. But we can remind our members,
those with Medicare Supplement plans today,
and those who will soon find their way to a
Farm Bureau office to inquire about one, that
we intend to be here for a long time. We hope
it’s a simple but comforting message – kind of
like a text from daughter to father that says,
I got here. Love you. :)
 Æ
ß
Farm Bureau almanac
How does the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation work for you? By offering a variety of
programs and services exclusively benefiting you, its members. Learn about even more

∑
Farm Bureau programs at www.tnfarmbureau.org.

Every day across the state of groups, after-school programs, FFA

Tennessee hundreds of youth are
involved in two very special
agriculture-related programs that have
made an important difference in their
lives, as well as returning back to the
state a group of outstanding citizens
camps and many other activities.
“Learning by doing” through
hands-on activities and community
involvement empowers 4-Hers to
develop and strengthen life skills.
To help fund many of its programs,
The National FFA Organization
prepares members for careers and
leadership in the science, business
and technology of agriculture.
Local, state and national activities

almanac
that has impacted every community and award programs provide ways
the Tennessee 4-H Club
in every county. Over the years, to apply knowledge and skills
Foundation Inc. was organized in
4-H and FFA have touched through ag education. The blue
1953 as a non-profit 501(c)(3)
millions of lives not only in our and gold jackets are worn proudly
organization whose sole purpose is
rural communities, but also in the by its members as they compete in
to create and sustain positive youth
urban areas of the state by teaching contests as well as get involved in

life skills that are never forgotten.
4-H
4-H encourages diverse groups of
youth to develop their unique skills
and talents to the fullest potential.
Young people participate in 4-H
through clubs, special interest
36 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org
development opportunities for
4-H members in Tennessee. The
Foundation accomplishes its
mission with the help of donors
who make gifts in support of
annual needs and to perpetual
endowments. Learn more at
http://4hfoundation.tennessee.edu
or by calling (865) 974-7436.
Æ
helping their communities.
They, too, are supported by their
state foundation that allows
alumni, supporters and businesses
to have a positive impact on the
success of FFA in our state. To
help in the efforts to support FFA,
visit www.tnffa.org/foundation.
Add Years to Your Life
The biggest killer in Tennessee is
cardiovascular disease; in fact, one
out of four Tennesseans die of
stroke or heart attack each year.
Putting that figure into perspective,
let’s take a look at the seating
capacity of LP Field, where the
Tennessee Titans play. The seating
capacity of LP Field is around
69,000 people, which means
about 17,000 people in
attendance at any given game will
eventually die of cardiovascular
disease.
It’s common knowledge that a
good diet and exercise are a good
start toward avoiding cardiovascular
disease, but I can safely say that
you are not likely to hear about me
running the Music City Marathon in
Æ
tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 37
the near future. To compound the
problem even more, I love good
food. My mother didn’t raise me on
unseasoned steamed vegetables
and white rice. She raised me on
fried food cooked in a cast iron
skillet. In fact, the mere thought
of her fried chicken, mashed
potatoes, gravy, homemade
biscuits, fried okra and sweet
tea brings a smile to my face.
Now maybe there are a few more
people like me out there who
haven’t worn out a pair of running
shoes in a while and who might
have had a few too many meals
out of the iron skillet. If that’s
the case, and maybe you’re a
bit concerned about your
cardiovascular health, you might
want to stop by a Stroke Detection
Plus event to get checked out.
Stroke Detection Plus screens for
the likelihood of cardiovascular
disease. Since April 2010, SDP
has screened more than 8,000
Farm Bureau members across
Tennessee with great success.
Almost every day a Farm Bureau
member learns that they are on the
verge of a stroke or a heart attack
because of blockage in their
arteries, and in many cases,
no symptoms were present.
I went through the screenings
myself, and I’m happy to report
that I’m in pretty fair shape for
a man my age despite all of the
good food I’ve consumed. The
screenings are quick, painless, and
noninvasive, and as a bonus, Farm
Bureau members can participate
for only $99, a savings of $27 off
of the normal price offered to the
general public. To find out when
the Stroke Detection Plus team will
be in your area give them a call at
1-877-732-8258. The price is
right, and a few minutes of time
might add years to your life.
 – Bryan Wright
 Travel

38 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org


Life in the
Slow Lane
RuRal Highway 411 opens up charming, peaceful vistas
Story by Ronda Robinson
Photography by antony boshier
W
hat do Dee’s Roadkill Café,
the Curl Up and Dye Salon,
sailplanes and Mennonite
horse-drawn buggies have in
common? They’re some of the charming
sites that drivers find when traveling off the
beaten path on U.S. Highway 411, the back
road between Georgia and East Tennessee.
With no major metropolitan areas along the
way, this country route offers a peaceful,
fun alternative to interstate travel.
I take 411 every chance I get. The drive is a
vacation in itself, a respite from computers,
e-mail, deadlines and a sense of busyness
and urgency in general. Unlike the interstate,
where speed seems the ultimate objective,
411 provides a meditative retreat and captures
my imagination with one-of-a-kind wonders.
Rural Road Food
Soon after picking up 411 after exiting the
interstate north of Atlanta, I enjoy a stretch of
road that passes Dee’s Roadkill Café in White,
Ga. Although the logo features a cartoon
U.S. Highway 411 in East Tennessee sends drivers past, clockwise from top, scenic pastures outside of
Prospect, Miles Family 411 Restaurant in Maryville and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Dellwood.
tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 39
Travel
critter fearfully peeking out of a boiling If You Go:
kettle, Dee’s doesn’t actually have roadkill Dee’s Roadkill Café,
on the menu. The fare runs more toward (770) 386-5443
homemade biscuits and gravy, country ham,
Lottie’s Diner,
barbecue, coleslaw and fried pies, along with (423) 338-8513
house specialty burgers like The Big Nasty –
Miles Family 411
a half-pound of black Angus beef with
Restaurant, www.four-
cheese, chili, grilled onions and condiments. elevenrestaurant.com
“We do homemade everything,” owner Dee
Chilhowee Gliderport,
Huskins, wearing a red apron, says cheerily
www.chilhowee.com
one morning, as her husband, Mike, a pastor,
Delano Community Farm
chats with the regulars in their eatery – site
Market, 283 Needle Eye
of the town’s old post office. Lane in Delano
Cross over the state line, and just before
Etowah L&N Depot &
Benton is Lottie’s Diner, home of the cathead
Railroad Museum,
biscuit. As with Dee’s Roadkill, Lottie’s (423) 263-7840
made-from-scratch biscuits don’t contain any
Curl Up & Dye Salon,
disconcerting ingredients; the name comes
Ranger, Georgia
from how big and fluffy they are. (706) 334-3313
The rural highway even lends its name to
Curl Up & Dye Salon,
another eatery up the road in Maryville,
Maryville, Tennessee
Tenn. Miles Family 411 Restaurant serves up (865) 681-8122
home-cooked meals, including hearty
breakfasts, fried chicken and barbecue.
 Soaring With the Birds
The rural highway ribboning into
Tennessee features a magical
countryside of mountains, pastures,
horses, goats, cows, antique shops
and barns painted with “See Rock
City” signs. The beauty, perhaps, is
best seen from the air, and that’s
where the Chilhowee Gliderport on
411 north of Benton comes in.
Owner/operator Sarah Kelly offers
rides in engineless gliders, also
known as sailplanes, near the
Cherokee National Forest. “Soaring
40 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org
birds use the same type of air we
use. A lot of times on the thermals
there will be hawks, eagles and
black vultures. It’s always a special
day when I see a bald eagle from the
glider,” she says.
The “ridge lift” when the wind
strikes the mountain provides an
upward force to help gliders – and
birds – stay airborne.
Hovering around 3,000 to 4,000 feet
high, gliders also provide a glimpse
of the Ocoee and Hiwassee rivers. We
pass over what may be old V-shaped
Indian fishing traps of piled stone in
the water below. Around the bend,
Mennonite farmland creates beautiful
patchwork designs.
Discovering Treasures
The element of discovery continues
in Delano, where Savannah Oaks
Winery grows muscadines and
scuppernong grapes, and sells
wines, jellies, cheese and gifts.
Further up Delano Road, a mile off
411, Mennonite families run the
Delano Community Farm Market,
offering locally grown produce from
asparagus to winter squash, as well
as apple butter, honey, sorghum
molasses, canned corn relish,
cantaloupe preserves, cookies,
breads and more.
Thirty families have a total of 470
acres on which they farm. “It’s the
main source of income,” says Joseph
Martin, manager of the market.
“A lot of things are picked every
day fresh,” he adds.
Visitors to the Mennonite market are
encouraged to dress modestly, as a
sign says, “We greatly appreciate your
business. Please respect us by being
properly clothed.” For women, that
means no low necklines or strap tops.
A sense of old-fashioned values
permeates the area, where often I
see Mennonite horse-drawn buggies
clopping down 411.

Whistling Dixie
A few miles north in Etowah, the
L&N Depot & Railroad Museum
celebrates train travel. Located in
a restored 1906 depot listed on the
When you buy from local farmers you: support local economy,
National Register of Historic Places, enjoy a fresh product and keep local agriculture viable!
the museum tells stories of life in a
Southern railroad town. Admission
is free year round.
I’m most familiar with the middle
part of 411, even though the highway
stretches about 340 miles from Leeds,
Ala., to Greeneville, Tenn. Believe it
or not, two hair salons called Curl Up
& Dye are located on this short strip
of Americana: one in Ranger, Ga.,
and one in Maryville, Tenn. The name
alone has lots of style – as does U.S.
Highway 411, with its patchwork of
quaint diners, shops and roadside
attractions. As the saying goes,
it’s all about the journey, not the
destination. A great drive like this
is an end unto itself.

More Highway 411 attractions include,

clockwise from top, Chilhowee Gliderport,
(931) 388-7872 ext. 2763
Lottie’s Diner near Benton and the L&N www.tnfarmfresh.com
Depot & Railroad Museum in Etowah.

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 41
 Events & Festivals

Smoky Mountain Orchid Society Show & Sale takes place March 5-6 at West Town Mall in Knoxville.

Tennessee Events & Festivals Smoky Mountain Orchid Society

Show & Sale – March 5-6, Knoxville
See the beauty and variety of the orchids
exhibited by various orchid societies from
This listing includes a selection of events of statewide interest scheduled the southeast. Orchid growers will be
in March, April and May as provided to Tennessee Home & Farm by the present to give tips on growing orchids in
your home and orchid vendors will offer
Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.
plants for sale. Orchids on exhibit will be
To include your local events in our listing, please contact them at (615) 741-7994 judged by the American Orchid Society.
or jamielynn.thompson@tn.gov. Due to space constraints, we are unable to CONTACT: 865-828-8055,
include all of the events provided, but additional information and events can smokymtnorchidsociety.com
be found online through the department’s website, www.tnvacation.com.
Events are subject to date change or cancellation; please call the contact Cousin Jake Memorial Bluegrass
listed before traveling long distances to attend. Festival – March 12, Historic Gem
Theater, Etowah
This festival of bluegrass music is named in

March
Titanic’s First Annual Irish
Celebration – March 1-31,
Pigeon Forge
Everybody is Irish in March, and Titanic’s
the place to be for the wearin’ of the green
and high-spirited shenanigans. Come, enjoy
the music, song and stories that honor the
memory of the Irish men and women who
built and sailed history’s most famous ship.
CONTACT: 800-381-7670,
titanicpigeonforge.com
22nd Annual Lawn and Garden
Show – March 3-6, Nashville
Tennessee’s premier horticultural event, the
Nashville Lawn & Garden Show features
more than 20 outstanding live gardens
created by professional landscape
designers, a series of 20 free lectures and
250 exhibit booths of horticultural products,
services, and equipment for show and sale.
CONTACT: 615-876-7680,
nashvillelawnandgardenshow.com
Maple Syrup Festival & Exhibit
Open House – March 5,
Johnson City
A family-oriented event showing the process
of making syrup from the sap of maple trees
and open house for the new permanent
exhibit, “O Beautiful Land of the
Mountains.” CONTACT: 423-926-3631,
tipton-haynes.org
honor of Cousin Jake Tullock, who grew up
in Etowah. After leaving home to make a
career as a musician he landed a job with
Flatt and Scruggs, playing bass and telling
jokes. After 20 years, Jake retired from the
music scene and moved back to Etowah,
where he served as a police dispatcher until
his death. Come hear the music that Jake
loved played, and bring your instrument
along. Between sets, pick up bargains at the
many antique shops and outlets located in
the downtown. CONTACT: 423-263-2228,
etowahcoc.org
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra –
March 12, Knoxville
Join the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and
acclaimed performer Jim Curry for this
tribute to John Denver. Curry, whose voice
was heard in the CBS-TV movie Take Me

42 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

Home: The John Denver Story, will be
performing with Knoxville Symphony
Orchestra using the original orchestrations
written for John Denver by Grammy-award
winning composer Lee Holdridge. Jim’s
uncanny ability to mirror John’s voice and
clean-cut look takes you back to the time
when “Rocky Mountain High” “Sunshine”
“Calypso” and “Annie’s Song” topped the
charts, and his popular music had the
heartfelt message of caring for the earth
and caring for each other. CONTACT:
865-291-3310, knoxvillesymphony.com
Overmountain Weavers Guild
Fibers Show and Sale – March 12,
Sycamore Shoals State Historic
Area, Elizabethton
Some of the best weavers of our region will
be demonstrating on a variety of looms &
spinning wheels, and offering handmade
items for sale. CONTACT: 423-543-5808
Blooming Arts Festival – March 19,
Downtown Linden
Developed to honor and promote natural
and cultural art and history of Perry County,
the art show also features music and food.
CONTACT: 931-589-2736
Food City 500 – March 20, Bristol
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to
Bristol action in the Food City 500 for the
first short track racin’ of the 2011 season. In
2010, Jimmie Johnson captured his first
Bristol win as a dominant Kurt Busch faded
in the waning laps of the race. CONTACT:
423-989-6900, bristolmotorspeedway.com
Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival
– March 25 –April 1, Nashville
America’s largest festival dedicated to
songs and songwriters. The festival covers
all genres of music such as country, rock,
folk and more. CONTACT: 800-321-6008,
tinpansouth.com
Dollywood’s Festival of Nations –
March 26 –May 2, Pigeon Forge
Enjoy the most captivating entertainment
from around the world during this month
long celebration of music, dance, food and
art. CONTACT: 800-DOLLYWOOD,
dollywood.com
Mule Day – March 31-April 3,
Columbia
One of the world’s biggest mule
celebrations. Events include mule sale, mule
pulling, mule shows, pancake breakfast,
flea market, and parade. CONTACT:
931-381-9557, muleday.com
tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 43
Opry Country Classics – March
31-May 26 (Thursdays only),
Nashville
The new addition to the Opry’s schedule
will shine a spotlight on the classic country
songs that have defined country music for
generations of fans. Opry Country Classics
will share country music’s colorful story
through a live performance featuring
country favorites performed by legends of
the genre as well as talented new artists, a
rousing live band, square dancing, and
more. CONTACT: 800-SEE-OPRY, opry.com
APRIL
51st Annual Dogwood Arts Festival
– April 1-30, Knoxville
More than 60 miles of trails feature some of
the most spectacular dogwood trees of all
kinds and colors. CONTACT: 865-637-4561,
dogwoodarts.com
Herb and Wildflower Day – April 2,
Townsend
Naturalist-led walks in Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, illustrated talks
about wildflowers and herbs, birds, cooking
with herbs, and sales of plants, fresh baked
goods, herbal teas, and pottery. CONTACT:
854-448-6138
23rd Annual Spring Mile-Long
Yard Sale – April 9, Watertown
Join the City of Watertown as they host their
annual Spring Mile-Long Yard Sale on the
public square. Don’t miss out on the great
bargains and one-of-a-kind items at this
HUGE yard sale! CONTACT: 615-237-1777
Rossini Festival Italian
Street Fair – April 9, Knoxville
Presented by Knoxville Opera, the Rossini
Festival features opera performances and
stage productions as well as music and
dance. Italian and Mediterranean food
specialties are offered in addition to fine art,
crafts, designer goods, and handcrafted
originals. Continuous entertainment takes
place on four stages throughout the
afternoon and evening. Admission is free.
CONTACT: 865-524-0795, knoxvilleopera.com
Rivers & Spires Festival –
April 14-16, Clarksville
This festival includes over 100 entertainers,
a kids’ and teen area, exhibits, car shows,
food, jazz n’ wine and more. CONTACT:
931-245-4344, riversandspires.com
Africa In April Cultural Awareness
Festival – April 14-17, Memphis
Celebration featuring education, economics,
fashion, arts & crafts, music, and cuisine.
CONTACT: 901-947-2133, africainapril.org
Nashville Film Festival – April
14-21, Nashville
With films crossing all genres from drama to
comedy to foreign documentaries, the Festival
has something for everyone. CONTACT:
615-742-2500, nashvillefilmfestival.org
Vally Fest – April 16-17, Dunlap
This festival is the first of what the
committee hopes to be many. The theme is
celebration of our community and its
diversity. There will be food, music, arts,
crafts and dance from as many of our
represented cultures as possible, along with
at least two stages for major entertainers as
well as roving groups with designated
areas for children activities. CONTACT:
423-949-7608, sequatchie.com
10th Annual Tennessee
Governors One-Shot Turkey
Hunt – April 9, Pulaski
The annual Jeanette Rudy
Invitational will again be held in
beautiful southern Middle Tennessee
and benefit sportsmen and women
and the outdoors. The hunt coincides
with the annual Gobbler’s Gala
Festival on the Square, which is the
location of the official TWRF check-in
station for the hunt. Throughout the
day there will be food, crafts, and
activities for everyone to enjoy!
CONTACT: 931-424-4044,
www.tngovernorsoneshot.com

National Cornbread
Festival – April 30-May 1,
South Pittsburg
This festival honors cornbread
and features cornbread alley, live
entertainment, juried arts and
National Cornbread Cook-Off.
CONTACT: 423-837-0022,
nationalcornbread.com
44 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org
Trenton Teapot Festival – April
24-30, Trenton
This week long festival kicks-off with a
ceremonial Lighting of the Teapots and
culminates in the annual Grand Parade.
Luncheons, block parties, carnivals, tractor
pulls, fireworks are also enjoyed by all!
CONTACT: 731-855-2013
World’s Biggest Fish Fry – April
25-May 1, Paris
Over five tons of catfish on order to serve
thousands of visitors. Includes IPRA rodeo,
parade, catfish races, and more. CONTACT:
731-644-1143, worldsbiggestfishfry.com
Memphis In May International
Festival – April 29 - May 1,
Memphis
Events at this monthlong celebration include
the Beale Street Music Festival,
International Salute to Belgium, World
Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest,
and Sunset Symphony. CONTACT:
901-525-4611, memphisinmay.org
Dumplin’ Days – April 30, Fiddlers
Grove, Lebanon
Come and experience storytelling, fun for
the kids, old time games, corn hole contest,
dumplin’ cook-off, live music, an antique car
exhibit and much more. There’s something
for every member of the family at this free
event. CONTACT: 615-444-5503
Franklin Main Street Festival –
April 30-May 1, Franklin
Free street festival with 220 arts/crafts
booths, four stages, two carnivals and three
food courts. CONTACT: 615-591-8500,
historicfranklin.com
MAY
West Tennessee Strawberry
Festival – May 1-7, Humboldt
In its 74th year, this festival includes
parades, live entertainment, barbecue cook-
off, concerts, fireworks, and more.
CONTACT: 731-784-1842, wtsf.org
Storytelling Live! – May 3-October
29, Jonesborough
Storytellers from across the United States
will share stories and entertain guests.
CONTACT: International Storytelling Center,
800-952-8392, storytellingcenter.net
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tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 45
 Townsend Spring Festival and Old
Elvis Presley Car Show at Graceland – May 27-29, Memphis Timers Day – May 6-7, Townsend
The special three-day event, which will be free to the public, will be filled with a A fun celebration of bluegrass music, arts
festival atmosphere complete with music, food and an impressive display of classic and crafts, BBQ, Appalachian skills and
cars for visitors to see and enjoy. Hundreds of classic automobiles from car clubs the beauty of the Smokies in the
across North America will be on display throughout the 70 acres that surround Elvis springtime. CONTACT: 865-448-6134,
Presley’s Graceland. CONTACT: 800-238-2010, elvis.com smokymountains.org

Winchester’s International
Dogwood Festival – May 6-8,
Winchester
Features two stages of entertainment
featuring the Burning Las Vegas Show,
Arron Tippin and the Road Hammers,
gigantic kidz zone, evening parade, dog
show, Youthfest Battle of the Bands,
cruise in, car show, and more.
CONTACT: 866-967-2532,
winchesterdogwoodfestival.com

Spring on the Mountain Dogwood

Serving All of
Middle Tennessee
Storm Damage Restoration
Toll-free: (877) 288-9977
www.willowworkstn.com
Festival – May 7, Monterey
An excursion train arrives from the
Tennessee Central Railway Museum out of
Nashville. Train Rides from Downtown
Monterey to the Crawford Branch and back
will be on sale. Craft and Food vendors and a
car show will line downtown’s Commercial
Ave. CONTACT: 931-239-3318, montereytn.com
Blooms Days – May 7-8, UT
Gardens, Knoxville
Unique garden goods, dozens of
workshops, live musical performances,
children’s activities and more make
Blooms Days a great destination for more
than just gardeners. The event will run
Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and
Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Admission
is $6 for adults, free for children 12 and
under. CONTACT: 865-974-8265, http://
utgardens.tennessee.edu

70th Annual Running Of The

OFFICIAL NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETINGS Iroquois Steeplechase – May 14,
TENNESSEE FARMERS INSURANCE COMPANIES Nashville
This is the nation’s oldest continuously run,
Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, Tennessee Farmers weight-for-age steeplechase. Picnicking and
tailgating. CONTACT: 800-619-4802,
Life Insurance Company and Tennessee Farmers Assurance Company iroquoissteeplechase.org
will hold their annual meetings on Friday, March 25, 2011, at the
Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin, Tennessee, beginning at
10:00 a.m. (Central Time). Tennessee Polk Salad Festival –
May 14, Riverfront Park, Harriman
The meetings are for policyholders of Tennessee Farmers Mutual Enjoy a day filled with bluegrass music,
antique cars, crafts vendors, Miss Polk
Insurance Company and stockholders of Tennessee Farmers Life Salad Pageant and other contests. And of
Insurance Company and Tennessee Farmers Assurance Company. course plenty of poke salet to taste.
CONTACT: 865-882-8867

46 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org

37th Annual Festival of British &
Appalachian Culture – May 14-15,
Rugby
Join us in celebration of our British Isles and
Appalachian Heritage. Music & dancing,

Shannon Cherry

Samuel Hobbs
traditional arts and crafts, artisan
demonstrations and selling their wares.
Storytelling, historic building tours and
delicious food. CONTACT: 888-214-3400,
historicrugby.org

7th Annual Gatlinburg Fine Arts

Festival – May 14-15, Gatlinburg
This outdoor family event features quality
artists from around the country along with
Appalachian music from the area. Free
admission. CONTACT: 865-436-7484,
gfaf.net
Sevierville’s Bloomin’ BBQ &
Bluegrass – May 20-21, Sevierville
The largest event in Sevierville! Tennessee
State Championship Barbeque Cook-Off,
FREE bluegrass concerts from rising stars
and bluegrass legends, kids games, great
food and authentic mountain crafts.
Admission is free. CONTACT: 888-889-7415,
BloominBBQ.com
Highway 52 Yard Sale –
May 20-21, Highway 52 from
Portland to Celina
Starting at Highway 52 from Interstate 65 in
Portland and going all the way to Celina,
this is one huge multi-county yard sale!
CONTACT: 615-666-5585
70th Annual Middle Tennessee
Strawberry Festival – May 21,
Portland
Starting May 15 and going all week long,
the festival’s main event on May 21 includes
a parade, strawberry-eating contest, kids’
activities and more. CONTACT: 615-325-9032
Sheriff Buford Pusser Memorial
Festival – May 25-28, Adamsville,
This annual festival honors “Walking Tall’s”
famous sheriff and features good music,
food, and family fun. CONTACT:
731-632-4080, bufordpussermuseum.com
Granville Heritage Day – May 28,
Granville
Antique car, tractor and engine show;
bluegrass festival; civil war re-enactment,
storytelling; arts festival; craftsmen
demonstrations; crafts; children’s rides and
great food. CONTACT: 931-653-4151,
granvillemuseum.com
It’s Time to Enter the
16th Annual Tennessee
Farm Bureau Photo Contest
Pull out your camera and start snapping! Submit your best photos in
our annual contest, and you could be named the grand-prize winner.
To enter, fill out the form below and mail your prints to us. Or, visit
tnhomeandfarm.com to upload your digital photos and enter online.
Winners will be announced in the winter issue of Tennessee Home
& Farm. First-place winners in each of three categories will be awarded
$100 cash prizes; the grand-prize winner receives $200. Entries must be
postmarked (or submitted online) by Aug. 1.
Name_ ___________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________
City ___________________________ State ________ Zip _________
Phone ____________________________________________________
County of FB Membership __________________________________
Category: ❒ Agriculture ❒ Tennessee ❒ The Animal
Is Life Gardens Kingdom
Mail entry to:
Tennessee Farm Bureau Photo Contest
P.O. Box 313, Columbia, TN 38402-0313
OFFICIAL RULES: Only original photos or high-quality reprints will be accepted via mailed
entries. Color or black-and-white photos are acceptable in any size. Attach this entry form to the
back of the photo (copies may be made of entry form if more than one is needed). No digital
media storage devices will be accepted via the mailed entry option. To submit a digital photo,
visit tnhomeandfarm.com and click on the photo contest entry form. Digital files must be high
resolution – minimum of 5x7 inches at 300 dpi. To avoid legal entanglements, make sure
permission has been given for use of photos. Online entrants are automatically entered in a web-
only readers’ choice contest, which has no monetary prize.
We offer three categories: Agriculture Is Life, Tennessee Gardens and The Animal Kingdom.
Only one entry per category per person. Only Tennessee Farm Bureau members and their
immediate family (parents, children, siblings) are eligible to enter. Employees of Tennessee
Farm Bureau, Tennessee Farmers Insurance Cos., county Farm Bureaus or their families are
not eligible to win. This is an amateur photo contest. Professional photographers are not
eligible. Entries must be postmarked by Aug. 1, 2011. Photos will not be returned and will
become property of Tennessee Farm Bureau and Journal. Images may be used in TFBF
publications with photo credit given. For additional information, call Tennessee Farm Bureau,
(931) 388-7872, Misty McNeese, ext. 2211. For questions about the online entry form, call
Jessy Yancey at (800) 333-8842, ext. 217, or e-mail thaf@jnlcom.com.

tnhomeandfarm.com Home&Farm 47
 View From the Back Porch

Metamorphosis
Without change, there would be no butterflies

I
About the Author am not always thankful for change. I’ve into another shape entirely. What is so
Lori Boyd is a grown up with her my entire life and you’d admirable about metamorphosis is that some
freelance writer and think by now we’d be friends, but honestly, species of butterfly only live a few days after
enjoys working part time she gets on my nerves. Growing up in the Air emerging from the chrysalis. Others undertake a
as a registered nurse at Force, I learned the art of adaptation early on: long migration to warmer climates and live six
Middle Tennessee the ability to blend into new surroundings, to eight more months before starting a new life
Medical Center. Lori
relate to different people and assume life in cycle. Whether the butterfly will enjoy being a
loved growing up in the
Air Force but is happy to various cultures. Still, although she’s not a butterfly for two days or whether it will flutter
now consider Tennessee stranger, I wish change would check in with happily through a couple of seasons, it accepts
her official home. She me first before she decides to drop by. change for who she is regardless of her timing.
lives in Murfreesboro Now that I’m settled into life with my husband I think of my grandmother, who chose to fight
with her husband, Sam, and children I feel comfortable with my new lymphoma at the age of 85. Change brought
three children, ages 8, friend, routine, and I find I don’t really have the chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but it
6 and 4, and Murray, the
energy or interest in spending time with also gave my children the chance to build
family’s “change-a-
phobic” golden retriever. change at all anymore. Then I remember that memories with one of the most beautiful women I
although her timing for me is not always the have ever known. I am thankful that she, like the
best, change is the one who brings me the most butterfly outside my window, embraced change.
wonderful gifts. Meanwhile, as if reinforcing this While having an unpredictable friend like
very fact, I notice a butterfly outside my window change can be a challenge, imagine what could
and remember something I recently read: be missed if you only spend time with routine.
“Without change there would be no butterflies.” When change comes calling today, tomorrow,
I could learn from the butterfly’s relationship or years down the road, remember that she has
with change. Maya Angelou once said, “We a great deal to offer, not only for you, but for
delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely the others she will affect through you. I am
admit the changes it has gone through to achieve sure life is better for the caterpillar as a
that beauty.” How true! A butterfly is in the colorful winged work of art, and I can tell
fourth and final stage of its life. Throughout the you I feel happier myself just having
previous egg, larva and pupa stages, change has seen one.
been the butterfly’s only constant. I think the
larva stage would be the most enjoyable and
also the most likely pitfall for complacency. Life
there is about staying full and happy and
getting new clothes every now and then, or what
would be considered “molting” by the caterpillar.
This is where, if change were to come
knocking, as the caterpillar I
might want to throw my voice
from the underside of the
leaf and say, “Sorry, no
one is home right now!”
But the caterpillar rather
welcomes change and begins
the arduous process of cellular
breakdown. This is not merely an express
facial; it is the mind-boggling transformation

48 Home&Farm |Spring 2011 tnfarmbureau.org