Fall 2010, Tennessee Home & Farm

Home & Farm Tenne sse e

tnhomeandfarm.com Fall 2010

From Shiloh to Stones River

Travel Tennessee Civil War Trails for a scenic state tour See video online

Gorgeous Gourds Have a field day at the pumpkin harvest display in Jackson

Breakfast for Supper?

This tasty, simple meal hits the spot any time of day tnfarmbureau.org

Published for the 654,762 family members of the Tennessee Farm Bureau

tnhomeandfarm.com

Home&Farm 1

Home & Farm Ten n e ssee

An official publication of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation © 2010 TFBF Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation tnfarmbureau.org

Editor Pettus Read circulation manager Stacey Warner Board of directors President Lacy Upchurch, Vice President Danny Rochelle Directors at large Jeff Aiken, Charles Hancock, Catherine Via district directors Malcolm Burchfiel, James Haskew, Eric Mayberry, Dan Hancock, David Mitchell state fb women’s chairman Jane May Advisory directors Dr. Joseph DiPietro, State YF&R Chairman John Chester Chief administrative officer Julius Johnson treasurer Wayne Harris Comptroller Tim Dodd

Managing Editor Jessy Yancey Copy Editors Lisa Battles, Joyce Caruthers, Jill Wyatt

Editor’s note

Pettus on YouTube?

Over the past 18 months, Tennessee Home & Farm has gone social.

We’ve joined Twitter and Facebook, where we can interact directly with you, the reader – ask questions, post photos and more. Our e-newsletter allows us to send you stories, recipes and exclusive giveaways every month, instead of just four times a year. We even made our photo contest more social this year – you could vote online for a special readers’ choice gallery, which will be up online with our Winter issue.

We’ve also launched a YouTube channel, where you can see all of our videos. But the channel is also home to some online-only videos, such as Pettus Read giving lessons on how to make a ‘mater saminch.

So many of you wrote in to tell us how you related to his specifications on how to properly enjoy true Tennessee-grown tomatoes (read some of your letters on page 4) that we decided to make a video about it. So even though tomato season has ended, you can still reminisce right along with Pettus at www.youtube.com/tnhomeandfarm.

Proofreading Manager Raven Petty Content Coordinators Jennifer Graves, Erica Hines

Jessy Yancey, managing editor thaf@jnlcom.com

Contributing Writers Melissa Burniston, Catherine Darnell, Susan Hamilton, Helen Kelly, Anthony Kimbrough, Jessica Mozo, Cassandra M. Vanhooser, Jessica Walker Media Technology Director Christina Carden Senior Graphic Designers Laura Gallagher, Vikki Williams Media Technology Analysts Chandra Bradshaw, Yamel Hall, Alison Hunter, Marcus Snyder

At a Glance/A sampling of destinations in this issue

Photography Director Jeffrey S. Otto Senior Photographers Jeff Adkins, Brian McCord Staff Photographers Todd Bennett, Antony Boshier Web Designer Leigh Guarin Ad Production Manager Katie Middendorf Ad Traffic Assistants Marcia Millar, Patricia Moisan

4/Jackson

1/Lewisburg

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR Yancey Bond I.T. Service technician Ryan Sweeney

3/Grand Junction

2/Cleveland

Accounting Diana Guzman, Maria McFarland, Lisa Owens Sales support manager Cindy Hall Sales Support, custom division Rachael Goldsberry office manager Shelly Miller

1/ Celebrate the fainting goats of Marshall County at the Goats, Music & More Festival in Lewisburg page 6

executive secretary Kristy Duncan receptionist Linda Bishop Chairman Greg Thurman

2/ Bring home apples, cider and fried pies from Apple Valley Orchard in Cleveland page 7

President/Publisher Bob Schwartzman Executive Vice President Ray Langen Sr. V.P./SALES Todd Potter, Carla Thurman sr. V.P./operations Casey Hester

3 / Help support the restoration of the century-old Stencil House in Grand Junction page 8

V.P./custom publishing Kim Newsom V.P./Visual Content Mark Forester V.p./Content development Teree Caruthers v.p./content operations Natasha Lorens

4 / See thousands of pumpkins, squash and gourds at the UT Pumpkin Harvest Display in Jackson page 14

controller Chris Dudley Marketing creative director Keith Harris Distribution DIRECTOR Gary Smith Custom Advertising sales Manager Tori Hughes Integrated Media Manager Robin Robertson Tennessee Home & Farm is produced for the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation by Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080.

All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reprduced in whole or in part without written consent.

Magazine Publishers of America

Member

Member

Custom Publishing Council Please recycle this magazine

2 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

Tennessee Home & Farm (USPS No. 022-305) Issued quarterly by the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, 147 Bear Creek Pike, Columbia, TN 38401, (931) 388-7872. Periodical permit paid at Columbia, TN, and additional entry offices.

Postmaster Send address corrections to: Tennessee Home & Farm Executive Offices, P.O. Box 313, Columbia, TN 38402-0313.

Subscribe or change address Contact your county Farm Bureau office. TH&F is included in your $25 Farm Bureau annual dues; no other purchase necessary.

Advertising Policy For advertising information, contact Robin Robertson, (800) 333-8842, ext. 227, or by e-mail at rrobertson@jnlcom.com.

All advertising accepted is subject to publisher’s approval. Advertisers must assume all liability for their advertising content. Publisher and sponsor maintain the right to cancel advertising for nonpayment or reader complaint about service or product. Publisher does not accept political or alcoholic beverage ads, nor does publisher prescreen or guarantee advertiser service or products. Publisher assumes no liability for products or services advertised in Tennessee Home & Farm.

tnfarmbureau.org

Table of Contents Features 8 / The Drawings on the Wall Stencil House moved 100 miles to ensure historical preservation

12 / Father Nature

Winchester nursery owner protects plant and animal species

14 / Gorgeous Gourds

Have a field day at the UT Pumpkin Harvest Display

18 / Breakfast for Supper?

Tasty, simple meal hits the spot no matter the time of day

38 / If These Trails Could Talk Civil War Trails program sends tourists on a scenic state tour from Shiloh to Stones River

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12 24

Departments 5 / Read All About It

What do you call “going to town” if you already live there?

6 / Short Rows

Makin’ bacon more pop-ular

24 / Country Classics

Green chili rice casserole

29 / Restaurant Review Jim Oliver’s Smoke House

30 / Gardening

A dogwood for every season

33 / Farmside Chat

38

Meet Shawn Duren

35 / To Good Health

Puppy dogs, warm cookies and health-care coverage values

36 / Farm Bureau Almanac Home & Farm Radio wins award

42/ Events & Festivals

Things to do, places to see

48 / View From the Back Porch How do oats, peas, beans and barley grow?

On the Cover Photo by Jeff Adkins, Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro tnhomeandfarm.com

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From Our Readers

online

Tenne sse e

FOOD & Recipes

TRAVEL

HOME & GARDEN

TENNESSEE LIVING

tnhomeandfarm.com > Video

’Mater Saminches Watch Pettus pick out a ripe, juicy Tennessee tomato at the farmers market and follow him back to the kitchen to make a ’mater saminch.

After watching the video, let us know what you think. What kind of ’maters do you prefer, and do you go for Miracle Whip or mayonnaise? Send us your feedback on Facebook, or email us at thaf@jnlcom.com.

Food & Recipes

Home & Garden

Find fall favorites such as Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, Apple Crisp and the Best Pumpkin Pie.

Learn what garden work to accomplish this autumn that will pay off in spades come spring.

Travel

Tennessee Living

Find a Tennessee quilt barn trail to follow in the East Tennessee mountains, along the Upper Cumberland or out in West Tennessee.

Watch a video of East Tennessee dulcimer player Mike Clemmer, and learn how to get one of those musical instruments of your own.

Mad About ‘Maters After coming in from tending my garden, I saw Tennessee Home & Farm in my stack of bills. I thought I would thumb through it while finishing supper.

I didn’t make it past the second page before I had to send an e-mail.

Born and raised in Tennessee, I truly appreciate knowing that my mama’s ’mater sandwich recipe is still the same as others. When the ’maters start coming in around July, it is time to make ’mater juice, stewed ’maters and spaghetti sauce. While we are not gorging our faces with whole ’maters like apples, we help ourselves to a delicious ’mater sandwich that is only good if it hits your elbows.

Amanda Estep, Gainesboro Love the article by Mr. Read. Took me back to the old Mississippi farm a bunch of years ago. In the “real” South we didn’t use mayonnaise – we used may-naise made by Kraft ... Miracle Whip was a sweet salad dressing that sissified a mouthwatering delicacy.

We ate mater sammiches unlike you “northern” Southerners.

Please do not take offense to my corrections because they are offered only for educational purposes. My wife and I moved to Tennessee eight years ago to retire, and there has never been a moment of regret. We have yet to meet a person that we do not like.

Frank Woods, via e-mail

Only Online

Watch videos, find recipes, enter contests and more.

Stencil House Visit our video section to take a guided tour through the Stencil House, now located on Ames Plantation in Grand Junction. The historic structure, which dates to the 1830s, was moved more than 100 miles to be restored.

Never mind a ’wich of any kind. Us country gals just twist it from the vine, lean forward (to keep the juice from running down one’s clothes) and bite!

Grab a leaf from a nearby tree (to wipe one’s chin) ... and don’t forget to gather a few tomatoes to eat with squash casserole and fried okra at supper!

Sarah Jones-Johnson, via Facebook

Connect with us online!

Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/tnhomeandfarm Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/tnhomeandfarm Visit us on YouTube at youtube.com/tnhomeandfarm Sign up for the email newsletter at tnhomeandfarm.com

4 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

Questions, comments and story ideas can be sent to: Jessy Yancey, 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, or e-mail us at thaf@jnlcom.com. tnfarmbureau.org

Read All About It

Town & Country What do you call “going to town” if you already live there?

A

ll across this great state of ours, change is occurring in many ways each and every day. Some changes are the result of progress, others the result of detailed planning and many, just the result of time.

Change is going to happen whether we like it or not. And, if we don’t get on board with what’s happening around us, change will leave us standing at the garden gate without a clue of what is going on.

I grew up in the rural South during the 1950s and ’60s at a time when change was somewhat slow. Of course, I was a child, and time seemed to always move slowly back then compared to today. Back then, change was something you did whenever something else quit working.

You got a different car because the old one died on the way to the store – not because the glovebox was full, the new models were out or your current color was no longer acceptable for being seen at the mall. Cars were members of the family and often were named just like a pet. We had Greenie, Gracie (which was gray in color) and “The DeSoto,” which had a wide back window that I could lie totally reposed in as we traveled along. I always enjoyed seeing where I had been rather than where I was going. This was before seat belts, airbags and child-restraint seats as well, which are good changes, in my opinion.

The DeSoto was built like a tank and was the SUV of those days. You could haul cow feed, hay, four coonhounds and a block of mineral salt with room left over in the trunk. I do remember that the seats were covered with a material that scratched the back of your legs if you were a kid in short pants. I guess that is why I hung out in the deck of the back window. tnhomeandfarm.com

We also very seldom ate out. In fact, us rural folks never ate out. Why should we?

We had three meals a day with great food prepared by numerous mothers who stayed at home and looked after us kids. There was no cholesterol, the food pyramid was basically three food groups, and with all of us coming from farms, exercise was something that everyone received plenty of without the need of health clubs. We only went to town on Saturdays, and everything you needed was located on the town square. I always wondered what term the folks who lived in town used when they had to go to town. If you are already there, you can’t say you are going where you are already at, can you?

With all the change we are experiencing today, our lives have greatly been altered from only a few years back. Every day it seems like we are going to town. In fact, town is now coming to us. We all eat out on a regular basis, exercise continues to be a health concern, and everyone is wearing a harness on his or her wrist from overuse of a mouse with his or her computers. Fifty-eight percent of farms have computers, 90 percent of all farmers use cell phones, and GPS technology has become a way of life for most of your rural population.

The only thing that fails to change is the paying of taxes. But, paying taxes is not always that bad of a deal. I sure can’t afford to build a road from my house to town all by myself, and I sure would hate to miss a trip to town. Yep. Change is going to happen. If you keep your eyes open and pay attention, just maybe it will not pass you by. However, I still wonder what town folks say when they have to go to town.

About the Author Pettus L. Read is editor of the Tennessee Farm Bureau News and director of communications for the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation.

Read More About It Read has collected his favorite columns into a book titled Read All About It. Part of the proceeds of the book sales go to Tennessee 4-H and Tennessee FFA programs.

Buy a copy online at tnhomeandfarm.com.

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Short Rows

2

1 1/ Makin’ Bacon Pop-ular October is National Pork Month and National Popcorn Poppin’ Month – both key ingredients in the Loveless Café’s Piggy Popcorn And I Don’t Share.

This sweet and salty marriage of caramel corn and bacon was created by Colleen Phelan, retail manager, and Jesse Goldstein, president of TomKats Inc., which owns the Loveless.

“I was fortunate enough to take an idea that was started before I came to Loveless and run with it,” Phelan says.

Based on the idea of bacon popcorn, the pair determined the bacon needed to stick to the popcorn so you get some in every bite. After several botched attempts, Phelan had a clever idea.

“My favorite meal of the day is breakfast, and I love when my maple syrup runs

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on my bacon,” she says. “I incorporated the syrup into the sauce, and bingo!”

Piggy Popcorn costs $6.95 a bag.

Buy it at the Loveless’ Hams & Jams Country Market on Hwy. 100 and at www.hamsandjams.com.

3 John Overton, a friend of Andrew Jackson, built the home in 1799 in what’s now the Crieve Hall neighborhood.

The structure has been restored to interpret Tennessee life from 1799-1833.

Learn about tours and other events at www.travellersrestplantation.org.

2 / Travel to Travellers Rest

3/ Fainting Goats and More

One of Nashville’s hidden historic gems, Travellers Rest Plantation & Museum was nearly demolished in the 1950s. The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America’s Tennessee branch came to its rescue and still has members on the nonprofit board that now operates the museum.

Thanks to their efforts, today Travellers Rest is the oldest historic house in Nashville open to the public.

Seeing a goat stiffen up and fall over may be cause for concern in some places, but not in Marshall County.

The county is known for its fainting goats, brought to the area in the 1880s.

These famous farm animals aren’t actually passing out; the breed suffers from a condition called myotonia, which causes their muscles to tighten up.

Each year, the city of Lewisburg honors this unusual breed with the tnfarmbureau.org

TN FARM FRESH

annual Goats, Music & More Festival, which celebrates other species of goats too. The free festival takes place Oct. 8-10 at Rock Creek Park in Lewisburg.

Find out more about the event at www.goatsmusicandmore.com.

4 / Leafy Labyrinths Tennessee has a new fall crop growing in popularity – corn mazes.

These a-maize-ing mazes draw thousands to farms across the state.

Fender’s Farm in Jonesborough has something for everyone. A familyfriendly maze offers a fun experience for all ages, while the haunted maze features the Field of Screams and Insane Inn to get older visitors in the Halloween spirit.

Other corn mazes include Honeysuckle Hill Farm in Springfield (Robertson County), Kelly’s Corny Country in Dickson and Todd Family Fun Farm in Dyer (Gibson County).

5/ Saving the Trees The American chestnut dominated Tennessee forests until a blight almost wiped out the species in the 1900s.

But thanks in part to the efforts of a UT alum, the tree could make a comeback.

Stacy Clark, a researcher with the U.S. Forest Service, is testing blightresistant trees that are 94 percent American chestnut and 6 percent Chinese chestnut. “The American chestnut grows straight and tall, is highly valuable and has highly flavored edible nuts,” Clark explains. “We want the trees to look and act like an American chestnut. But they have to have the resistance genes from the Chinese chestnut.”

While the work and research will take years, re-establishing the American chestnut will have significant economic potential for Tennessee, as well as an impact on other trees facing similar fates.

Read more about tree restoration at http://treeimprovement.utk.edu. tnhomeandfarm.com

TN FARM FRESH

An Apple a Day In 1996, Chuck McSpadden was walking through his family’s Apple Valley Orchards when he noticed something odd. The apples on the upper branches of one tree were twice the size of those below.

“I’d used a chainsaw to cut off a major limb,” he recalls, “and it must have messed up the genetics of the tree.”

Sure enough, the McSpaddens had discovered a new variety of Gala apple. They made some grafts, got a patent and named the cultivar after Chuck’s daughter, Caitlin. Today, the variety is sold by Stark Bros., the Missouri nursery that discovered the Red Delicious.

Apple Valley spans 40 acres and has more than 12,000 trees and 25 different varieties of apples. Galas are the first major variety of the season, ready around mid-August. Midseason brings Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Mutsu and Red Delicious, while Fuji, Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Stayman ripen later in the fall.

It’s a huge growth from the two leftover trees his father, Charles, bought from the Sears & Roebuck garden department where he worked. He enjoyed them so much that he planted more than 400 trees, and in the early 1970s started selling apples to the public.

Over the years, Apple Valley Orchards has expanded to include a bakery and gift shop, where visitors can buy fried pies, pasteurized cider and a family cookbook of apple recipes, among other items. The farm also offers wagon rides for $1/person, and tours are available on weekends upon request.

The McSpaddens are also involved with the nonprofit Cleveland Apple Festival on Oct. 16-17. The festival features a pie-eating contest, dessert cook-off and live music, along with other activities. Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for seniors and children ages 3-12, and the festival donates all of its proceeds to charity.

Apple Valley Orchards is located at 351 Weese Road S.E. in Cleveland, about an hour east of Chattanooga. From August to October, they’re open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 to 6 p.m. on Sundays, closing at 5 p.m. November through December 23. As always, please call ahead before traveling long distances.

For more information, call (877) 472-3044 or visit www.applevalley orchard.com.

See More online

Tennessee Farm Fresh helps farmers market directly to consumers. Visit www.tnfarmfresh.com to learn about the program and other local products.

Home&Farm 7

Tennessee Living

The 1830s-era Stencil House is undergoing restoration at Ames Plantation with help from cultural resource manager Jamie Evans.

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tnfarmbureau.org

Travel

The

Drawings on the

Wall

Stencil House moved 100 miles for preservation

Story by Jessica Walker Photography by jeff adkins

O

ne of the state’s most historically significant homes, the Stencil House is much more than a remarkably old structure – it provides a glimpse into early 19th-century Southern culture, serving as a touchstone to the past.

The Stencil House’s name stems from the stencil paintings on its interior walls. It was built in the 1830s, and stenciling was not uncommon during this time period.

“Stenciling is sometimes referred to as the poor man’s wallpaper,” says Jamie Evans, cultural resource manager at the Ames Plantation. “People had to make do with what was available. Their desire was to upgrade their living conditions, so they did what they could afford to do. At that time, wallpaper was very expensive and stencil painting was not.”

What is uncommon, however, is for a home this aged – approximately 170 years old – to have stood the test of time. “Stenciling wasn’t rare, but the vast majority of the stenciling done in this time period is no longer with us,” Evans explains.

The home was originally located just tnhomeandfarm.com

outside the city of Clifton, a small town in Wayne County in the southern part of the state. While in this area, the Stencil House was home to a variety of people.

“The Stencil House is thought to have been built by Nathaniel Johnson,” Evans says.

“From there it was passed to the Dillon family by marriage and then to Mrs. Jean Smithson, again through marriage.”

The home remained in Clifton until 2002.

Now, it rests on the Ames Plantation in Fayette and Hardeman counties.

“We were approached in the spring of 2002 by some concerned individuals about the Stencil House,” Evans says. “They wanted to know if we could help them save this house.”

The first step was to move the house to a safer, more protected area. “The house simply could not be restored where it was,” Evans says. “There was no one there to take care of it. It was already being vandalized, and part of the stenciling was being removed.”

After being transported about 100 miles southwest, the Stencil House arrived at the Ames Plantation and was placed in the Heritage Village with several other historic

House of History The Stencil House is located on the Ames Plantation in Grand Junction, Tenn.

For more information on the historical site, or to learn how you can make a tax-deductible donation to help the project, visit www. amesplantation.org or call Jamie Evans at (901) 878-1067.

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homes. Soon, the restoration process began. “Once we got it to Ames, through grant funding by the Tennessee State Legislature, we were able to restore large parts of the home’s exterior,” Evans says. “We rebuilt fireplaces and chimneys and repaired flooring and weather damage.”

So far, no new or modern additions have been made to the Stencil House – and Evans plans to keep it that way. To ensure the home remained as close to the original as possible, replacement windows and shutters were handcrafted, designed to replicate the distinctive early 19th-century style. “We have taken great strides in the restoration process,” Evans says. “We want to not just make the house sound again, but to keep the original integrity of the house intact.”

The next step will include rebuilding the back porch and reassembling the upstairs portion of the house. “As funding permits, we will complete the architectural phase of restoration,” Evans says.

“Then we will turn our attention to the stenciling.”

After 170 years of collecting dirt, dust and grime, cleaning the stenciling will be no easy task.

In addition, the paint must be stabilized. This project will be pricey, costing about $100,000 – money that the Ames Plantation does not currently have. The funds will be acquired through grants and donations, a process Evans is familiar with. “It took $10,000 to move the house, and all of that was donated,” he says. “We’ve received a huge amount of support from local businesses, local historical societies and interested parties. It’s a labor of love for a lot of people.”

Ultimately, the Ames Plantation hopes for the Stencil House to be fully restored so others can enjoy, tour and learn about the home. “Our objective is to share the house with tnhomeandfarm.com

the general public,” Evans says.

“The Stencil House is a Tennessee home, and it belongs to all of the citizens of Tennessee. It’s a part of the heritage.”

A few thousand people have already experienced the home through tours, but access is still very limited. “We must be extremely careful,” he says.

Though the Stencil House is considered a Tennessee treasure, its impact reaches beyond the state. “The Smithsonian Institution approached

the original family about buying the home, but they did not allow it,” Evans says. “They [the Smithsonian Institution] had a keen interest in the house and wanted samples of the stenciling in their museum.”

Coveted, admired and desired, the Stencil House stands as one of the state’s most historically significant structures. “The Stencil House contains the most complete form of stenciling in the southeast,” Evans says. “Tennesseans should be proud of it and glad it’s being saved.”

Honoring Heritage The Ames Plantation’s Heritage Festival offers an opportunity for guests to travel back in time, lead by approximately 130 folk artists, musicians, re-enactors and demonstrators. Almost all aspects of the region’s heritage are covered – from the pre-historic period through the early 20th century.

The nonprofit event typically draws between 4,000 and 5,000 people. “They mostly come from Fayette, Hardeman and adjacent counties,” says Evans.

“However, a few years ago we did a survey at admission and found that folks in attendance were from 12 states and 49 Tennessee counties.”

Focusing on educating individuals of all ages, the Heritage Festival emphasizes the importance of understanding and preserving the past. The event takes place October 9 at the Ames Plantation from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free offsite parking and transportation to the event site provided.

For more information, visit www.amesplantation.org or call (901) 878-1067.

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Tennessee Living

Father Nature Winchester nursery owner dedicates his days to preserving plant and animal species

Story by Cassandra M. Vanhooser Photography by J. kyle keener

D

on Shadow steers his F-150 along a bumpy fencerow on a farm near Belvidere, just outside of Winchester in Franklin County. His voice drops to a whisper as he searches the brush for his new Grevy’s zebra mare and her filly colt.

“They’re right down there,” he says softly, pointing to the corner of the enclosure. “They’ve got big, round ears and little pinstripes; one of the rarest zebras in the world. There’s the mother, and there’s the baby!

See. This is the reason I’m interested in Grevy’s zebras!”

Shadow supports more than 800 wild animals representing some 60 different species, a collection that rivals many of the country’s zoos.

Says longtime friend, Atlanta landscaper Gene Cline: “If it’s rare, and it doesn’t live on the moon,

12 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

Shadow has it.”

Shadow’s menagerie includes Bactrian camels, bearded pigs from Borneo, water buffalo, and six species of cranes. Capybaras, the world’s largest rodents, happily share their ponds with tapirs, distant relatives of the elephant. Shadow owns one of the largest collections of rare equids.

Among them ranges a small herd of Nubian wild donkeys, an animal thought to be extinct in the wild and found only in two other collections, all in the United States.

“I have people say to me all the time, ‘Why are you doing this? Why are you spending all this money on fencing wire and feed?’” Shadow says. “It’s a strain right now to feed and water 800 animals every day.

But if I don’t do it, who will?”

If raising and breeding rare animals is his passion, growing and

selling plants is Shadow’s mission. A fourth-generation nurseryman whose plant knowledge is encyclopedic, he founded Shadow Nursery in 1973 on 160 acres he bought with his father.

Today, his wholesale commercial operation is highly regarded by nursery growers and landscapers across the country for producing “new and useful” plants.

“I don’t ever say ‘rare and unusual’ because it makes people think they can’t grow these plants,” Shadow explains. “I have alternative livestock. I don’t have anything that is ‘exotic.’ If you use the word exotic, people think it is going to escape and populate the world.”

Like explorers of old, Shadow travels the world seeking botanical beauties to bring back to Tennessee.

Last year alone he visited Belgium, Holland and Japan. He personally tnfarmbureau.org

Tennessee Living

Don Shadow’s rare species of plants and animals include Yellow-Leafed Redbud, Bactrian camels and Ankole-Watusi cattle.

favors small, blooming trees, but slender, columnar plants rank particularly high on his wish list these days, thanks to a trend in the U.S. toward more compact landscapes.

“With the small landscapes, I am looking for smaller trees and shrubs,” Shadow says. “My Japanese friend said to me, ‘Shadow-san, I don’t understand you. You come from such a big country, but you come over here and you look for little plants.’”

Lucky for Shadow, there’s no finer place to grow things – large or small.

Belvidere sits on the state’s Highland Rim in the shadow of the Cumberland Mountains. Though nearby McMinnville ranks as the state’s nursery capital, dozens of growers have planted their businesses in and around Winchester.

“We’re in a transition zone,” Shadow explains. “We can grow for tnhomeandfarm.com

north or south, and we’ve got good soil. The more I travel, the more I realize what a nice place I live in.”

There’s an experiment around every corner on Shadow’s various farms. He keeps an eye out for chance seedlings and native plants he can tame for nursery stock.

New varieties of hydrangeas and viburnums grow in fields and wait to be potted, as do mildew- and disease-resistant dogwoods. Rows of Southern heirloom apples grow on a south-facing slope beside Shadow’s circa 1842 whitecolumned, redbrick home.

“I’ve got 149 varieties of Southern heirloom apples,” he notes. “Since I’ve gotten these, there are three or four of these that the parent trees has blown down or died. Now I have the only ones. We’re going to grow and sell these someday.”

The love of all things wild and wonderful drives Shadow’s work.

“People always ask me, ‘Which do you like best? Plants or animals?’ I say, ‘Which day?’ If we’re grafting or doing something with a rare plant, I’m more interested in that. If we’ve got a zebra or a camel being born, I’m more interested in that.”

Shadow dreams of one day opening a botanical and zoological park to share his favorite plants and animals with visitors from all over the world His plan includes an area called “Shadows of the Past,” stocked with heirloom plants and heritage animals.

“I love plants and I love animals, and I’ve devoted my whole life to them so the next generation can enjoy what I have,” Shadow muses. He likens his lifestyle to that of an art collector. “To me, plants and animals are living art.”

Home&Farm 13

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Home & Garden

Gorgeous Gourds Have a field day at the UT Pumpkin Harvest Display

Photography by J. kyle keener

E

ven if you’ve never heard the term “cucurbit” before, chances are you’ve eaten one, carved one and watched a Charlie Brown television special about a great one.

That’s right, cucurbits are pumpkins – and any other plants of the gourd family, including zucchini, cucumbers and melons.

But it’s the fall varieties – winter squash, gourds and, naturally, pumpkins – that draw hundreds of visitors to Jackson for the University of Tennessee’s West Tennessee AgResearch & Education Center’s annual Pumpkin Field Day. During the afternoon event, pumpkin growers can find out how to keep bugs, weeds and mildew off their crops, as well as learn about marketing opportunities for small farms and varieties far beyond your average jack-o’-lantern.

In fact, visitors can view more than 70 varieties of these fall favorites while touring tnhomeandfarm.com

the annual Pumpkin Harvest Display, the highlight of the field day.

We’re not talking your average autumn decorative porch display. A whopping 5,000 pumpkins, squash and gourds dot the complex in elaborate scenes, thanks to UT horticulturalist Jason Reeves, who is so widely lauded for both his pumpkin research and displays that he might as well be known as the pumpkin king.

Reeves and his team grow 80 to 90 cultivars on two acres at the center, with names like Tennessee Dancing Gourd, Caveman’s Club, Knucklehead, Bumpkin, Fairytale and Red Warty Thing. Reeves then creates intricate designs of greens, yellows, oranges and whites: a river of miniature pumpkins; a pumpkin house with cornhusk décor; long, skinny, snakelike green gourds; giant pumpkins that could serve as Cinderella’s carriage. These curcurbits are something you have to see to believe.

What To Know Before You Go For expert tips on growing your own, attend Pumpkin Field Day on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m.

However, the Pumpkin Harvest Display remains visible to the public through Nov. 29 at the West Tennessee AgResearch Center grounds in Jackson, which are open to the public seven days a week from sunrise to sunset. Learn more by calling (731) 424-1643 or visiting http://west. tennessee.edu.

Home&Farm 15

Tennessee Living

18 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

tnfarmbureau.org

Food

Breakfast for

Supper?

Tasty, simple meal hits the spot no matter the time of day

Story by jessica walker Photography by antony boshier food styling by kristen winston catering

T

ypically, there is no time to cook elaborate breakfasts in the morning. Whether you’re rushing to work, getting your children ready for school or involved in other tasks, mornings can be the most stressful time of the day. So, breakfast may be a bowl of cold cereal or a granola bar on the way out the door – at least, that’s how it usually is for me.

By the time I’m ready for supper, I’m craving something savory, flavorful and hearty. But I’m also tired and wanting my food on the table immediately, or as close to immediately as possible. This is where breakfast for supper comes in – a quick, easy-to-prepare meal that satisfies my tnhomeandfarm.com

hunger and quells my cravings. It’s especially tasty when I’m in the mood for comfort food; nothing else feels quite as warm, filling and, yes, comforting, as a delicious breakfast, no matter what time of day it is.

And while a traditional, simple bacon-andeggs breakfast for supper can hit the spot just right, sometimes it’s fun to mix it up a little. We’ve created a diverse menu, adding a few flavor-enhancing twists to the typical eats you might whip up.

So brew up your favorite decaf coffee – you do have to sleep tonight, after all – and treat yourself to the breakfast you wish you had the time and energy to make in the morning.

Hungry for More?

Visit the recipe center at tnhomeandfarm.com for more delicious breakfast recipes such as Country Ham and Cheese Biscuits, Blueberry Gingerbread Waffles, and Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Swiss Cheese.

Home&Farm 19

Food

Orange Strawberry Salad

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

3 cups hulled strawberries

12 whole plum tomatoes, quartered

3 large navel oranges, peeled and cut into chunks

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 teaspoon orange zest

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)

Toss all ingredients, then serve.

1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

This recipe calls for the usual peppermint, but other varieties such as orange mint and apple mint work well too.

20 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon fine black pepper Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Mix all ingredients and toss with tomatoes.

Lay tomatoes on a sheet pan.

Roast in the oven for 1-2 hours. Let cool before serving.

tnfarmbureau.org

Maple Brown Sugar Bacon

Breakfast Pizza

1 8-ounce package smoked bacon

1 prepared thin pizza crust (such as Boboli)

¼ cup maple syrup

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon brown sugar

8 large eggs

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and squeezed dry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix maple syrup, brown sugar and mustard. Place bacon on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush both sides with syrup mixture.

Bake until browned and crisp, approximately 30-40 minutes.

Go local with Benton’s Country Smoked Bacon from Madisonville, Tenn. Visit www.bentonshams.com for more.

tnhomeandfarm.com

8 ounces sliced mushrooms 1 small onion, diced 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided ¼ cup diced red pepper 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush pizza with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place directly on oven rack and bake for 10 minutes. While crust is cooking, whisk eggs with 1 teaspoon of the salt.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until soft and liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add spinach and heat about 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 teaspoon of salt to spinach mixture.

Add the spinach mixture to the eggs and mix well to distribute it thoroughly. Turn the heat down to low and pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Gently stir the eggs until just set and still moist, 3-4 minutes.

Sprinkle the baked pizza crust with half of the cheese. Spread the egg mixture evenly onto the crust, and top with the diced pepper and remaining cheese. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Home&Farm 21

Pinpoint Plus Security

Identity Theft Restoration & Consultation Services

(800) 598-9662 Free fire, burglary and medical emergency system.

No installation charge.

$950 value.

Water leak protection also available. Save up to 20% on your homeowner’s premium. Lower monitoring rates than competition.

Available statewide.

*36 month monitoring agreement required at $29.95 per month ($1078.20). Additional charges for water system installation and monitoring. Form of payment must be by credit card or electronic charge to your checking or savings account. Offer applies to homeowners only. Local permit fees may apply. Certain restrictions may apply. Offer valid for new customers only. Other rate plans available. Pinpoint Plus, LLC is NOT affiliated with ADT Security Services.

Cannot be combined with any other offer. Pinpoint Plus, LLC Tn. Cert. #. C-0332

ADT Security

FREE security system

$850 value • Included with your Tennessee Farm Bureau membership • Consultation and restoration services

Plus homeowners insurance savings and savings on monthly monitoring. Available only by calling:

• If you have been a victim of ID theft, call (877) 329-3911

(877) 832-6701

*You must be an active member of the Tennessee Farm Bureau for a minimum of 60 days to be eligible. Membership eligibility 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 charge to your checking or savings account. Offer applies to homeowners only. Local permit fees may apply. Certain restrictions may apply. Offer valid for new customers only.

Other rate plans available. Cannot be combined with any other offer. PowerLink, LLC TN. Cert. #C-0332.

Farm Bureau Bank Auto Loan Refinancing

Refinance your automobile loan and save!

• Save up to $1,365 in interest on a 60-month vehicle loan** • Special Farm Bureau member rates*

American Cellular

Activate a new line of service with American Cellular to receive your one time credit of $25 on your monthly bill • This offer is in addition to any current in-store promotions • Offer available only by calling (888) 653-8323 or visiting an American Cellular retail location

• Up to 100% financing

• Find the store nearest you by visiting www.americancellular.net

• Call (866) 645-8123 or visit farmbureaubank.com/tfbf to apply today

• No location near you? Phones shipped directly to your door for FREE

For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.tnfarmbureau.org/ memberbenefits or visit the TN Farm Bureau Member Benefits Facebook page.

By visiting our page you will be able to stay informed on new benefits, hear what other members have to say about these products and services, and will be eligible for give-a-ways from our affiliate partners. Prizes will include Choice Hotels vouchers, Enterprise car rentals, Farm Bureau apparel and much more.

Been hesitant to join the world of Facebook? There is no better time than now!

Looking for information on these benefits? *Some restrictions apply based on the make and model of vehicle offered as collateral. Loans are subject to credit approval. Rates and financing options are limited to certain model years and are subject to change 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 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 quoted by Bankrate.com. Banking services provided by Farm Bureau Bank, FSB. Farm Bureau Bank, FSB is a service to member institution that 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 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 AFBF does not own, is not owned by, and is not under common ownership with FB BanCorp or its affiliated entities.

*Offer applies to new activations only.

25% discount on accessories for upgrades.

See store for details.

Toll-Free: (877) 363-9100 Visit us online at www.tnfarmbureau.org/ memberbenefits *Offers subject to change without notice.

Country Classics

With Rice Is Nice Green chili rice casserole spices up side dishes

Want More?

Each issue of Tennessee Home & Farm highlights a selected recipe from Country Classics Volume II. Copies of the cookbook are available for $17 each, including shipping and handling, from county Farm Bureau offices, or by calling the Tennessee Farm Bureau home office at (931) 388-7872, ext. 2217.

24 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

when Paul does the garden work and Bettye puts up vegetables for the winter. They own three freezers, which stay full most of the time. Their children – Roger from Huntsville with his brood and Gayle Chandler with hers from just up the hill – come over for meals quite frequently.

Bettye and Paul will fix a pot roast with vegetables and maybe a recipe from her “whole slew” of cookbooks, including the Country Classics II. She loves those recipes too.

“They’re good, really good,” she says.

– Catherine Darnell

Jeff Adkins

P

eople from good country stock know about a good-sized vegetable garden – that’s where their family eats from.

And Bettye Bell and her husband, Paul, are no exception. Their two children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren love to eat vegetables – fresh, frozen or canned from the Bell garden in Franklin County.

“We cook mostly corn and beans, stuff out of the freezer,” says Bell. “They like the beans and corn and okra because they don’t have a garden. They buy their stuff, but they say this is better. That’s what they love – plain, old-timey vegetables.”

And, on occasion, a side dish that Bell prepares to go with those old-timey vegetables is Green Chili Rice Casserole, which is featured in Country Classics Volume II, published by the Tennessee Farm Bureau Women, now in its second printing. Bell can’t remember where she found the recipe – she guesses a magazine – but she’s been making it for some years now to serve with vegetables and meat.

“It was just a little different from the usual run,” she says. “It doesn’t have much in it, but it’s pretty good.”

Like most older Southern cooks whose children have flown the nest and, with them, the daily routine of three large meals, Bell doesn’t cook as much as she used to. She and her husband are retired farmers, having raised hay, corn, tobacco, pigs and cows in their prime time in the small community of Harmony, just outside of Winchester near the Tims Ford Dam. “I was raised in Harmony, and I never left it,” Bell says. According to her, the community got its name from a man who gave land for a church, which he named Harmony because he wanted people to live in harmony. “It just stuck,” she says. Do the people live in harmony there? “Yeah, they do,” she says. “It’s a real nice community.”

Bell and her husband are still active in that harmonious community. In fact, she has taken her Green Chili Rice Casserole to many a potluck supper, where it is warmly received. And the Bells are plenty active at home in the summer

Green Chili Rice Casserole 1½ cups uncooked rice (Minute Rice) 1 pint sour cream 1 can cream of celery soup 1 pound shredded cheddar cheese (or half American and half cheddar) 2 3.5-ounce cans green chilies Combine all ingredients except cheese.

Layer half of mixture in 9x13 casserole dish.

Top with cheese and repeat layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, covered. tnfarmbureau.org

tnhomeandfarm.com

Home&Farm 25

26 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

tnfarmbureau.org

tnhomeandfarm.com

Home&Farm 27

Restaurant Review

Business Is Smokin’ Y

ou might say Jim Oliver’s Smoke House in Monteagle is the quintessential American dream.

“My dad started in the restaurant industry in 1960 when he began operating a drive-in called The Beehive,” says James David “J.D.” Oliver, president of Jim Oliver’s Smoke House Restaurant & Lodge. “He had worked in the steel industry in Ohio and wanted to come back home. He couldn’t find a job, and he knew he could cook, so he borrowed some money to run The Beehive. He almost starved to death his first six months in business, but then it started to take off.”

Jim dreamed of creating a down-home, country-themed restaurant, and in 1975, he completed construction of the Smoke House.

Using his mother’s recipes for favorites such as country ham, pit barbecue, fruit cobblers and buttermilk biscuits, he gained a substantial regional following.

Today, the Smoke House is still drawing hungry crowds for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offers much more than dining. Situated on 20 acres, the Smoke House has become a cozy mountain retreat. It includes a lodge with 85 motel rooms, a large conference room, 20 fullyequipped cabins and a 10,000-square-foot gift shop filled to the brim with antiques, crafts, handmade fudge, old-fashioned candy, 14 flavors of barbecue sauce, jams and jellies, and an old 1920 player piano that’s a big hit with guests.

“We brand our own barbecue sauces, and make fresh fudge every day,” Oliver says. “The fudge has been really popular – we sold 7,000 pounds last year.”

Jim died in 2007, and now Oliver owns the business with his two sisters, Betsy and Nancy.

“Betsy runs the restaurant and has a lot of fun incorporating her own recipes with our old tnhomeandfarm.com

Staff Photos

Jim Oliver’s Smoke House in Monteagle draws hordes of hungry travelers

family recipes,” Oliver says. “We’re still serving dad’s pulled barbecue and ribs along with country ham, homemade biscuits, fried chicken and smoked roast beef, turkey and brisket. Betsy’s collard greens, turnip greens and cheese grits are always a hit, too.”

And save room for dessert – the Smoke House serves up six flavors of fried pies, including peach, apple, cherry, chocolate, pineapple and strawberry, topped with a scoop of homemade ice cream.

“We make vanilla and chocolate ice cream, and we make the chocolate by melting the fudge we sell in our gift shop,” Oliver says.

“We also make floats with our homemade ice cream, and we serve 30 different flavors of old-fashioned sodas in glass bottles.”

Guests often compare the restaurant’s atmosphere to Cracker Barrel, with its crackling fireplace, old pictures and mismatched décor.

“People always tell me, ‘Cracker Barrel stole your idea,’” Oliver says with a chuckle.

On Saturday nights, the Smoke House hosts a singer/songwriter event featuring local and regional talent called Music on the Mountain.

Inside the colossal Smoke House gift shop, you can find a cookbook of family recipes and gift baskets stuffed with smoked meats, jams and jellies, pickles and sauces.

Oliver says he loves carrying on his father’s tradition and the opportunity it gives him to meet passers-through. “Seeing people come back year after year makes them feel like friends,” he says. “It’s like inviting people into our own house – only bigger.”

– Jessica Mozo

The Dish on Jim Oliver’s Smoke House In each issue, we feature one of Tennessee’s tasty eateries, and you can find a collection of our favorite restaurants in the Food section of tnhomeandfarm.com.

As always, please call ahead before traveling long distances.

Jim Oliver’s Smoke House is located just off of Interstate 24 at 850 W. Main St. in Monteagle, about halfway between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga. You can learn more at www.thesmokehouse. com or by calling (800) 489-2091.

Home&Farm 29

Gardening

A Year of Dogwoods Beautify your landscape each season with a species of this flowering tree and shrub

W

About the Author Dr. Sue Hamilton is Director of the University of Tennessee Gardens. The gardens are a project of the University of Tennessee AgResearch program, with locations in Knoxville and Jackson: http://utgardens. tennessee.edu.

hen you hear of dogwood, most of us think of spring and our native flowering dogwood, Cornus florida.

But truth be told, the flowering dogwood is not the only tree in the woods. As many as 50 species of shrubs and trees claim the name dogwood. Some are deciduous trees, some are herbaceous perennial plants, and a few are evergreen woody species. The variety provides plenty of good choices for a showy dogwood in your landscape during each season of the year.

1/ Winter

Japanese Cornel Dogwood is a beautiful winter-flowering tree that is underused in the landscape. Cornus officinalis usually grows as a large, spreading, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub to a small tree up to 15 to 25 feet tall. In late January into February, small but showy clusters of yellow flowers appear. These blooms are followed in fall by showy red fruits (drupes) that are technically edible, but most would find them astringent. The variable fall foliage colors range from pale yellow to reddish-purple. The exfoliating bark is unique with its colors of rich grays, browns and oranges. Two great cultivars are Sunsphere, which flowers earlier than others in the species, and Kintoki, which produces a heavier bloom.

Another winter-flowering dogwood is the Cornelian Cherry Dogwood, Cornus mas. It, too, produces clusters of showy yellow flowers in late winter and red edible fruit in summer.

Golden Moss is a heavy blooming selection.

2 / Spring

The familiar Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, is probably the most prized of all dogwoods due to its large and showy spring blooms. Native to our forests, this once common tree has been threatened by a disease, dogwood anthracnose, which has decimated some populations. In cultivated

30 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

landscapes, however, it can thrive, and the small, deciduous tree typically grows 15 to 30 feet tall with a low-branching, broadly pyramidal but somewhat flat-topped habit.

Many cultivars exist ranging in flower color of white, blush pink, deep pink, to rosy red.

In autumn, foliage turns various shades of burgundy to scarlet red. Bright red fruits (poisonous to humans, but loved by birds) mature in early fall and usually persist until the middle of December. Choose cultivars that have improved resistance to anthracnose and powdery mildew, such as Appalachian Spring, Jean’s Appalachian Snow, Karen’s Appalachian Blush and Kay’s Appalachian Mist – all developed by researchers with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture – or Venus, which has huge bracts and Saturn, which is very vigorous, both introduced by Rutgers University.

Less well known than the Flowering Dogwood, but equally beautiful is the Kousa Dogwood, sometimes called the Chinese or Japanese Dogwood. Cornus kousa is an exceptional small landscape tree that produces a multitude of showy, long-lasting, flowers in late spring, typically just after the Flowering Dogwood blooms have faded. It is multibranched, growing to about 20 feet tall and just as wide. Older trees have a very decorative, mottled bark. Green fruits that replace the Kousa’s blooms turn to pink, then dull red in September. They resemble large solitary upright raspberries. The Kousa’s fall foliage can be a dark red or chartreuse, depending on the amount of sunlight received throughout the season. One standout feature of this tree is its incredible resistance to the diseases that plague the Flowering Dogwood.

Great selections include Milky Way, which has abundant white flowers with heavy fruit set; the pink-flowering Beni Fuji; and Blue Shadow with its white flowers and rich blue-green summer foliage that turns purple for the fall. tnfarmbureau.org

1

2

Gardening Tips for Fall

1. Begin planting

cabbage, kale, chard and pansies in late September or early October.

2. Order your

Cornus officinalis

Cornus kousa

3

4

bulbs and make sure they’re in the ground by Dec. 1 at the very latest.

3.

To make leaf removal less of a chore, rake them before they accumulate deeply or use a mulching mower to pulverize leaves into a fine mulch that can be left on your lawn if not too deep.

Cornus alternifolia

3 / Summer

Cornus alternifolia or the Pagoda Dogwood is especially striking in early summer when its layered branches are covered with small, creamy white fragrant flowers. Small, round fruits ripen to a deep blue-purple in late summer. Variegated selections such as Golden Shadow and Variegata (Syn. Argentea) make quite a show. The Pagoda Dogwood typically grows to 30 feet tall with a canopy spread just as wide. Cornus controversa, the Wedding Cake Tree or Giant Dogwood, is a similar tree that can grow to 45 feet tall. It covers itself in early summer with flat-topped clusters of white flowers that often exceed 6 inches in diameter.

Variegated varieties of the spring-blooming dogwoods also have great appeal during the summer. Cornus florida Cherokee Daybreak, Pink Flame and Rainbow are favorites, as are Cornus kousa selections including Wolf Eyes, Gold Star, Bon Fire and Summer Fun. tnhomeandfarm.com

Cornus florida

4 / Fall

Source: UT Gardens Newsletter, http://utgardens. tennessee.edu

Most dogwood species have showy fall foliage, but the twig dogwoods – all shrubs – are especially colorful starting in fall and lasting through winter. As they lose their autumn foliage, these dogwoods show off their striking bark. Red is the most common color, but some hybrids have bark colored yellow, orange and amber. Look for these species: Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus alba); Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea or Cornus stolonifera); and Bloodtwig Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea). All are fast-growing shrubs that form a loose, rounded, multi-stemmed plant.

They average 4 to 10 feet tall depending on cultivar, with a similar spread. They can be pruned in the spring if shorter, more compact plants are desired. These dogwoods produce small, white flowers in late spring, but the colorful stems are what really make a show in the landscape.

Home&Farm 31

Farmside Chat

Meet Shawn Duren Banker, farmer, agriculture proponent

Jeffrey S. Otto

are future leaders of our community, and being in this position helps me ensure it survives. My job puts me into contact with non-agricultural people, those three or four generations removed from farm life. They walk into my office and see plaques on my wall [related to] agriculture, which allows me to answer questions about them and steer that into agriculture in general.

A

stereotypical farmer is the embodiment of a hardworking, selfmade, overall-wearing man, planting his crops or taking care of livestock. A businessman in a suit, on the other hand, would bring to mind a banker or lawyer. But what happens when those two images converge into one? For Shawn Duren, farmer and financial whiz, merging his two fields was a natural way to combine two things he loves.

Duren grew up on a 200-acre hay and beefcattle operation, helping his grandfather work the land and tend the cattle. The love for farm life didn’t dissipate as he grew up, and after majoring in agricultural business and economics at the University of Tennessee at Martin, he returned home to farm and work in the financial industry.

Duren and his wife, Vanessa, an accountant, are active in promoting the agricultural industry in their jobs and community.

You have an “off-the-farm” job unique for a farmer. How do you correlate them?

I’m assistant vice president/loan officer for Community South Bank. I’ve been there for eight years. It was just a natural merging of two things I love to do. The values I learned from farming gave me the skills and ethics I need in banking. The farmers coming to me for loans tnhomeandfarm.com

Read More Online Get the rest of Shawn Duren’s story online at tnhomeandfarm.com.

Learn more about animal agriculture at www.conversations oncare.com.

What do you think is keeping or hindering young people from farming?

The capital it takes for a young person to get started in farming is enormous, and it’s very hard to get everything you need lined up. It takes a lot of financing: You need land, and if it’s not already in your family, it’s really hard to acquire it for a reasonable price. You need a product to sell, be it beef, chickens or row crops.

You need monthly income to pay your monthly bills from your loan company, the co-op, the electricity, etc. You need all of that before you even start farming, and then you have to hope your crop doesn’t suffer any catastrophes during the season. And we all know weather plays a major role in how the crops turn out for the year.

However, it’s not all negative; there are opportunities out there to become a producer. If you don’t already have a family farm to start out on, the USDA and the government have loan opportunities out there, and Tennessee has costshare monies available as well. The Agriculture Enhancement Program in Tennessee has helped in more ways than one, and for producers across the state. I would say the main thing is never get discouraged, there’s always someone out there going through the same thing.

How can we promote agriculture to those outside the industry?

The bottom line is we have to tell our story. We have opportunities through social media to tell our story to a considerable audience we couldn’t reach before, and set the record straight about what goes on in farming. Social media gives farmers a chance to tell their story about what they face everyday.

– Melissa Burniston Home&Farm 33

When you buy from local farmers you: support local economy, enjoy a fresh product and keep local agriculture viable!

(931) 388-7872 ext. 2763 www.tnfarmfresh.com

34 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

tnfarmbureau.org

To Good Health

A Touch of Nostalgia Puppy dogs, warm cookies and health-care coverage values

T

he school bus turned on its caution lights, began to slow down and then came to a complete stop on a rural section of Highway 246. The door creaked open, and out bounded a young boy, probably about 8 years old, who crossed in front of the bus to begin his daily home-from-school trek up a long, graveled driveway.

But he would not make the journey alone.

Waiting near the end of the driveway but safely out of harm’s way from the road was a small dog, who immediately greeted the lad with wagging tail, barks and pant-leg snips. The dog had heard the school bus in the distance and was there waiting when its owner returned home from yet another day of spelling tests, cafeteria food and playground scuffles.

While stopped in my car behind the bus, I watched this scene play out, and then drove away slowly to watch for as long as I could as ‘a boy and his dog’ made their afternoon reacquaintance while heading to their house.

Admittedly, it was a bit nostalgic for me, recalling similar afternoons when ‘a boy and his dog’ had been me and Prince, the partbulldog, part-terrier that greeted me every afternoon as an elementary schoolboy. And Prince time would usually end with snack time, which was most often something prepared fresh by Mother especially for me.

It doesn’t seem that such scenes are as commonplace today, because rural has become suburbia, live panting dogs have been replaced by video games, and fresh-baked cookies are ‘soft’ ones that come in a bag.

Who knows, had I hung around that afternoon to watch the scene completely play out, my nostalgia might have been shattered – tnhomeandfarm.com

the lad may have kicked the pooch halfway up the driveway and might have been home alone until nighttime. But if you don’t mind, let me enjoy my “Leave it To Beaver” recollection for a moment … Okay, thanks.

Times and things have indeed changed.

We at TRH Health Plans have changed. In the more than six decades since we began offering health-care coverage to members of the Tennessee Farm Bureau, we have evolved to be much more than just an opportunity for rural families. Thousands of Tennesseans now rely on us – and not (heads up, political comment coming) the government! – for their healthcare plans. They are laborers, farmers, professionals, self-employed and the retired.

They are families, single adults, children and college students.

We work hard to offer them choices for their health-care coverage to fit who they are and their budgets. Our members pay their premiums out of their own pockets. So yes, we’re a bit nostalgic, too, because we still believe folks appreciate value and hard work, and we work hard to deliver plans that offer ‘Big Coverage, Small Rates.’ More than 185,000 Tennesseans are part of our family now.

Even amid so much jabber about health-care reform, our family has grown. And we’d encourage you – whether for a family plan, a Medicare Supplement plan or individual coverage – to talk to us. You can find us the old fashioned way at any local Farm Bureau office in Tennessee, visit us electronically at www.trh.com, or call us at (877) 874-8323.

In the meantime, here’s hoping warm cookies and a puppy dog greet you upon your return home tomorrow.

About the Author Anthony Kimbrough is vice president of marketing and government relations for TRH Health Plans. His e-mail is akimbrough@trh.com.

For more information about TRH Health Plans, call (877) 874-8323 or visit www.trh.com.

Home&Farm 35

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.

∑

Home & Farm Radio The Tennessee Farm Bureau’s communications department received national recognition during the American Farm Bureau’s 2010 Public Relations Conference this summer. TFBF Communications Associate Director Lee Maddox and Assistant Director Melissa Burniston took home the national title for “Best Audio Feature Story” in radio competition with other Farm Bureau state organizations.

which may also be heard on numerous stations across the state.

It featured an elementary class from Winchester, Tenn., explaining their outdoor classroom used to teach the students about where their food comes from.

almanac

The winning radio program appeared on the organization’s daily Tennessee Home & Farm Radio broadcast on the TFBF website, 36 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

We invite you to visit tnfarmbureau.org to hear the award-winning Tennessee Home & Farm Radio program.

Farm Bureau Women There are a group of ladies in the Farm Bureau organization who stay really busy, and whose many efforts lead to great accomplishments for Tennessee agriculture.

There are 87 active county Farm Bureau Women’s (FBW) programs in Tennessee that work at both the county and state level to assist in supporting the organization’s goals.

Agriculture in the Classroom is a major project for many FBW group activities. Over the last year, more than 2,200 volunteers worked to provide a hands-on agricultural experience for more than 35,600 students, teachers and parents across Tennessee – helping them learn more about agriculture.

To learn more, visit tnfarmbureau.org and click on “Programs.” tnfarmbureau.org

Æ

Interested in Lower Interest?

There are a few things that I have learned over the past years: My parents were right 99 percent of the time; simpler is better; I’m likely to have less hair on my head next year; homegrown tomatoes are always better than those bought at the grocery store; and money isn’t everything, but having it is generally better than not having it.

With the current economy, most of us are looking for ways to save a few dollars and are taking advantage of the exceptional loan or financing offers we see on TV or hear over the radio. It’s definitely smart to get the best deal for your purchases, but would it surprise you that refinancing an existing loan could also save you money?

Refinancing automobiles, trucks,

boats, or other vehicles is typically not considered by most consumers.

However, if you stop and think about it, buying an automobile is the second largest purchase consumers make. That’s second only to purchasing and financing a home.

How can refinancing an existing vehicle loan save money? Let’s do some quick math. Assume that I recently purchased a pickup truck.

At the time, I financed $25,000 for 48 months at an annual percentage rate (APR) of 7%, giving me a monthly payment of $598.80. A few months later, I found a better rate and decided to refinance the same loan for 4.5% APR, which lowered my monthly payment to $570.17. That’s a

savings of over $28 per month or $1,374 for same loan term.

Now let me ask you a few questions: Are you a Farm Bureau member? Do you currently have a vehicle loan? If so, are you getting the best rate available? Finally, would you sacrifice a few minutes of your time to find out if you could cut your payment? Probably so, unless your last name is Trump, Gates or Rockefeller.

The Tennessee Farm Bureau is partnering with Farm Bureau Bank to offer its members competitive financing and refinancing on new and used vehicles. Farm Bureau Bank also provides low loan rates on boats, motor homes, and motorcycles, including Harley Davidson products.

Don’t waste time or money with an overpriced vehicle loan. If refinancing your current vehicle sounds good to you or if you’re planning to purchase a new or preowned auto, boat, or motorcycle, visit www.farmbureaubank.com/tfbf or call a personal banker toll free at (866) 645-8123.

– Bryan Wright

Æ tnhomeandfarm.com

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Antony Boshier

Staff Photo

Jeffrey S. Otto

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Travel

If These Trails

Could Talk Civil War Trails program sends tourists through scenic Tennessee hills and hollers

Story by Jessica Mozo

N

early 150 years have passed since the Civil War ravaged towns and fields across America.

But Southern pride still runs deep in the souls of Tennesseans, and Americans continue to be captivated by a brawl that happened many generations ago.

“We are fascinated by the idea of family members fighting on different sides and by the fact that Americans took up arms against themselves,” says Carroll Van West, director of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area in Murfreesboro and co-chair of the Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. “The war touched every county in Tennessee, either directly through the battles or through the families involved. The impact of occupation affected families not just in towns, but also on farms across the state. So many people have old family stories about the war that get passed on from generation to generation.”

Tennessee’s role in the Civil War was monumental, and dozens of the state’s battlefields and war-related sites have become parks and museums in the years

since. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development printed the first statewide Civil War self-guided tour maps in January 2009, sending Civil War tourists into the beautiful Tennessee countryside.

“With the approach of the Civil War Sesquicentennial – the 150th anniversary of the war – we expect the Civil War trails to be a huge draw for communities across the state,” says Noell Rembert, Tennessee Civil War heritage coordinator.

Rembert oversees the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development’s Civil War Trails program, which was established with the help of a federal grant in 2006. The program is responsible for placing historical markers around the state, highlighting Civil War events that took place in certain areas.

“New sites are continually being added,” Rembert says. “We have 141 historical markers in the ground with more applications being submitted.”

The Civil War Trails program provides structure for tourists traveling to the state’s war-related destinations. Another benefit of the program is more tourists – and more

See video

online

Almost Home View a video that tells the story of Tod Carter and the Battle of Franklin at www.bit.ly/tod-carter.

Tennessee’s Civil War Trails travelers can tour the Dicksons-Williams mansion in Greeneville, examine cannons at Chickamauga and visit a monument to Union Soldiers at Shiloh National Military Park. tnhomeandfarm.com

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Looking for autumn activities?

Go online to tnhomeandfarm.com where you’ll find a web-exclusive guide highlighting great ideas for fall food and fun.

www.visittnfarms.com

We invite you to visit a Tennessee Farm Stay an hour or

stay the day. visittnfarms.com

Bed & Breakfasts Cattle – Beef & Dairy Christmas Trees Corn Mazes Equine Activities Farm Tours Festivals Flower Growers Fruits & Vegetables (pick your own) Meetings, Special Events & Parties Orchards Pumpkin Patch Summer Camps Weddings Wineries

See website for locations all over Tennessee

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tnhomeandfarm.com

Jeff Adkins

Antony Boshier

tourism dollars – flowing into Tennessee communities large and small.

“By following the trails, visitors are likely to spend more time and money in a community than if they simply passed through. We look to the rule of twos: A visitor could spend two minutes at a historical marker, two hours in a town, two days in a region or two weeks traveling the state viewing the sites,” Rembert says. “It’s also a great way for communities to learn more about their local history and for visitors to learn about this turning point in our country’s history and how Tennessee played a major part.”

A major part, indeed. Tennessee claims the second-largest number of battles after Virginia, including some of the bloodiest skirmishes at battlefields such as Shiloh and Stones River.

“The Shiloh conflict in April 1862 is considered the battle that told all Americans that this war would be long, bloody and costly,” Van West says. “It was also a pivotal battle for control of West Tennessee and northern Mississippi. The battle further enhanced the reputation of General Ulysses S. Grant as a major Union leader.”

The Battle of Stones River at Murfreesboro was the deadliest of all battles in Tennessee with the highest percentage of casualties on both sides.

“At Stones River, the Confederate army under General Braxton Bragg missed an opportunity to level a decisive blow,” Van West says. “Stones River left the Union army intact and able to plan a series of summer maneuvers that would help it gain control of Middle Tennessee.”

Other milestone battles happened at Chattanooga, Franklin and Nashville.

“The Union victory at Chattanooga in late 1863 opened the door for the March to Atlanta.

Again, General Grant emerged as the hero

and moved on to command in Virginia, where he defeated Robert E. Lee,” Van West explains.

“The Franklin and Nashville battles, roughly two weeks apart in late 1864, crushed the Confederate army of Tennessee and left the Union in control of the entire state.”

The vast number of sites to see in Tennessee can be overwhelming even to the most well-read Civil War buff. Two great places to start are the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville and the Museum of East Tennessee History in Knoxville, which both feature outstanding exhibits about Tennessee’s involvement in the Civil War. “Next, visit at least four of the state’s Civil War national parks – Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Stones River and ChickamaugaChattanooga,” Van West suggests.

Still yearning for more? Visit your local convention and visitors bureau (CVB) to find Civil War sites in your area, and check out the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development’s website: www.tnvacation.com/ listing/civil-war-trails.

“It’s been great learning about the history of Tennessee during a time I knew little about,” Rembert says. “I’ve enjoyed visiting towns and counties across the state to attend trail marker unveilings and dedications.

There’s so much beauty in Tennessee, and it’s wonderful to witness it firsthand.”

On the Map Planning to take a tour of Civil War sites in the state? Tennessee Civil War Trails map-guides, which chart nearly 200 Civil War sites throughout the state, are now available at all 14 Tennessee Welcome Centers, according to the Tennessee Tourism Department. Visitors can also request the map-guides via www.civilwartraveler.com, www.tncivilwar150.com or by calling (615) 741-2159.

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Events & Festivals

Top players from across the country will compete in the National Rolley Hole Marbles Championship in Hilham on Sept. 11.

Tennessee Events & Festivals This listing includes a selection of events of statewide interest scheduled in September, October and November as provided to Tennessee Home & Farm by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

To include your local events in our listing, please contact them at (615) 741-7994 or jamielynn.thompson@tn.gov. Due to space constraints, we are unable to include all of the events provided, but additional information and events can be found online through the department’s Web site, www.tnvacation.com.

Events are subject to date change or cancellation; please call the contact listed before traveling long distances to attend.

SEPTEMBER Riverfest – Sept. 10-11, Clarksville

National Rolley Hole Marbles Championship & Festival –

Mountaineer Folk Festival –

Sept. 10-12, Pikeville

A weekend full of food, fun and crafts.

Features traditional mountain music.

CONTACT: 800-250-8611

Sierra Hull Bluegrass Festival –

Sept. 11, Byrdstown

This festival honors Byrdstown’s own child

42 Home&Farm |Fall 2010

Annual arts and crafts festival. CONTACT: 731-641-0269

Wings Over Halls Air Show – Sept. 11-12, Dyersburg Army Air Base, Halls

See magnificent warbirds fly in formation, maneuver through bombing and staffing runs, and aerobatics. Tribute to 65th anniversary of WWII and 9/11 victims.

CONTACT: Pat Higdon, 731-836-7400

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion – Sept. 17-19, Bristol

prodigy, Sierra Hull, a mandolin player who has played at the Grand Ole Opry.

CONTACT: 888-406-4704, dalehollow.com

The city celebrates its river heritage with a festival featuring musical entertainment, children’s activities, arts & crafts, boat races and more. CONTACT: 866-557-9006

Arts & Crafts Festival – Sept. 11-12, Paris Landing State Park, Buchanan

Sept. 11, Hilham This event features games for children, marble making, swap meet, tournament play, demonstrations, music and food.

CONTACT: 800-713-5157

Fayette County Cotton Festival – Sept. 11, Historic Square, Somerville Features demonstrations, vendors, music, car show, 5K run/walk, children’s events and more.

CONTACT: 901-465-8690, cottonfestivaltn.com

This event brings quality national, regional and local music to Bristol, “the Birthplace of Country Music.” CONTACT: 423-573-4898, bristolrhythm.com

Maple Lane Farms Corn Maze –

Sept. 17-Oct. 3, Greenback

Features a corn maze, musical entertainment and hayrides to the pumpkin field where people can pick their own pumpkin. Stay late and enjoy a huge campfire and fireworks.

CONTACT: 865-856-3517

Pittman Center Heritage Day –

Sept. 18, Sevierville

Clogging, bluegrass and gospel music, crafts, a benefit auction, genealogy records, and authentic Southern cooking will be available at the heritage celebration.

CONTACT: 865-436-5499, pittmancenter.com tnfarmbureau.org

Southern Fried Festival –

Sept. 24-25, Columbia

Annual event features food, activities and live musical entertainment. CONTACT: 888852-1860, southernfriedfest.com.

Townsend in the Smokies Fall Heritage Festival & Old Timers Day – Sept. 24-25, Townsend Visitors Center, Townsend

A celebration of the traditional music, crafts, and heritage of Townsend, Blount County and the Great Smoky Mountains.

Activities include bluegrass music, arts & crafts booths, antique tractor show, demonstrations and great food.

CONTACT: 800-525-6834, smokymountainfestivals.org

Buck Creek Trail Ride–

Sept. 24-26, Weaver Farms, Alamo

St. Jude Trail Ride benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

CONTACT: Kathy Moore, 731-617-1225, pantdrosran@crockettnet.com, www.buckcreektrailride.com

Heritage Arts & Craft Show – Sept. 25, Historic Downtown Square, Covington

Enjoy crafts, arts, quilts and folk art demonstrations, a kid’s parade, antiques, music and food. CONTACT: 901-476-9727, covington-tiptonchamber.com

Pace 27th Anniversary Antique Car Show – Sept. 25, Martin Methodist

More than 150 miles of yard sales, crafts, antiques, handcrafted quilts, produce, Southern foods, entertainment, parks and recreation areas, historic sites and more.

CONTACT: Ike Bonecutter, 931-243-3974, dalehollowlake.org

34th Annual Barbeque Festival –

Oct. 1-2, Chester

Barbecue, fun, talent, games, entertainment and much more. CONTACT: 731-989-5222, chestercountychamber.com

National Storytelling Festival –

October Unicoi County Apple Festival – Oct. 1-2, Erwin

The two-day event offers handmade crafts, entertainment, children’s area and the Blue Ridge Pottery show. The festival features more than 300 vendors highlighting arts, crafts and foods. CONTACT: 423-743-3000, unicoicounty.org

Octoberfest –

Oct. 1-2, Clarksville

Family fun European-style. Enjoy live bands and dancers, rides for kids of all ages, and German food. CONTACT: 931-624-5475, edelweissclarksville.org

Reelfoot Arts & Crafts Festival –

Oct. 1-2, Reelfoot Lake State Park, Tiptonville

Features more than 300 exhibitors, including artists, potters, carvers, jewelry makers and music. Savor delicious barbecue, fried pies, ice cream and more.

CONTACT: Anna Crocker, 731-885-7295, reelfootartsandcrafts.com

Oct. 1-3, Jonesborough

Peppered with the flare and fun of blues, poetry, ballads and banjo music, the festival encompasses a wealth of cultures, geography, and styles – a world of stories within one small, historic town. CONTACT: 800-952-8392, storytellingcenter.net

Gallatin’s Main Street Festival –

Oct. 2, Gallatin Courthouse Square, Gallatin

Arts and crafts festival featuring two stages of entertainment, large children’s area, vendors, and the Kansas City Barbeque Society cookoff. CONTACT: 888-301-7866, sumnercvb.com

Candlelight Cemetery Tour – Oct. 2, Gallatin

Actors in period clothing tell the story of Sumner County’s most colorful characters who are buried in the cemetery. CONTACT: 615-451-3738, sumnercvb.com

Heritage Festival & Antique Tractor Display – Oct. 2, Maynardville Event features a quilt and art competition, demonstrations of traditional blacksmithing, woodworking, soap making, food vendors, a cooking competition and gospel/ bluegrass bands. CONTACT: 865-992-2811, comeherecomehome.com

College, Pulaski

The car show features 38 classes under 1985. CONTACT: Brenda Edwards, 931-363-2585, pacecarclub.com

Mt. Juliet Pow Wow – Sept. 25-26,

Charlie Daniels Park, Mt. Juliet

Listen to the beat of drums while experiencing the beauty and passion of an American Indian pow wow. American Indians come from across the country to participate in the dance and drum competition. CONTACT: Cindy Yahola, 615-443-1537, mtjulietpowwow.com

Allardt Great Pumpkin Festival & Weigh Off – Oct. 1-2, Allardt

Crafts festival, entertainment, parade, car and motorcycle show, and the weigh off of giant pumpkins for world-record consideration.

CONTACT: 800-327-3945, allardtpumpkinfestival.com

Birds of Prey Program – Sept. 26, Tims Ford State Park, Winchester

Roller Coaster Yard Sale –

TSPS

Experience an incredible interaction with bald eagles, hawks, owls, falcons and even a very fun black vulture. Many of the birds are free-flying for an unforgettable “close encounter.” Includes a nature hike and exhibits. CONTACT: 931- 312-9174, tfeea.org

Sept. 30-Oct. 2, Celina

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Nillie Bipper Arts & Crafts Festival – Oct. 2-3, Cleveland

This outdoor arts & crafts show features more than 75 exhibits, with food booths, entertainment and handcrafted arts & crafts items. CONTACT: John Simmons, 423-614-8690

Natchez Trace Pow Wow – Oct. 2-3, Historic Leiper’s Fork Village, Franklin

Showcases the life and customs of American Indians. Experience traditional dances, storytelling, arts & crafts, traditional foods and more. CONTACT: 615-599-7347, natcheztracepowwow.com

Etowah Arts & Crafts Festival – Oct. 2-3, Historic L & N Depot, Etowah

Come and see some of the region’s best crafters while enjoying two days of live entertainment, fun and food.

CONTACT: 423-263-9475, etowahcoc.org

Tennessee Fall Homecoming – Oct 8-10, Museum of Appalachia, Norris

Fall Homecoming is one of the nation’s largest and most authentic music, craft, and folk festivals. More than 400 musicians perform on five stages. Features storytelling, old time crafts, pioneer activities, country cooking and more. CONTACT: 865-494-7680, museumofappalachia.org

Goats, Music & More Festival –

Oct. 8-10, Rock Creek Park, Lewisburg

Features concerts, fainting goat shows, barbecue cook-off, games, food, entertainment and more. CONTACT: Lisa Jackson, 931-359-1544, goatsmusicandmore.com

Heritage Days – Oct. 8-10, Historic Town Square, Rogersville The square provides a warm, welcoming setting for Heritage Days, which features traditional music, storytellers, dancers, and special events for children, demonstrations of pioneer skills and more. CONTACT: 423-272-1961, rogersvilleheritage.org

Liberty Square Celebration & Lester Flatt Memorial Bluegrass Day – Oct. 9, Sparta

Pays tribute to bluegrass legend Lester Flat with music, crafts, food, games and more.

CONTACT: 931-836-3248, sparta-chamber.net

Needles-n-Pins Annual Quilt and Craft Show – Oct. 15-16,

Bethel Springs

Handmade items including quilts, crafts, baked goods, baby items and decorative items.

CONTACT: 731-934-4541, redwood_linda@hotmail.com

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PurpleStride – Oct. 9, Chattanooga Fundraiser for pancreatic cancer features a 5K run and 1-mile fun walk at Coolidge Park. Food and entertainment for all ages. CONTACT: 423-894-2744, purplestride.org

Tractors and Trucks Fall Harvest Show – Oct. 15-17, Goodlettesville

Event at Long Hollow Jamboree with antique tractors, trucks, crafts and more.

CONTACT: 615-822-5504, tractorsandtrucks.com

Webb School Arts & Crafts Festival –

Oct. 16-17, Bell Buckle

A juried art and craft show. Includes food from around the world, storytellers and musical entertainment. CONTACT: 931-389-9663, bellbucklechamber.com

Fall Folklore Jamboree – Oct. 16,

Milan

Features more than 120 traditional folk artists, local bluegrass and gospel groups.

Demonstrating traditional skills such as soap making, blacksmithing, weaving, quilting and more. CONTACT: 731-686-8067, milan.tennessee.edu

tnhomeandfarm.com

Hatchie Fall Fest – Oct. 16, Historic Court Square, Brownsville

Local and regional entertainment, children’s activities and crafts, food, contests, and more. CONTACT: 731-780-5144, hatchiefallfest.com

October Sky Fall Festival – Oct. 16, Oliver Springs

This free festival showcases the making of the movie October Sky. Features a guided tour of the film sites, a rocket launch, living history demonstrations, antique tractor show, live music, children’s activities, storytelling, craft and food vendors, quilt show and more. CONTACT: 865-435-0384, oshistorical.com

Bean Station Harvest Pride Days –

Oct. 16, Bean Station

Celebrates the life and culture of the area. Crafts, food, entertainment and exhibits create a festive event.

CONTACT: 866-577-4222, graingerchamber.com

Belvidere Fireman’s Fish Fry –

Oct. 23, Belvidere

Lot of great food and delicious homemade desserts. Live bluegrass music featuring Tom Brantley and Friends, Rough Cut, Just Thrown Together, Golden Holler and The Belvidere Pickers.

CONTACT: 615-580-0708.

Mountain Makins’ Festival –

Oct. 23-24, Rose Center, Morristown

Experience this folk life celebration of the Appalachian traditions through music, dance, juried crafts, fine art, storytelling, regional authors, children’s activities, 8K run/walk and more. CONTACT: Sharon Pritchard, 423-581-4330, rosecenter.org

Upper Cumberland Gospel Music Spectacular – Oct. 28-29,

Cookeville Community Center, Cookeville

The Musical Spectacular features The Inspirations and The Primitive Quartet.

CONTACT: 931-256-0777

Pumpkinfest – Oct. 31, Franklin

This fall festival has arts & crafts, a children’s costume contest and activities, chili cook-off, and music. CONTACT: 615-591-8500, historicfranklin.com

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Support 4-H Youth Development To learn more, contact your local UT Extension office or the Tennessee 4-H Foundation. http://4hfoundation.tennessee.edu

(865) 974-7436 Find us on Facebook!

OFFICIAL NOTICE OF TRH ANNUAL MEETING Notice is hereby given to members of the Tennessee Rural Health Improvement Association (TRH Health Plans) that the annual meeting will be held at the Cool Springs Embassy Suites in Franklin, Tennessee, beginning Monday, December 6, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. through Tuesday, December 7, 2010.

Business at the meeting will include: • the annual membership report • election of the Board of Directors for the coming year • discussion of activities and service • other necessary business that may come before the membership Each member in attendance is entitled to vote on any issues discussed during the meeting and the election of the Board of Directors, which will occur on December 7, 2010.

Lacy Upchurch, President Lonnie Roberts, Chief Executive Officer Tennessee Rural Health Improvement Association

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NOVEMBER Springfield Christmas Sampler – Nov. 5-6, Springfield

Civil War Re-enactment – Nov. 13-14, Collierville

See over 2,000 soldiers in Blue and Gray re-enact the 147th anniversary of the Battle of Collierville at the Piperton Hills Ranch, 15 miles east of Memphis on Hwy. 72.

Cannons, cavalry, infantry, food vendors, period clothiers and crafts, and a Civil War Grand Ball. CONTACT: 901-545-3364

More than 100 booths with artisan crafts, holiday gifts and decor, homemade baked goods, food by local restaurants and more.

Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CONTACT: 615-390-4397

Chili Cook-off – Nov. 6, Newport

Get a taste of some great chili at this event in the Smoky Mountains. CONTACT: 615-390-4397

Trail Of Tears Re-enactment Walk – Nov. 6, Lawrenceburg

Trail of Tears re-enactment walk and social.

CONTACT: 931-766-0827

Veterans Day Ceremony –

Nov. 6, Townsend

Formal ceremonies include presentation of colors, musical recognition of each branch of the service and the release of peace doves. Re-enactors and vehicle displays identify military actions throughout American history. CONTACT: 865-448-0044

Host of Christmas Past – Nov. 12-14, Fayetteville

Festivities include storytelling, craft demonstrations, musical performances, activities for children and more. CONTACT: 888-433-1234, hostofchristmaspast.com

Foothills Craft Guild Fine Crafts Marketplace – Nov. 12-14, Knoxville

Fine crafts by Tennessee artisans. CONTACT: 865-691-6083, foothillscraftguild.org

Cannon County Country Christmas –

Nov. 19-20, Woodbury

Shop the merchants and enjoy refreshments, sales, door prizes, enjoy the revitalized square, dine at the local restaurants. Santa will be available for photos on Friday at 5 p.m. CONTACT: 615-563-2222

Christmas in the Country – Nov. 19-21, Lawrenceburg

There are crafts, quilts, stitchery, gifts, folk art, dolls, doll clothes, baskets, toys, breads, cakes, candies, pies and much more.

CONTACT: 931-762-4911

Centennial Holiday Show – Nov. 20-21, Franklin

Features more than 170 artists and craftsmen from a dozen states. The show’s emphasis is on handmade crafts.

CONTACT: 615-472-4271, ext. 2335, wcs.edu/chs/holidayshow tnhomeandfarm.com

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View From the Back Porch

Like Peas in a Pod do you know how oats, peas, beans and barley grow?

About the Author While Helen Kelly hasn’t forgotten her Yankee roots, she has been happy to call Tennessee home for many years. She and her husband, Larry, live in Ridgetop, just north of Nashville.

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B

orn and raised in a northeastern city, I didn’t know how oats, peas, beans or barley were grown, or what most of them looked like. But after marrying and nesting in Tennessee, I learned at least two things about peas and beans: picking and shelling them is not painless, and there are more varieties of these nutritious legumes than you can count on all the digits of your hands and feet.

As I recall, in my growing up years precious few kinds of peas and beans were served at our table. There were round green peas that came in a can. We didn’t call them green peas, English peas, early peas, or sweet peas. Just peas. We didn’t know there were other kinds.

And there were string beans. These also came in a can, except in the summer when we would get some fresh at the local grocery store. We liked to eat some of them raw as we snapped them. Then there were Boston baked beans, sweetened with molasses and brown sugar.

We had a large family on a low income, so sometimes there were cooked dried beans, too.

What kind? Just beans.

I could never quite figure out what distinguished a pea from a bean. Are the round legumes designated as peas? Recently I found some definitions on the Internet, from the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council. Peas are cool season legumes and more tolerant of cold temperatures. The pods grow on a bush, and they mature and are ready for harvest in 70 to 90 days. By contrast, beans require warmer temperatures than peas, typically grow in pods

on a bush, and mature and are ready for harvest in 85 to 115 days.

Another website informed me that peas have tendrils and beans do not, and the seed food storage structures (cotyledons) on beans emerge from the soil, whereas on peas they do not.

One site said the major difference between peas and beans is that peas have a hollow stem and beans a solid stem.

Probably the above information won’t change what we call these tasty vegetables. Oops, botanically, I suppose they are actually fruits.

I don’t think Daddy Jim (the children’s paternal grandfather) cared what they were called. Just give him a bushel of them to shell, and he’d sit, shelling away as he watched his favorite baseball team – the Cardinals – on TV. Nowadays we don’t sit and shell peas or beans in the kitchen or on the porch. Yes, we still grow them, but when we lost our labor force (our children) to college and careers, my pealoving husband suddenly felt the need for a speeded–up process to shell those proteinpacked legumes. With the semi-automatic pea sheller Larry created, we can shell a 5-gallon bucket of them quicker than we can pick them.

We just feed the moistened pods through the rollers and the peas or beans slide down to the waiting receptacle, with the pods dropping into another container.

Well, after more than two-score years in Tennessee, I think I know something about how peas and beans grow; however, I can’t say the same about oats and barley yet! tnfarmbureau.org