Spring 2009, Tennessee Home and Farm

Tenne sse e

Home & Farm tnhomeandfarm.com Spring 2009

CAMPING WITH THE CLYDESDALES Lodestar Farm lets kids interact with rare breed of horses

SEE TENNESSEE NEIGHBORS Win a trip to Huntsville

STATE FLOWER POWER

Nashville agricultural center showcases 40 varieties of irises SEE GARDEN VIDEO ONLINE tnfarmbureau.org

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Published for the 636,344 family members of the Tennessee Farm Bureau

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Ten n e ssee

Home & Farm An official publication of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation Š 2009 TFBF EDITOR Pettus Read CIRCULATION MANAGER Stacey Warner

Editor’s note

Contest Central

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jessy Yancey COPY EDITOR Joyce Caruthers ONLINE CONTENT MANAGER Matt Bigelow CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Batey, Carol Cowan, Catherine Darnell, Rebecca Denton, Susan Hamilton, Laura Hill, Anthony Kimbrough, Leslie LaChance, Kevin Litwin, Jessica Mozo, Ryan Vaden, Julie Vaughn DATA MANAGER Ranetta Smith SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Brian McCord STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Jeff Adkins, Todd Bennett, Antony Boshier, Ian Curcio, J. Kyle Keener PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT Anne Whitlow CREATIVE DIRECTOR Keith Harris WEB DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Brian Smith ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Christina Carden PRODUCTION PROJECT MANAGER Katie Middendorf SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Laura Gallagher, Kris Sexton, Candice Sweet, Vikki Williams WEB PROJECT MANAGERS Andy Hartley, Yamel Ruiz WEB DESIGN Ryan Dunlap, Carl Schulz COLOR IMAGING TECHNICIAN Twila Allen AD TRAFFIC Jessica Childs, Marcia Millar, Patricia Moisan, Raven Petty CHAIRMAN Greg Thurman

It’s that time of year again – the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping and everything is finally turning green. Spring is an inspiring season for shutterbugs – as illustrated in our photo essay on irises on page 16 – and we hope it motivates you to grab your camera and capture a picture-perfect moment for our 14th annual photo contest, which kicks off in this issue.

This year, we’re tweaking two categories to add Tennessee Churches and Things on a Fencepost along with the ever-popular Just Kids. We bet you amateur photographers can expand your creativity with these ideas. Learn more about the contest on page 7, and find our official rules and entry form on page 45 or on the Web at tnhomeandfarm.com.

Speaking of contests, how would you like to win a trip to Huntsville, Alabama? In addition to the fascinating exhibits and exhilarating rides at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the city also has botanical gardens, living history museums and much more. Read the story on page 28, and then be sure to fill out an entry form or register online for a chance to win one of two vacation packages up for grabs. Good luck!

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Bob Schwartzman

Jessy Yancey, associate editor thaf@jnlcom.com

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Ray Langen SR. V.P./CLIENT DEVELOPMENT Jeff Heefner SR. V.P./SALES Carla H. Thurman SR. V.P./OPERATIONS Casey E. Hester V.P./SALES Herb Harper V.P./SALES Todd Potter V.P./VISUAL CONTENT Mark Forester V.P./TRAVEL PUBLISHING Sybil Stewart

Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation

V.P./EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Teree Caruthers MANAGING EDITORS/BUSINESS Maurice Fliess, Bill McMeekin MANAGING EDITOR/COMMUNITY Kim Madlom MANAGING EDITOR/CUSTOM Kim Newsom MANAGING EDITOR/TRAVEL Susan Chappell PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Natasha Lorens PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Jeffrey S. Otto CONTROLLER Chris Dudley ACCOUNTING Moriah Domby, Diana Guzman,

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Lacy Upchurch (Columbia) VICE PRESIDENT Danny Rochelle (Nunnelly) DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE Jeff Aiken (Telford) Charles Hancock (Bumpus Mills) Linda Davis (Rutherford)

Maria McFarland, Lisa Owens ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER, CUSTOM DIVISION

Beth Murphy INTEGRATED MEDIA MANAGER Kelly McBrayer RECRUITING/TRAINING DIRECTOR Suzy Waldrip DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR Gary Smith INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR Yancey Turturice NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR James Scollard IT SERVICE MANAGER Ryan Sweeney HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Peggy Blake

DISTRICT DIRECTORS Malcolm Burchfiel (Newbern) James Haskew (South Pittsburg) Eric Mayberry (Hurricane Mills) Dan Hancock (Smithville) David Mitchell (Blaine) STATE FB WOMEN’S CHAIRMAN Jane May (Newbern)

ADVISORY DIRECTORS Dr. Joseph DiPietro (UT-Knoxville) STATE YF&R CHAIRMAN Mark Klepper (Greeneville) OTHER OFFICERS AND STAFF PERSONNEL CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER Julius Johnson TREASURER Wayne Harris COMPTROLLER Tim Dodd

Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation

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CUSTOM/TRAVEL SALES SUPPORT Rachael Goldsberry SALES/MARKETING COORDINATOR Rachel Matheis EXECUTIVE SECRETARY/SALES SUPPORT Kristy Duncan

CU S TO M M AG A Z INE M ED I A

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 reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.

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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.

TO SUBSCRIBE TH&F is included in your $25 Farm Bureau annual dues. (No other purchase necessary.) Stop by any county Farm Bureau office to join!

ADVERTISING POLICY For advertising information, contact Kelly McBrayer at (800) 333-8842, ext. 277, or by e-mail at kmcbrayer@jnlcom.com.

All advertising accepted is subject to publisher’s approval. Advertisers must assume all liability for content of their advertising. Publisher and Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation maintain the right to cancel advertising for nonpayment or reader complaint about advertiser 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.

Please recycle this magazine

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Table of Contents

Features 8 / Camping With the Clydesdales Lodestar Farm lets kids interact with a rare breed of horses

12 / A Trip Down Memory Lane Our Backyard Town B&B re-creates a simpler, gentler time

16 / State Flower Power

Walk among the irises at Ellington Agricultural Center

20 /Hide & Seek

Lynnville craftsman makes luxury gifts from American leather

22 /Eating Green

Go green for the environment, but also for good health

16 Departments

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4 / From Our Readers

Members tell us what they think

5 / Read All About It

New tiller turns garden into a rodeo

6 / Short Rows

It’s time again for the photo contest

26 /Country Classics

Mason jar magic with pickled peaches

27/ Restaurant Review

A little taste of heaven in Halls

28 /See Tennessee Neighbors Huntsville mixes high-tech, history

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34/Gardening

Horticulture is good for your mind

37/ Family Security

Making a stand for common sense

39 /To Good Health

Health-care costs can add up

40 /Events & Festivals

Things to do, places to see

49 /View From the Back Porch

Spring lambing brings a guest inside

ON THE COVER Photo by Antony Boshier Ellington Agricultural Center’s iris garden tnhomeandfarm.com

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From Our Readers Tenne sse e

FOOD & RECIPES

online TRAVEL

HOME & GARDEN

TENNESSEE LIVING

Stick Horse Mania “My Old Trusty Steed” [Winter 2009] by the enjoyable Pettus Read brought back many fond memories.

I, too, was reared on a tobacco farm and rode the trusty steed. But my greatest pleasure with the tobacco sticks was to build a playhouse by stacking the sticks log-cabin style.

Mud pies and cucumber dolls were made and played with there.

I feel stick horses and houses are now obsolete because they don’t require batteries.

Marjorie Wade Clarksville, Tenn.

Jacki Turner

tnhomeandfarm.com > PHOTO CONTEST

In Search of Images Upload your best shots of Things on a Fencepost, Tennessee Churches or Just Kids with our online photo entry form. See page 45 for more details.

Food & Recipes

Home & Garden

Plan a Sunday brunch with our unique breakfast recipes. You can also print or e-mail recipes, and add comments for making these dishes taste even better.

Find more spring gardening tips from past Dr. Sue columns, including rose varieties that require minimal care.

Tennessee Living Travel Sign up for our See Tennessee Neighbors giveaway to Huntsville, Ala., at the homepage’s online entry form.

Discover why Laura Hill thinks we should celebrate the new year in spring. Read this and more seasonal musings from our regular columnists.

Stick horses may be on the “extinction list,” but I assure you they’re not in our family. Our grandson Jaxson has been riding a stick horse for over a year now. He loves riding so much that when he comes to visit us, he is usually not here more than five minutes, and he has already gone to the toy room to retrieve Midnight, his trusty black stallion stick horse that resides at Gran and Papa’s house.

Jaxson spends a lot of time staying with us and literally rides him from sunup to way past sundown when here. He also has Misty that lives at his home, and he enjoys watching old DVDs of “Bonanza,” “The Lone Ranger” and “The Man from Snowy River.” His mommy says he thinks he is truly supposed to be in a Western.

Wayne and Tina Hopkins McMinnville, Tenn.

Only Online

Watch videos, find recipes, enter contests and more.

Lodestar Farm Check out our video section to learn more about the unique black Clydesdale horses and a great summer camp for children in Buchanan, Tenn.

Editor’s note: Many readers wrote us in response to Pettus’ column in our Winter 2009 issue, both reminiscing about their own stick horses, as well as reporting that active imaginations are still alive and kicking. We appreciate your comments, so keep them coming!

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.

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Read All About It

Springtime Show NEW TILLER TURNS GARDEN INTO RODEO hh! Spring has arrived with the beauty of its flowers and the sounds of garden tillers in the distance. Every backyard, open space and whiskey barrel is being filled, tilled and planted all across the state.

Gardeners are releasing all of their built-up stress from a long winter of reading seed catalogs and watching HGTV. These green thumbs are finally planting Big Boys, Beefsteaks and other “b”-named varieties of tomato plants.

I, too, have had that same desire this year.

Along with my fellow gardening friends, I spent the winter months seeking just the right place on my property to sink hundreds of dollars into the ground to grow $20 worth of produce over the summer. But, I also use the same reasoning used by other gardening enthusiasts as we write another check for more miracle dirt. I reason that it keeps us outside, and the soil is therapeutic.

This year I have gone even more in the therapeutic area of enjoyment by ordering one of those little tillers. After two deliveries

by UPS and three big boxes, I prepared to assemble the last garden tool I would ever need. I could have paid $30 more to have them assemble it, but not old country conservative me. I have tools, and I’m a man.

So, one Saturday morning in my garage I opened the boxes and poured tiller parts out for hours. It is amazing what those folks can pack in a cardboard box! The instructions had plenty of pictures, thank goodness, but the packaging was all vacuum-sealed and encased in bulletproof plastic. Why do they do that?

After using the Jaws of Life to open all the packaging, I began to put the tiller together.

I did real well with the engine assembly and only got the handles backwards. That required me to disassemble the entire machine twice to get them right. Finally, after a few bruised knuckles and three Band-Aids due to box-

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cutter-inflicted puncture wounds from opening the hermetically sealed parts, the tiller looked showroom perfect.

With the pride of a kid holding a brand-new bike, I gently carried my 20-pound, two-cylinder tiller to the backyard. With instructions in hand, I pushed all the buttons and gave the starter cord a yank. The little engine started to purr like a kitten, and I pulled on my form-fitting professional garden gloves like I was a racecar driver in the Indianapolis 500. I pulled down my JD cap over my eyes and gave the troll lever a squeeze to set the tiller in motion.

The little purring engine immediately started sounding like a giant hornet locked up in a fruit jar for two days. It roared with its entire might, and I suddenly noticed one mechanical failure on my part that was really making a difference. I had put the blades on backwards, and my little tiller had suddenly become a deranged kangaroo. I had it by both handles in a death grip, but it was bouncing so high that at times it would block the sun.

I wanted to stop it, but I had failed to read that far in the instructions. I had just read the starting part, so I was now tilling things that I hadn’t planned on tilling.

After a bouncing trip around the yard, my hand finally (and accidentally) hit the kill button on the handle. The tiller stopped, but the laughs coming from the sunroom window where my wife had been watching the “tiller rodeo” continued into late afternoon. My arms had become like jelly and, when I tried to remove my gloves, I had a problem of making my hands come together. I couldn’t even take my finger and touch my nose.

Since that afternoon, I’m tilling somewhat like the advertisement demonstrated. But next time, I think I will pay the $30 for assembly.

That seems more therapeutic than being the whole show for a “tiller rodeo.”

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

SEE MORE ONLINE

Read his weekly blog of country wisdom and wit in the Tennessee Living section at tnhomeandfarm.com.

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Short Rows

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Linda Craft

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Photo Courtesy of Richard Evans

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1/ Why Rockefeller Rocks The Rockefeller Archive Center online exhibit, “Their Bellies Are Being Satisfied: The Rockefeller Quest To Conquer Hunger,” shows the worldwide impact of Rockefeller funding for agriculture. John D. Rockefeller established the General Education Board (GEB) in 1903 “without distinction of race, sex or creed.”

Although U.S. colleges received grants for buildings, salaries and scholarships, the emphasis was to improve the rural South’s economy by educating impoverished farmers. Many were African-Americans who had few occupational choices due to legal and social discrimination, so the GEB hired traveling agents to demonstrate modern farming techniques and assist farmers with testing new crops. The

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University of Tennessee and Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial College both received GEB grants.

Visit www.rockarch.org/gallery to view the online exibit.

2/ Photogenic Farmers He visited with farmers’ families.

Ate their homegrown food. Walked their unpaved paths. Then, he shot photos.

Over the course of three years, Paul Mobley photographed more than 300 farmers in 35 states from Tennessee to Montana, traveling more than 100,000 miles across North America. In 2008, he amassed his striking images into a book, American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country.

The book has more than 150 photos and includes interviews by Katrina

Fried, who provides the farmers’ perspective on the struggles and blessings of life married to husbandry.

Go to tnfarmbureau.org for more information and a link to purchasing a signed copy at a discounted price.

3/ Commander Inn Chief It’s not the White House, but all three presidents from Tennessee stayed there.

The Netherland Inn of Kingsport was frequented by several prominent Americans, including Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson and James K. Polk.

The estate – now known as The Netherland Inn House Museum and Boatyard Complex – is the nation’s only registered historical site that was both a boatyard and stagecoach stop. tnfarmbureau.org

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TN FARM FRESH Developed in the early 1800s as a Holston River boatyard, the site was later bought by Richard Netherland and converted into an inn and tavern.

Today, the Netherland Inn Association owns and preserves the site, where it hosts special events.

The museum, decorated with artifacts and replicas from the 19th century, revives the frontier days of America.

4/ Send Us Your Photos!

It’s time for the 14th annual Tennessee Farm Bureau Photo Contest.

Bring out your cameras and capture all the springtime beauty around you. Be on the lookout for photos that fit in one of these three categories: Tennessee Churches, Things on a Fencepost and Just Kids. Category winners will each receive $100, and the grand-prize winner receives $200.

For more details, check out the entry form on page 45 or go online to tnhomeandfarm.com. Also, be sure to note the deadline change this year – all entries (whether online or mailed in) must be postmarked by Aug. 1.

5/ Fostering the Forests Smokey Bear has old friends in Knoxville, although fire prevention isn’t their main concern.

This year, the University of Tennessee’s Tree Improvement Program (UT-TIP) marks its 50th year of commitment to “faithfully improve and protect the forests.” Since 1959, UT-TIP has been securing forest animals’ winter food supply and studying ways to make forest property more valuable. The program also benefits landowners by improving the genetics, and thus productivity, of both hardwood and coniferous trees.

Striving to educate students from kindergarten up, UT-TIP is the oldest active forestry research program in the state. Visit treeimprovement.utk.edu to learn more. tnhomeandfarm.com

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Watch Your Garden Grow An entrepreneurial Giles County farm is doing its best to redeem the perception of chicken manure.

In 1993, Rollins Farm added chickens – more specifically, their eggs – to its stock of cows and pigs. With thousands of chickens roosting, Ed and Teresa Rollins soon realized the potential for using the birds’ waste as fertilizer. Their composting efforts led to a partnership with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the University of Tennessee Extension Service to develop a new product: R-GROW organic soil conditioner.

Through a closely monitored five-phase system, R-GROW is a mixture of natural waste and fresh wood shavings, blending carbon and nitrogen to emit as little odor as possible.

The conditioner serves as an excellent choice for top dressing and soil incorporation. According to customers, the nutrient-enriched plants possess brighter colors, higher yields and healthier appearances after R-GROW application.

Ed Rollins traded in his former occupation for full-time farming in 1995.

Now dedicating himself to ensure that his clients are fully satisfied with R-GROW and other Rollins Farms products, he seeks advice from professionals, collaborates with retailers and meets with customers face-to-face.

Ed and Teresa’s children, Debbie and Robert, also help run the farm, which is solely family operated. Established in the 1970s, Rollins Farm also sells fresh beef and honey. The soil conditioner contributes about one-fifth of the farm’s revenue.

Bulk and individual purchases of R-GROW are available at Rollins Farm in Prospect, and bulk can also be delivered locally. Learn more about how to order at www.rollinsfarms.com.

SEE MORE ONLINE

Tennessee Farm Fresh helps our state’s farmers market their products directly to consumers through an organized marketing program. For more information about the program and more Tennessee farm products, visit www.tnfarmfresh.com.

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Tennessee Living

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Camping With the

Clydesdales LODESTAR FARM LETS KIDS GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH A RARE BREED OF HORSES

STORY BY JESSICA MOZO PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFREY S. OTTO

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s sunlight peeks into the barns of Lodestar Farm in Buchanan at daybreak each morning, you’ll find Meredith Vajda mingling with a herd of handsome black Clydesdales.

“The first thing Meredith does every morning is go down to the barn to see the horses,” says Jim Vajda, Meredith’s husband and co-owner of Lodestar Farm. “She wants to make sure she likes the way everybody’s looking. They’re like her own children.”

Clydesdale horses, made famous by the Budweiser Clydesdales that appear in commercials and parades, are known for the feathery white hair on their fetlocks and are traditionally bay, or light brown, in color.

Black Clydesdales are a rare breed, with fewer than 3,000 living in the United States.

Meredith and Jim started breeding and selling the unusual black Clydesdales in Washington state in 1999. They now have 10 of the black beauties: Bootes, Arcturus, Raspaban, Nova, Spica, Keira, Dutchess, Kimberly, Domino and Kaylee. Lodestar Farm is also home to Kitalpha, a Gypsy Drum filly,

and Traveller, a Gypsy Vanner.

“We wanted a project we could do ourselves, and we considered miniature horses,” Meredith recalls. “But while vacationing in eastern Oregon, we saw a herd of black Clydesdales, and we were taken with their beauty and elegance.

They look very regal, and they’re gentle and smart.”

The Vajdas moved their Clydesdale farm to West Tennessee in August 2007.

“Jim wanted to retire and move somewhere where it would be less expensive to buy property the size we needed,” Meredith says.

“We looked at property in Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee, and found this 91-acre cattle farm that already had two barns on the property. It also has a 10-acre field of hybrid Bermuda grass, and we’re able to offer boarding here as well as horse training.”

To satisfy the public’s curiosity about their rare breed of horses, the Vajdas graciously open their farm to the public free of charge on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for openbarn hours, giving people a chance to get a

SEE VIDEO

ONLINE

Visit Lodestar Farm in our online video, where we see these unique Clydesdale horses in action and talk with their owners, Jim and Meredith Vajda.

Three of Jim and Meredith Vajda’s rare horses graze in a pasture at Lodestar Farm in Buchanan. tnhomeandfarm.com

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Tennessee Living

Meredith Vajda, top left, and her husband breed black Clydesdales in West Tennessee. They also run summer camps that teach children, such as 9-year-old Laura Whitby, right, about riding and caring for horses.

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close look at the black Clydesdales.

“We had 300 people show up at our first open barn. Most people who visit our farm say they’ve never seen a black Clydesdale,” Meredith says. “Having open-barn hours is our way of being a good neighbor. People can pet the horses, and if there are little kids, we try to give them a ride.”

Kids ages 6 and up can ride the Clydesdales and a whole lot more at Lodestar Farm’s annual summer horse camps. The day camps run Monday through Friday every week of the summer starting in late May or early June, and each week is limited to six campers so everybody gets one-on-one attention. In 2008, the cost of the summer camp was $275 per week.

“We have a curriculum for the week, and we do a little of everything,” Meredith says.

“We start off with lessons on being safe around horses, grooming a horse and having students learn what to look for in a horse.

Then we move on to leading a horse, trotting, bareback riding, basic Western and English riding, and trail rides.”

When the campers feel comfortable around the horses, they can even play games with them, as well as learn about bathing them, horse feed and horse first aid.

“We take clues from the students on how much interest and experience they have,” Meredith says. “Most are not horse owners, but I’m surprised at the number of kids who arrive with some horse experience. We only have two rules – everybody needs to be safe, and everybody needs to have fun.”

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for horses – and for animals in general.

“What they learn here can be applied to other farm animals and even dogs,” Meredith says. “The one-on-one interaction between the horses and kids is so important. It gives them self confidence when a 2,000-pound animal does what they ask them to do.”

For the Vajdas, the best part about the camps is seeing other people enjoy their horses as much as they do.

“We get a kick out of seeing a little 6-yearold kid control an animal that big,” Meredith says with a laugh. “Our horses are welltrained, so if you touch the back of their foot, for example, the horse will lift it up for you.”

Clydesdales originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages to carry knights in armor and arrived in the United States in the 1800s.

“The knights needed a big-boned, hearty horse to carry all that weight, and they appreciated the Clydesdales’ big feet because they were not likely to sink in the boggy land,” Meredith explains. “The breed almost disappeared from this country at one time, but Budweiser helped change that in the 1950s by offering free breeding to their stallions.”

Meredith and Jim – and all those who visit Lodestar Farm – love the black Clydesdales for their gentleness, intelligence and beauty.

“We love horses, we love this breed and we love interacting with them,” Meredith says. “Going down to see them at the barn is the first thing I do every morning and the last thing I do before bed at night.”

Visit www.lodestarfarm.com or call (731) 247-3220 for more information on Lodestar Farm’s summer horse camps.

Farm Facts

Horsing Around in Tennessee Our state ranks second in the nation for total equine numbers. That means more than 200,000 horses and ponies reside on 41,000 farms. Rutherford County is home to the most horses, followed

by Wilson, Williamson, Bedford and Marshall.

Tennessee’s most popular breed, quite logically, is the Tennessee Walking Horse, followed closely by quarter horses. The two breeds combined account for more than half the state’s total equine numbers, according to the Tennessee Agricultural Statistics Service.

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Travel

A Trip Down

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Memory

Lane

OUR BACKYARD B&B RE-CREATES A SIMPLER, GENTLER TIME

STORY BY LAURA HILL PHOTOGRAPHY BY WES ALDRIDGE

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hen most of us think about our backyards, decks, swing sets and flower beds come to mind.

When Mike and Cathy Barnett think about their backyard, they’re thinking old-timey barbershops, antique cars and a train depot.

Welcome to Our Backyard Town bed and breakfast in Martin, one of Tennessee’s most fascinating, one-of-a-kind destinations and a unique spot for a close-to-home getaway.

Located on part of what was once Mike Barnett’s family sawmill and farm (he still runs the lumber business there), Our Backyard Town boasts four acres of antique and new buildings. Together, these buildings recreate the look and feel of two towns of yesteryear – the 1920s on one side and the 1950s on the other.

In addition to a nostalgic trip back to a kinder, gentler time, overnight guests can enjoy comfortable pampering in two log cabins and a hearty home-cooked breakfast

by Cathy, an accomplished chef.

“We had no plans to be a bed and

Reserve a Room in Their Backyard Our Backyard Town is located at 520 N. College St. in Martin.

Call (731) 587-1918 for reservations, or visit ourbackyardtown.com.

Cathy and Mike Barnett opened Our Backyard Town, a “junk”-collection-turned-B&B, in 1998. tnhomeandfarm.com

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Travel

breakfast,” says Cathy, who admits she had never stayed in a B&B until she owned one. “We were just trying to entertain ourselves while our kids were in college. Some people hire psychiatrists; we just played in our junk in the backyard.”

That “junk” was the result of Mike’s lifelong collecting affliction.

Antique cars. Porcelain advertising signs. Relics from country stores.

Flea market finds, estate sales and lots of swapping.

As the collection grew, especially the cars, the Barnetts began reworking existing buildings on the property into display areas for their treasures.

People came to visit, celebrations of all sorts took place in the yard, and their tiny town grew and grew.

Eventually, people asked to spend the night, and word of the Barnetts’ bounteous hospitality spread.

They obtained their B&B license in 1998, but another year passed before any official guests were registered.

“I was worried – my grandmother was sure we’d be robbed blind,” Cathy laughs.

Today, two log cabins equipped with all the conveniences of a modern hotel room attract visitors year-round from throughout the country and overseas – and even from closer to home.

“I have to say it was one of the most wonderful experiences I ever had for an anniversary,” says Brenda Evans of Martin, who was treated to a night at Our Backyard Town by her husband. “It was very welcoming, the décor was homey and beautiful, and we were treated like royalty from the moment we arrived.”

In the backyard today, Clint’s Cut and Chew, a “man’s place” set in the farm’s old smokehouse, serves as an old-fashioned tobacco store and barbershop. A vintage checkerboard appears to have a game in progress, and an antique barber chair and tools look ready for a shave and a haircut.

In the old chicken coop, visitors

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enjoy a gas station with antique pumps, a 1950s diner and a vintage grocery store complete with screen door and a nostalgic array of groceries from rural general stores of yesterday. A 1920s drugstore contains an authentic soda fountain.

A tiny chapel seating 20 guests has become a charming spot for weddings of all kinds. And soon, a train depot, complete with toy train and antique four-poster bed, will join them.

“It’s like stepping back in time,” says Kate Miller of Knoxville, who spent several weeks at Our Backyard Town when husband Daniel was temporarily working in Martin. “The little details are amazing, right down to the canisters in the general store.

And the Barnetts go out of their way to make you comfortable.”

Perhaps the town’s biggest attraction is Mike’s collection of 27 antique cars, a hobby he began at 15. Among his collection is a 1911 Maxwell, a 1939 Packard Victoria convertible and a 1931 Cadillac LaSalle that once belonged to Hoot Gibson, retired NASA astronaut.

As popular as the buildings and vintage treasures are within, though, it is the Barnetts’ hospitality that keeps visitors coming back. Cathy modestly attributes her talent for making people feel comfortable to her mother and grandmother – and to a major change wrought by a bout with Guillaume-Barré syndrome that cost her the sight in one eye and impaired the other.

“I tell people all the time that we have plans for what we’re going to do with our lives, but we don’t know what God has planned,” she says.

“God gave me the gift of hospitality.”

She and Mike have never met a guest they didn’t like, Cathy says.

Apparently the feeling is mutual.

“People plan to come for a night and ask if they can stay another,” she says. “That’s the highest compliment I can get – that and when people come back to see us.” tnfarmbureau.org

2/3/09 12:10:35 PM

A cozy room in a log cabin at Our Backyard Town costs just $120 per couple per night, making it popular for anniversaries. Visitors also come to see the collection of 27 antique cars and many other nostalgic items, from collectibles to entire buildings.

Pottery on the Premises One of Our Backyard Town’s unique attractions is the hand-thrown pottery made on the premises by the Barnetts’ son, Clint Riley.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin with a degree in visual arts, Riley has exhibited widely at festivals and crafts shows, where his functional and decorative items have gained considerable attention.

Riley’s Six Toe Studio is named for his son, Kizer, who was born with six toes on his left foot. It’s a reminder, Riley says, of “the uniqueness of each of us as humans as well as each piece of pottery.” True to his mantra, no two pieces of Riley’s work are exactly the same.

Visitors to Our Backyard Town can watch him make his pottery, buy a piece in the gift shop, or order a custom piece with choices of size, color and glaze. To learn more, visit www.sixtoestudio.com.

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Photo Essay

State Flower Power In a peaceful clearing on the spacious grounds of Ellington Agriculture Center in Nashville, irises of more than a hundred varieties and colors pop up from the ground every spring.

“It’s kind of like a secret garden – not everybody is aware it’s there,” says Darnell Hester, vice president for Region 7 (Tennessee and Kentucky) of the American Iris Society and an avid iris grower on his Springfield farm. “You can see so many new and popular iris varieties on about one third of an acre.”

The iris garden is located at the end of a scenic nature trail and features a stunning white gazebo, which has made it one of Nashville’s most popular outdoor wedding destinations.

The garden is maintained by around 40 volunteer members of the Middle Tennessee Iris Society, an affiliate of the American Iris Society.

“We are responsible for weeding, fertilizing and replanting to

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keep the iris plants growing,” Hester says. “The society also has a flower show in May and an iris sale in July. Both are held at the Ellington Agriculture Center’s Jones Auditorium.”

It was the annual iris sale that prompted Hester and his wife, Judye, to join the Middle Tennessee Iris Society in 1989.

“We saw an ad for the iris sale and wound up buying some plants,” Hester recalls. “Now we have our own iris garden on our farm where we grow more than 1,000 iris varieties, including ones we hybridize.”

Iris blooms begin to appear in mid-April and reach their peak around the second week in May. Ellington Agriculture Center is open during normal business hours Monday through Friday, and admission is free.

Interested in joining a local chapter of the American Iris Society? Call Hester at (615) 384-6593.

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Photo Essay

SEE MORE ONLINE

Looking for more places to see irises?

Visit www.tennesseeirisfestival.com for details on the event in Dresden, or learn about Greeneville’s annual Iris Festival at www.greenecountypartnership.com.

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SEE VIDEO

ONLINE

For a virtual tour of the iris garden at Ellington Agricultural Center, visit tnhomeandfarm.com and click on the video page.

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SEE VIDEO ONLINE

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C

Learn more about Col. Littleton’s products from “The Colonel” himself at tnhomeandfarm.com. tnfarmbureau.org

2/3/09 12:16:10 PM

Tennessee Living

Hide LYNNVILLE MAN CRAFTS LUXURY LEATHER GIFTS

STORY BY CAROL COWAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD BENNETT

M

&Seek

Brian McCord

ost folks regard their family heirlooms with more than a touch of nostalgia, counting items of lasting value – whether sentimental or otherwise – among their most prized possessions. Since 1987, one Tennessee designer and craftsman has staked his entire business on that reality.

And he’s accomplished much success. “I got to thinking about family heirlooms,� says Col. Garry Littleton, proprietor of Col. Littleton, Purveyor of Fine Accouterments in the Americana Tradition. “There are no more swords, no more pearl-handled pistols, no more pocket watches. So, I thought of a pocketknife. If you had your granddaddy’s pocketknife, what would you take for it?

Probably nothing. And that’s where I started.�

In fact, every heirloom-quality knife the company sells is accompanied by a card bearing the story of how Littleton’s own grandfather gave his pocketknife to 9-year-old Littleton – a gift he still carries.

Today, Col. Littleton knives are crafted with mother-of-pearl and bone handles and Damascus steel blades. His knives, along with leather apparel and accessories ranging from picture frames to flyswatters, are sold at retailers, in catalogs and online, as well as at the Col. Littleton store in historic downtown Lynnville, population 327.

Company headquarters and works, including Littleton’s unique field-tent office and artifact-filled research and development department, reside on his Foxfire Farm on the edge of town. It might be easier to run the business from a metal building in an industrial park somewhere, Littleton acknowledges, “but the farm is part of the philosophy of what we’re about.�

A major Lynnville employer, the company gets its leather from a small tannery nearby. “We use all-American steer hide,� Littleton says. “If you want some fancy black Italian leather, you’ll have to buy it somewhere else.

We’re a brown company.�

Furthermore, all his products could have been made in 1890, he says, and some actually are based on designs of that era.

Many of the tools used to manufacture them have changed little in the past century.

Even “The Colonel� himself, sporting a handlebar mustache and flowing gray hair and speaking with elegant country wisdom, seems like a throwback to less complicated times. “I think everybody wants to believe there’s still a Mayberry somewhere where life’s simpler,� Littleton says. “That’s pretty much the way it is around here in Lynnville.

It’s just real simple.�

To order the leather products, call (800) 842-4075 or visit www.colonellittleton.com.

Quite Famous Some of the famous people who own Col. Littleton products include: s 4HE LAST FIVE GOVERNORS OF 4ENNESSEE s 0RESIDENT "ILL #LINTON s 0RESIDENT 'EORGE "USH s 0RESIDENT 'EORGE 7 "USH s !CTOR 2OBERT $UVALL s #OUNTRY MUSIC STAR !LAN *ACKSON

Col. Garry A. Littleton owns Col. Littleton LTD, which sells saddlebag briefcases, leather journals, belts, hats, strongboxes and other products in hundreds of upscale men’s stores, catalogs and online. tnhomeandfarm.com

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Food

Eating

Green GO GREEN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT ALSO FOR GOOD HEALTH

STORY BY JESSICA MOZO PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFREY S. OTTO FOOD ST YLING BY KRISTEN WINSTON CATERING

“

G

o Green” has become America’s mantra when it comes to reducing our energy consumption in the 21st century. But the slogan could very well serve another important purpose – that of our diets.

Leafy greens such as spinach, cabbage, kale and chard are readily available in backyard gardens across Tennessee (or in supermarkets, if your thumb is anything but green), and they pack a punch when it comes to vitamins and minerals. Iron, fiber, betacarotene and folic acid are just a sampling of the nutrients you can get from spinach and other greens, and that translates to health benefits like stronger bones, disease prevention and even a lower risk of developing cataracts.

Not sure how to turn greens into a flavorful dish you’ll actually want to eat? That’s where we come in.

Try combining chopped Swiss chard with savory garlic and onion, and simmer it all with

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rich chicken broth and plump, golden raisins.

Sprinkle on toasted pine nuts, and voila!

If spinach is your favorite green, whip up our Wilted Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette. Spinach leaves, grated egg and tomato slices are drizzled with a warm dressing made from balsamic vinegar, onion and spices with bits of crispy bacon.

You can even incorporate greens into soup, as we did in our Kielbasa and Kale Soup. It’s a chicken broth-based soup that’s chock-full of kale, a member of the cabbage family, as well as sweet yellow onion, bright orange carrots, fiber-rich cannelloni beans and sliced kielbasa.

Finally, for a salad with Chinese flair, try combining chopped Napa cabbage and bok choy with toasted ramen noodle bits, slivered almonds and sesame seeds. Toss it all with a homemade soy-flavored vinaigrette dressing, green onions, carrots and red pepper. You can even make it a healthy meal by adding grilled chicken or shrimp.

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Food

Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins

Wilted Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

2

bunches red Swiss chard

10 ounces baby spinach

2

tablespoons olive oil

4

ounces bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces

1

medium yellow onion, chopped

2

tablespoons olive oil

2

teaspoons minced garlic

½ small red onion, thinly sliced

1

cup chicken broth

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup golden raisins

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

2

1

tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Wash the Swiss chard and cut leaves from stem.

Coarsely chop leaves.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic and sauté two minutes.

Add chard and toss until wilted. Add chicken broth and raisins, and simmer until greens are tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and serve.

When adding the Swiss chard to the pan, it may seem as if there’s too much, but just keep tossing and it will wilt enough to fit.

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teaspoon sugar

1

tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1

tablespoon red wine vinegar

2

hard-boiled eggs

5

ounces grape tomatoes (about half of a package), sliced in half, lengthwise

Place spinach in a large bowl.

Fry bacon in medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about five minutes. Remove, leaving grease in skillet. Return skillet to medium heat and add oil, onion, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, two to three minutes or until onion is slightly softened.

Add vinegar and swirl to incorporate.

Pour warm dressing over spinach and toss gently to wilt. Sprinkle bacon over the salad, grate the eggs and top with grape tomato slices.

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Kielbasa and Kale Soup

Napa Cabbage Salad

1

pound kielbasa, sliced into rounds

¼ cup butter

3

tablespoons olive oil

2

2

medium yellow onions, chopped

2

carrots, chopped

½ cup slivered almonds

2

teaspoons minced garlic

¼ cup sesame seeds

5

cups kale, thinly sliced in approximately ¾-inch ribbons

1

medium head of bok choy (white part included)

1

medium head Napa cabbage

1

teaspoon kosher salt

4

green onions, thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

2

medium carrots, julienned

2

14-ounce cans cannelloni beans

1

red pepper, julienned

1

bay leaf

7

cups chicken broth

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté kielbasa approximately five minutes. Remove kielbasa and set aside.

Add olive oil, and sauté onions and carrots five minutes. Add garlic and sauté one minute. Add kale, turn to low heat, cover and let kale steam for four minutes. Add salt and pepper, then stir to combine.

Add beans, bay leaf, broth and kielbasa. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

This dish tastes even better when served the next day. tnhomeandfarm.com

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3-ounce packages ramen noodle pasta, crushed (do not use spice packet)

Vinaigrette Dressing: 6

tablespoons rice vinegar

4

tablespoons sugar

1

teaspoon kosher salt

1

teaspoon pepper

½ cup canola oil or light olive oil 1

tablespoon soy sauce

Melt butter in a skillet. Add ramen noodles, almonds and sesame, and sauté until toasted.

Remove from heat and set aside.

In separate bowl, combine vinaigrette ingredients.

Trim the bok choy three inches from the bottom and chop remaining in one-inch ribbons. Chop Napa cabbage in one-inch ribbons.

Add remaining vegetables to cabbage mix. Before serving, toss with noodle mixture and vinaigrette.

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Country Classics

Mason Jar Magic CANNING WITH ANN MORRISON IS JUST PEACHY

O 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.

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Morrison still lives on the family farm.

“It’s just in me,” she explains. “I’m an outside person. When spring comes, I love to run a garden tiller and love to mow the yard. I’ll be here until someone takes me away.”

–Catherine Darnell

Pickled Peaches 4

cups sugar

2

cups vinegar

24 small whole peaches 4

sticks cinnamon

1

teaspoon whole cloves

1

teaspoon salt

Boil everything except the peaches for 5 minutes. Add peaches (not open hearts).

You can strain out cloves, if desired. Simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Place in hot sterile jars and seal.

Brian McCord

ne thing’s for sure about Ann Morrison’s family and friends: They’ll never go hungry on her watch.

“You name it, I can it. I freeze, I make fried pies, I make peanut brittle, I make chocolate butter rolls,” says the 74-year-old Henderson, Tenn., homemaker who happily shares her tremendous bounty. “My mama said, ‘You give more away than anybody.’ The Lord has blessed me in so many ways, I love to give it away.”

Included in her repertoire of Mason jar magic are Pickled Peaches, featured in Country Classics II, published by the Tennessee Farm Bureau Women, now in its second printing.

The peaches get mixed reviews from people.

“There’s a lot of them that don’t know what they are or don’t like for them to have to have a seed,” she says. “Some people love them, and some don’t.”

Still, Morrison keeps making her prized pickled peaches and other homemade delights.

She stores her wares in her own freezers and her two daughters’ freezers – she is mother to five, grandmother to seven, and greatgrandmother to two – as well as her “library,” which is an old smokehouse she and her late husband, James, used for curing meat. A son converted it to “a pretty library,” Morrison says, with old books and souvenirs on one side and shelves for her foodstuffs on the other.

In fact, all of her children live within six miles of her, so large family dinners are frequent.

When two of her grandchildren were in the service, Morrison’s peanut brittle made it to them – all the way to Iraq, Germany and the Mediterranean. She sent it with the pastor when he toured underdeveloped countries.

He came back with rave reviews.

“That’s been my thing – peanut brittle and fried pies,” she says.

Before her husband’s passing in 2000, the couple farmed all of their lives – corn, cotton and beans.

“I loved it,” she says, having driven a tractor for 35 years.

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Staff Photos

Restaurant Review

A Little Taste of Heaven in Halls THIS CHURCH-TURNED-TEA-ROOM ISN’T JUST FOR SUNDAYS hough the atmosphere of Just Divine Tea Room is country-casual, visitors might be inspired to wear their Sunday best when stopping by for a weekday lunch. That’s because the eatery makes its home in the former Hale’s Point Baptist Church. But no matter how they dress, customers will find themselves singing the praises of the tasty, home-style fare.

In 1998, Charlene Roberts spotted a vacant country church while checking crops on the family farm with her husband, Ronnie. They bought the 50-year-old clapboard building and moved it to its current location at Charlene’s Colony of Shoppes on Highway 88, where it joined a thriving group of quaint boutiques.

After a year of renovation, the former church sanctuary was transformed into the main dining room, a cheerful space painted yellow with white wainscoting accents. The walls are covered with eye-catching décor – an antique lamp, a landscape print, blue-and-white china, a ceramic rooster – all for sale, part of Roberts’ inventory from her home furnishings store.

The smaller former Sunday school rooms, called the Blue Toile and the Green and White rooms, are designed for more intimate dining.

A one-room house relocated by the Roberts now serves as a larger formal dining room. Adorned

T

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in rich reds and earthy browns, it’s perfect for large groups and private parties.

The loving attention to detail in the décor carries over into the food. Just Divine’s simple menu features gourmet deli sandwiches and salads, such as the zingy mandarin orange salad with honey-pecan dressing, as well as daily specials, like the creamy pesto pasta with grilled chicken or shrimp. For a new twist on an old Southern favorite, try the orange-scented cornbread or the garlic-cheddar biscuits.

The restaurant’s fabulous chicken salad, which began as one of Charlene’s recipe improvisations, has become something of a local legend. Folks order it for sandwiches, and they take it home by the pint. No wonder; it’s made daily from fresh chicken breast (no canned meat here), red seedless grapes, chopped red and green bell peppers, almonds, and a light honey-mustard-and-mayo dressing.

Don’t miss homemade scrumptious sweets like chocolate cobbler, hot-fudge cake, apple dumplings or the decadent four-layer dessert, built on a base of pecan shortbread covered in chocolate pudding and cream-cheese whipped topping, drizzled with chocolate syrup and sprinkled with toasted pecans. It’s heavenly.

– Leslie LaChance

The Dish on Just Divine Tea Room Throughout the year, our team travels the state in search of good food and friendly service. In each issue, we feature one of Tennessee’s best eateries, and in our opinion, the best dishes to try.

Just Divine Tea Room, located at 2257 Highway 88 W. in Halls, is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dessert is served until 3 p.m.

Just Divine can also be reserved in the evenings for private gatherings.

Call Pam Davis at (731) 836-6113.

Visit the Food section of tnhomeandfarm.com for more Tennessee restaurants worth visiting.

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Travel

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Have a Blast in

ROCKET CITY VISITORS FIND A MIX OF HIGH-TECH AND HISTORY IN HUNTSVILLE

STORY BY REBECCA DENTON

he 360-foot-tall Saturn V rocket towering above Huntsville’s skyline is the first indication that this city offers something a little different.

Known as Rocket City, Huntsville, Ala., is home to Redstone Arsenal, a U.S. Army post where work focuses on missiles, aviation and rockets.

Just half an hour south of the Tennessee border, this thriving cosmopolitan city offers a wealth of fun and interesting places to visit, from space-themed activities to a lush botanical garden and interactive historic sites.

T

Next to the space museum is the renowned Huntsville Botanical Garden, a 110-acre site with inviting woodland paths, grassy meadows and flowers ablaze with color from spring through fall. The Nature Center and Children’s Garden complex features the largest seasonal butterfly house in the nation.

The Huntsville Museum of Art in downtown Huntsville’s Big Spring International Park includes seven galleries filled with traveling exhibitions and the work of nationally and regionally acclaimed artists, along with a 2,522-piece permanent collection.

1/ CLAIM-TO-FAME ATTRACTIONS

2 / FUN FOR THE FAMILY

The state’s largest attraction is the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, a hands-on showcase of space technology.

Visitors can try dozens of interactive exhibits – from experiencing three times the force of gravity in the “G-Force Accelerator” to feeling the G-forces of launch aboard the “Space Shot.”

Burritt on the Mountain – A Living Museum is a must-see stop for families. The 167-acre site overlooking the city is home to a historic mansion, a park with restored 19th-century houses and an animal-filled barnyard.

Interpreters demonstrate activities that took place on an 1800s-era farm – blacksmithing, spinning and cooking over an open hearth –

SEE TENNESSEE

NEIGHBORS

Two lucky families will win a trip to Huntsville!

You can check out the entry form and official rules on page 47, or register online at tnhomeandfarm.com.

A Saturn V rocket replica stands outside the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Visitors can view the real restored spacecraft inside the museum’s Davidson Center for Space Exploration. Staff Photo tnhomeandfarm.com

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Travel

and nature trails wind through the woods and around the mountain.

Sci-Quest Hands-on Science Center is another great place for kids to explore. The children’s science center is home to more than 150 interactive exhibits – including a tornado simulator and a giant magnetic pendulum – and a 3D Immersive Reality Theater.

For a change of pace, Monte Sano State Park – just a short drive from

downtown – has more than 14 miles of hiking/biking trails and a picnic area on a bluff overlooking a scenic mountain valley.

3 / HISTORICAL INTERESTS One of Huntsville’s most popular historic destinations is the EarlyWorks Museum Complex downtown, which includes three interactive museums – Alabama Constitution Village, the Historic

Huntsville Depot and EarlyWorks Children’s History Museum. Some highlights include a 46-foot river keelboat, an 1860s-era train depot with locomotives visitors can climb on, and the cabinet shop where delegates stood to sign the Alabama State Constitution in 1819.

The stately Weeden House Museum, built in 1819, is known for its collection of period furnishings and its elaborate design features.

Twickenham Historic District, with early 19th-century homes dating from 1814, is another good place to check out architecture.

Visitors can rent or buy a self-guided CD of the district at the Visitor Information Center on Church Street downtown.

4 / GOOD EATS When you’ve worked up an appetite, take time out to enjoy the city’s diverse restaurants.

The Blue Plate Café is a local landmark that specializes in homestyle favorites such as meatloaf, fried pork chops, chicken and dumplings, hash-brown casserole and black-eyed peas.

The Jazz Factory, downtown on Washington Square, serves up San Francisco cuisine in a large dining room with a mezzanine. Open nightly for dinner and brunch on Sundays, this restaurant also hosts live music several nights a week and features an upstairs lounge with pool tables.

Rosie’s Mexican Cantina is a casual, family friendly place known for its spicy barbecued chicken nachos as well as signature chips and salsa.

The upscale 801 Franklin serves creative and elegant dishes prepared with heirloom and organic foods from local farms, and it focuses on a seasonal menu.

Another choice for fancier fare is Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante, a modern, casually elegant Italian restaurant and lounge.

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5/ RING IT UP A must-see shopping stop is Harrison Brothers Hardware on the square downtown. Established in 1879, it’s the oldest continuously operating hardware store in the state. Things haven’t changed much inside this store, where shoppers can find old-fashioned candies, marbles by the scoop, cast-iron cookware, oak rocking chairs, bird feeders and other gifts.

Modern-day shopping destinations with a range of retailers and restaurants include Madison Square Mall, Bridge Street Town Centre, Parkway Place mall and Interior Marketplace.

For more information about Huntsville, including a list of attractions and itinerary options, visit www.huntsville.org.

3 1

The Huntsville Botanical Garden spans 110 acres. Above: The children’s area at EarlyWorks Museum Complex Right: The Huntsville Museum of Art Staff Photos

1

Antony Boshier

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Exclusive Farm Bureau Member Savings TOLL-FREE

(877) 363-9100 Visit our Web site at www.tnfarmbureau.org/valueplus

American Cellular s 3AVE ON CELL PHONES SMART PHONES AND AIR CARDS s #ALL OR VISIT YOUR LOCAL !MERICAN #ELLULAR LOCATION s 0HONES SHIPPED DIRECTLY TO YOUR DOOR Offer applies to new activation. 10% cell phones, smart phones and air cards with recommitment to existing contract. www.americancelluar.net (user name and password: tfbf). Available only by calling or visiting American Cellular location.

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For the latest Value Plus information and more discounts for Tennessee Farm Bureau members, call the hotline at (877) 363-9100. Visit our Web site at www.tnfarmbureau.org/valueplus.

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2/3/09 12:42:29 PM

Tennessee Farm Bureau Where Membership Means Home and Commercial Security System Discount (ADT)

TENNESSEE FARMERS INS. COs. www.fbitn.com 5.35.7; 0&.16 "*59.(* >

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MONTH MONITORING AGREEMENT REQUIRED AT PER MONTH

CUSTOMER INSTALLATION CHARGE &ORM 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 0OWER,INK ,,# 4. #ERT #

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.ASHVILLE s +NOXVILLE s *OHNSON #ITY "RISTOL s +INGSPORT s #LARKSVILLE s #OOKEVILLE Discounts cannot be combined with insurance benefits, coupons, promotional offers or any other offer.

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*Offers are subject to change without notice

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Good for

Your

Mind

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Gardening

GARDENING BENEFITS MORE THAN JUST YOUR STOMACH

Brian McCord

I

’ve been gardening for more than 25 years, and experience has taught me that gardening benefits my body as well as my mind. Working in my garden is a real stress buster, helping me relieve feelings of anxiety and providing a break from the general rush of my life.

I’ve learned that I’m not alone in my thinking. Noted author Eva Shaw reports many psychological benefits of gardening in her book Shovel It: Nature’s Health Plan.

Her research found that people who garden generate the same brainwaves as people who meditate, and that grief-stricken people who worked in a garden recovered faster than those who didn’t. She also reports that gardening can lower blood pressure, reduce depression, cut the effects of chronic fatigue and reduce the need for pain medication.

Environmental psychologist Roger Ulrich reports similar findings in his research. His studies show that even just viewing a garden or nature has healthy psychological benefits and can help people heal and recover faster.

Many hospitals now have gardens as part of their facilities because Ulrich’s research has shown that people with wounds or other physical problems heal faster if exposed to gardens or landscapes. By focusing less on themselves and more on plants, they have a more positive outlook.

Ulrich now works full-time consulting on the design and implementation of “therapeutic gardens” for health-care facilities. His work demonstrates that gardens can be planted with stress reduction in mind – using soothing colors and scents – and buildings need to be designed to provide plenty of views of nature.

Gardening connects us with the rhythm of life.

In fact, a growing area of professional study is horticulture therapy, which uses

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plants and gardens as a mode of treatment for recovery from a variety of maladies.

Gardening can also be a good brain workout. It gives us a chance to be creative.

I like to think of plants as my box of crayons or paints, and the “canvas” I create usually provides a great deal of satisfaction for me along with a sense of accomplishment.

Plants serve as mental refreshment.

Research by Dr. Virginia Lohr found that when interior plants or flower arrangements are placed in an interior work environment, employee work productivity is increased and absenteeism is decreased. Based on this finding, my boss provides fresh flowers weekly for all office staff.

Adults aren’t the only ones to reap the benefits of gardening; it’s advantageous for children, as well.

In his latest book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, journalist Richard Louv says that many children today who spend too much time “indoors” being physically inactive and not engaged in the natural world suffer from nature-deficit disorder. He reports that the symptoms of nature-deficit disorder are ADHD, depression and obesity.

We are seeing an all-time high of these afflictions in our children. Louv maintains that gardening is a good activity to engage our children with the natural world and reduce nature-deficit disorder. I can’t tell you how many times I make my children shut off the television and computer and go play outside in their own garden.

Gardening requires us to live in garden time. We all could use a lesson in slowing down, and the garden therapy you can find in your own backyard might be cheaper than a therapist.

Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can benefit from a bit of garden therapy.

About the Author Dr. Susan Hamilton is an associate professor in the University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences and director of the UT Gardens. The gardens are a project of the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station, with locations in Knoxville and Jackson: http://utgardens. tennessee.edu.

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Family Security

Seasoning Ourselves TAKE A STAND AGAINST LOSING YOUR COMMON SENSE few years ago I wrote an article on how they make skillets over at the Lodge Cast Iron Cookware foundry in South Pittsburg. One of the things they told me is that they were going to have to start “seasoning” the skillets before they left the factory, because people either would not or could not do the job themselves, which caused sales to suffer.

In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, seasoning a cast-iron skillet involves oiling it up, bringing it to a high temperature, then letting it cool slowly. Then your cornbread will pop right out.

Lodge was compelled to offer pre-seasoned skillets to keep pace in a world of Teflon. Try finding anything but nonstick cookware any place other than a serious cooking store.

Some people will try to tell you nonstick cookware is intended to lessen the need for grease, butter and oil, but, in my observation, those pots are a sure sign of someone who lacks appreciation for proper stovetop skills.

Nonstick pots and pans are just one example of inventions that are intended to make life easier but actually just dumb us down.

Spell-checks on computers are handy, but they aren’t much help if you don’t know the difference between “allude” and “elude.”

And if a man doesn’t have enough sense to know when to turn his headlights on without an automatic sensor, does he really need to be out driving around after dark?

Speaking of cars, a friend of mine bought his son a fancy new SUV with a buzzer to let him know when he was about to back into something. All the device did was train the boy not to look where he was going, and sure enough, his daddy had to pay the deductible when the alarm quit working.

Another automotive convenience that renders lots of folks brainless is the cruise control. How many times have you seen two cars traveling door-handle-to-door-handle for miles because both of them have their cruise

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set at the same speed and are blissfully unaware of each other?

Recently there was an article in The Atlantic magazine in which a British writer argued that America’s jumble of traffic signs, intended to make us safer, actually has the opposite effect.

He says Americans are trained to look for speed limit signs (and scope the bushes for the police) instead of looking at the road and making sound judgments based on actual driving conditions.

The gizmo makers and sign posters may want to rob us of our good common sense, but we can take a stand. Everyone should know how not to weld an egg to a skillet. (By the way, Charlie says it only takes a drop or two of oil, and don’t put the egg in until the skillet is hot enough.)

Out on the road, don’t rely too much on artificial intelligence. Look over your shoulder when you’re backing up. Understand why bridges freeze before the roadway. Know when to cut off the cruise control. And in a howling rainstorm, the sign may say “Speed Limit 70,” but that doesn’t make it a good idea.

You’ll be happier and live longer, and your insurance company will thank you, too.

About the Author Dan Batey is vice president of corporate communications for Tennessee Farm Bureau Insurance and can be reached at dbatey@tfbf.com.

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When you buy from local farmers you ... s 3UPPORT LOCAL ECONOMY s %NJOY A FRESH PRODUCT s +EEP LOCAL AGRICULTURE VIABLE

VISIT www.tnfarmfresh.com for a listing of local farmers near you!

Or call (931) 388-7872 ext. 2763 38

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To Good Health

Making Cents HEALTH-CARE COSTS, LIKE CHANGE CUPS, CAN ADD UP t’s a funny-looking Cat in the Hat cup, but the nice folks at the bank won’t like it because it’s the third cup right now. The other two beside it are already brimming over with pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. At the end of each day, I toss what change I find in my pockets into the cup, a habit I inherited from my father. Eventually, my months of saving all go into a bag, and I’m off to the bank to see how closely I guessed to the amount.

I’ll admit it’s become a game for me, watching a little change here and there add up substantially. Last family vacation, it went a long way toward paying for a beach condo.

Tightwad that I am, that was pretty cool.

Recently, two things happened in the same day that caused me to wax philosophical about the change-collecting habit. One, my teenage daughter – completely out of the blue – told me she had started her own change pile, and it was growing. I was impressed and a bit proud that she is following in her dad’s footsteps, though I suspect it might also have been a veiled suggestion that her allowance is woefully shy of where it should be.

And secondly, a report came across my desk at work that made spare change seem insignificant: In one month’s time, 10 individual health claims totaling nearly $2.4 million had been filed with TRH Health Plans. Two claims totaled more than $500,000 each, and, maybe most startling of all, was that four of those 10 claims were for children, which alone accounted for $1.6 million.

Discounts, negotiated partly due to the strength of having nearly 200,000 people covered, enabled that $2.4 million to be reduced by $1 million-plus, and then TRH paid

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about $1.2 million of the remaining balance.

As I studied the report, I recalled a handful of conversations over the past two or three years with TRH members. Often prompted by notification that premiums would increase to keep pace with rising health-care costs, members inevitably offer a phrase something like this: “I’ve been paying premiums to you folks for a long time and hardly ever have any claims,” or “We’ve not filed a claim this year.”

Their point is very understandable, especially when health-care costs continue to outpace virtually everything else. But because we also get the other side of the story – told by individuals and families like those 10 claims – we realize such a complaint misses the mark.

It fails to account for the unexpected and tragic health issues that occur each day, the kind of costly situations that, without healthcare coverage, would financially bankrupt an already emotionally bankrupt family.

It may sound too flippant, even when it’s not intended to be, for us to simply respond to complaints about cost by saying, “Be grateful you haven’t had claims.” Unfortunately we know those who have, and yet we are pleased we can be a financial safety net for them.

The policies offered by TRH Health Plans are an opportunity for folks to have “something in the cup.” It’s not exactly pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, but it adds up remarkably when that health issue you’d hoped would never occur actually does happen.

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.

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Fall Creek Falls’ Wildflower Weekend and Townsend’s Herb and Wildflower Day are two of many flowery events popping up.

Tennessee Events & Festivals This listing includes events of statewide interest scheduled in March, April and May as provided by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

Dates were accurate at press time but are subject to change; please call the contact listed before traveling long distances to attend.

To include your local events in our listing, please call the Tennessee Department of Tourism at (615) 741-7994. Events are included as space permits. Additional information on Tennessee events is also available online through the department’s Web site, www.tnvacation.com.

MARCH

day, there are two stages of continuous dance and music. CONTACT: (615) 591-8500, www.historicfranklin.com

MARCH 6-8

MARCH 20-21

ALL NATIONS AMERICAN INDIAN FESTIVAL

OLD TIME FIDDLERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP

Tennessee Livestock Center, Murfreesboro This festival includes Native Arts Market, exhibition dancing, cultural exhibits, family entertainment and more. CONTACT: (615) 796-4210, www.mtsu.edu/powwow

Clarksville This 34th annual state championship features authentic old-time music.

Competition in 12 events with monetary prizes awarded. CONTACT: Tad Bourne, (931) 552-6149, www.tnfiddlers.com

MARCH 14

FEILE FRANKLIN Historic Downtown Franklin Includes Irish dance and music performances on Main Street, special Celtic vendors and festival foods. Throughout the

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MARCH 21

60th ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING OF THE GATES CEREMONY Oak Ridge

Sixty years ago, the secret city of Oak Ridge was officially opened to the public, with notable speakers and famous movie stars all lining up to be the first to enter the gates. This year marks the anniversary of that event, and a recreation of that remarkable day will take place at the original Elza Gate and the American Museum of Science & Energy.

CONTACT: (865) 481-0542, www.orhpa.com MARCH 21

47th ANNUAL WEARIN’ OF THE GREEN IRISH DAY Erin From the Grand Parade, leprechauns and banquets to carnival rides, pageants and arts-and-craft booths, there is entertainment all around. From wee tots to wise old leprechauns, we have something for everyone. Relive the spirit of St. Patrick at one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations south of Chicago. CONTACT: (931) 289-5100 MARCH 28

OAKLANDS HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUM 50th ANNIVERSARY EVENT Murfreesboro Once the center of a 1,500-acre plantation, Oaklands was the home of the Maney family. The house was built in four phases during a 40-year period; Oaklands eventually was transformed into an Italianate mansion with the fourth and final addition in 1857, just a few years before the beginning of the Civil War. CONTACT: (615) 893-0022, www.oaklandsmuseum.org tnfarmbureau.org

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Events & Festivals

MARCH 28-29

APRIL 4-5

HISTORIC MANSKER’S STATION SPRING ENCAMPMENT

WILDFLOWER WEEKEND

APRIL 18

Fall Creek Falls State Park, Pikeville Explore the park and see wildflowers and breathtaking views. Features a variety of hikes, workshops, driving tours and more.

CONTACT: Betty Dunn Nature Center, (423) 881-5708, www.tnstateparks.com

SPRING MILE-LONG YARD SALE AND EXCURSION TRAIN

Historic Mansker’s Station, Goodlettsville Observe how people lived on the frontier in the late 1800s. Costumed interpreters and re-enactors will camp around Mansker’s Fort. Watch woodworking, blacksmithing, spinning, cooking over the fire and bread baking. Tour Mansker’s Fort and the Bowen Plantation House, built in 1787. CONTACT: (615) 859-FORT, www.manskersstation.org

APRIL APRIL 2-5

MULE DAY Columbia One of the biggest mule celebrations in the world, this includes mule sale, mule pulling, mule shows, pancake breakfast, flea market and parade. CONTACT: Mule Day Office, (931) 381-9557, www.muleday.com APRIL 4

WOOLLY DAY Rocky Mount Museum, Piney Flats Rocky Mount’s annual spring event focuses on 18th century wool processing and other agricultural activities. Come and see sheep shearing, spinning and weaving, and living history tours of the Cobb House and grounds. CONTACT: (423) 538-7396, www.rockymountmuseum.com APRIL 4

GILES COUNTY GOBBLER’S GALA

APRIL 9

JOHN OVERTON’S BIRTHDAY

Watertown Ride the train to the huge yard sale, which features arts and crafts, entertainment, and more. CONTACT: Jim Amero, (615) 237-1777, www.tcry.org

Travellers Rest Plantation, Nashville The historic house will be open as you take a look at one of Tennessee’s most influential 19th-century citizens. CONTACT: (615) 832-8197, www.travellersrestplantation.org APRIL 16-18

4th ANNUAL DUMPLIN’ DAYS AND STORYTELLING FESTIVAL Fiddlers Grove Historic Village, Lebanon Come and experience storytelling, old-time games, dumplin’ cook-off, musical entertainment and more. CONTACT: (615) 444-5503, www.lebanonwilsontnchamber.org APRIL 16-18

4th ANNUAL FIDDLER’S GROVE STORYTELLING Ward Agricultural Center, Lebanon The event will include a delightful day of dumplins’ stewing in pots, storytelling featuring nationally known storyteller Bill Lepp, storytelling workshop for those who would like to work on their storytelling skills, craft demonstrations, an assortment of food vendors and an old-fashioned children’s game. CONTACT: Johnnie Payton, (615) 812-1183, www.fiddlersgrove.org

APRIL 18

DISCOVERY FEST Wartburg Features rock climbing wall, hiking, paddling, horseback trail riding, ATV rides, kayaking clinic, children’s activities, food, arts and crafts, live music, and more.

CONTACT: (423) 346-5740, www.morgancountychamber.com APRIL 18

33rd ANNUAL CANNONSBURGH PIONEER DAY Cannonsburgh Village, Murfreesboro Food, crafts and demonstrations of life in pioneer times. CONTACT: (615) 890-0355

APRIL 16-19

APRIL 18

AFRICA IN APRIL CULTURAL AWARENESS FESTIVAL

ELKTON MILE LONG YARD SALE Hwy. 31 South, Elkton Mile long yard sale. CONTACT: (931) 363-3789, www.gilescountytourism.com

APRIL 4

Memphis Celebration honoring The Republic of Mauritania using education, economics, fashions, arts and crafts, music and cuisine.

CONTACT: (901) 947-2133, www.africainapril.org

HERB AND WILDFLOWER DAY

APRIL 16-19

Paris Over five tons of catfish are on order to serve thousands of visitors at this fish fry.

Includes IPRA rodeo, parade, catfish races and more. CONTACT: (731) 642-3431, www.paristnchamber.com

Pulaski This community event includes delicious turkey, entertainment, games, crafts, and the Turkey Roll and Turkey Calling contests.

CONTACT: (931) 363-3789, www.gilescountytourism.com

Townsend Visitors Center A tribute to the beauty and fascination of wildflowers, ferns, trees and herbs. Visit with expert botanists, photographers and naturalists. CONTACT: (800) 525-6834

MARDI GRAS RIDE

APRIL 4

East Fork Stables, Jamestown Cajun food, Cajun music, Mardi Gras parade, costume prizes, beads and bingo.

CONTACT: (800) 978-7245, www.eastforkstables.com

CELTIC CELEBRATION

APRIL 17-19

Memorial Auditorium, Chattanooga Join the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra as Irish fiddler “Riverdance” star Eileen Ivers electrifies with her blue violin at this Celtic Celebration. CONTACT: Chattanooga Symphony & Orchestra, (423) 267-8583, www.chattanoogasymphony.org tnhomeandfarm.com

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SPRING NATURE FESTIVAL Warriors’ Path State Park, Kingsport Features a wide range of nature topics where each leader first gives an indoor mini-seminar then leads an outdoor walk on that same topic. CONTACT: (423) 239-6786

APRIL 20-26

WORLD’S BIGGEST FISH FRY

APRIL 25

EARTH DAY AK Bissell Park, Oak Ridge This family-friendly event educates, encourages, and empowers citizens to create a sustainable community. Features interactive exhibits, activities for all ages, presentations and live music. CONTACT: (800) 887-3426, www.oakridgevisitor.com Home&Farm

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Events & Festivals

APRIL 25

APRIL 30-MAY 2

MAY 1-3

WHITE COUNTY RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

FIRST FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRAIN STOP STORYTELLING FESTIVAL

BLEDSOE’S FORT COLONIAL FAIR

Sparta A medieval renaissance festival with a human chess match, storytelling, food, masked ball and much more. CONTACT: Carol Lee Norris, (931) 738-9238 APRIL 25

Maury County Park, Columbia Features miniature train rides, world famous storytellers telling stories in traditional form, through magic and in song.

CONTACT: (931) 375-6103

HERB FAIR AND GARDEN SALE

Bledsoe’s Fort Historical Park, Castalian Springs Experience life as it was in the late 1700s.

Vendors selling items that were used during the 18th century will be setup throughout the park along with music, food, entertainment and costumed re-enactors.

CONTACT: Henry Govan, (615) 206-9777, www.bledsoesfair.com

The Rose Center, Morristown The Rose Center Herb Society conducts the fair that includes 50 herbalists. CONTACT: (423) 581-4330, www.rosecenter.org

MAY

APRIL 25-26

OLD TIMERS DAY FESTIVAL

13th ANNUAL NATIONAL CORNBREAD FESTIVAL

Holland Park, Dickson Everything from a liars contest to Miss Old Timers Talent Contest. Includes parades, crafts and quilt shows, live entertainment, dancing in the street, and more. CONTACT: Rhonda Adams, (615) 446-2349, www.dicksoncountychamber.com

Triune 16th century England comes to life with full contact jousting, food, crafts and artisans.

CONTACT: (615) 395-9950, www.tnrenfest.com

MAY 1-2

TOWNSEND IN THE SMOKIES SPRING FESTIVAL

72nd ANNUAL WEST TENNESSEE STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

Townsend Visitors Center, Townsend Activities include bluegrass music, arts and crafts, barbecue, Appalachian demonstrations, wildflower walks and storytelling. CONTACT: (800) 525-6834, www.smokymountainfestivals.org

Humboldt One of the oldest festivals in the state.

Events include parades, carnival, horse show, live entertainment, barbecue cook-off, concerts, contests, fireworks and more.

CONTACT: (731) 784-1842, www.wtsf.org

South Pittsburg Live entertainment, juried arts and crafts, and food. This festival honors cornbread with the National Cornbread Cook-Off. Sample cornbreads and main dish recipes.

CONTACT: (423) 837-0022, www.nationalcornbread.com APRIL 25-26

FRANKLIN MAIN STREET FESTIVAL Franklin More than 220 artisans and crafters, four stages of music and dance, two carnivals, and food courts. CONTACT: (615) 591-8500, www.historicfranklin.com APRIL 25-26

CIVIL WAR LIVING HISTORY DAYS AT RAMSEY HOUSE Knoxville Civil War encampment with drills, demonstrations, and a skirmish each day.

Demonstrations include arms, medicine, period clothing, period cooking, music and more. CONTACT: (865) 546-0745, www.ramseyhouse.org

MAY 1-2

MAY 2-25 (Sat. & Sun.)

TENNESSEE RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

MAY 3-9

MAY 1-3

38th ANNUAL TACA TENNESSEE CRAFT FAIR Nashville This juried crafts festival features more than 180 contemporary and traditional artists, continuous demonstrations, live music and food. CONTACT: (615) 385-1904, www.tennesseecrafts.org

APRIL 26-MAY 2

TRENTON TEAPOT FESTIVAL Trenton This celebration is centered around the theme of the World’s Largest Collection of Rare Porcelain Veilleuses. The festival begins with a ceremonial Lighting of the Teapots and culminates in the Annual Grand Parade. CONTACT: (731) 855-2013, www.cityoftrentontn.com APRIL 30

CASEY JONES DAY Jackson Celebrate the anniversary of the legend of Casey Jones, the world’s most famous railroad engineer. Tour his original 1890s home in Casey Jones Village. CONTACT: (731) 668-1222, www.caseyjones.com

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MAY 6-8

MAY 15-16

38th ANNUAL DAYS ON THE FARM

TN52 YARD SALE

Sam Davis Home, Smyrna Come find out what life was like on a farm 100 years ago. This popular living history celebration will feature over 25 demonstrations such as blacksmithing, sheep herding, spinning, butter churning and lye soap making.

CONTACT: (615) 459-2341, www.samdavishome.org MAY 8-9

SUNDROP BBQ COOK-OFF Giles County Agri-Park, Pulaski This professional and amateur barbecue contest includes chicken, ribs, pork shoulder and brisket and is State Barbecue Championship-sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

CONTACT: (931) 424-2134, www.sundropbbq.com

From Portland to Celina Tennessee’s second-longest yard sale with over 550 sellers. Spans 95 miles and passes through four counties. CONTACT: (888) 301-7866, www.tn52.com MAY 15-16

BLOOMIN’ BARBECUE & BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL Sevierville Tennessee State Championship Barbecue Competition, bluegrass concerts, arts and crafts, food, and authentic mountain crafts.

CONTACT: (888) 766-5948, www.visitsevierville.com MAY 15-16

OLD TIME BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL Dyer County Fairgrounds, Dyersburg Two days of bluegrass picking and great food. CONTACT: (731) 285-2681

MAY 9

4th ANNUAL HENDERSON COUNTY FOLK FESTIVAL

MAY 15-17

Lexington Courthouse Square Features live bluegrass and folk music, folk exhibits, contests, games, antique car show and food.

CONTACT: (731) 968-3239

Pickwick Dam A full weekend of great powerboat racing action with events for all ages. Includes cruises on the Pickwick Belle riverboat, arts and crafts fair, car and motorcycle show, golf tournament, 5k run, carnival, entertainment and more. CONTACT: (877) 936-2355, www.pickwickchallenge.com

MAY 9

24th ANNUAL FLAG POND RAMP FESTIVAL Old Flag Pond School, Flag Pond Authentic Appalachian celebration with gospel and bluegrass music, crafts, children’s events and tempting ramp dishes.

CONTACT: Edgar Rice, (423) 743-6185 MAY 9-10

STRAWBERRY WEEKEND Ritter Farms, Rutledge An agritourism event features homegrown strawberries, tomatoes, recipe contest and local bluegrass music.

CONTACT: (865) 767-2575, www.ritterfarms.com MAY 9-16

PICKWICK CHALLENGE

MAY 16

STRAWBERRY JAM FESTIVAL Maple Lane Farms, Greenback Features food, fun and entertainment for the entire family. CONTACT: (865) 856-3517, www.maplelanefarms.com MAY 16

ARMED FORCES DAY CELEBRATION Veterans’ Museum, Halls A tribute to all who serve and have served in the armed forces. Features a Military Vehicle Rally and WWII reenactments. The location is the site of a WWII Army Air Force B-17 Training Base from 1942-1945.

CONTACT: (731) 836-7400, www.dyaab.us

62nd ANNUAL TENNESSEE STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

MAY 16

Dayton A celebration of small-town life with hay rides, ice cream, exhibits, food vendors and delicious strawberries.

CONTACT: (423) 775-0361, www.tnstrawberryfestival.com

Tennessee Central Railway Museum, Nashville This train to Watertown is full of excitement when the train gets taken over by some Wild West robbers! CONTACT: (615) 244-9001, www.tcry.org

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ROBBERY EXCURSION TRAIN

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Events & Festivals

MAY 16-17

35th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF BRITISH & APPALACHIAN CULTURE Historic Rugby Continuous British Isles and Appalachian music and dancing, traditional arts and crafts demonstrations, storytelling, historic building tours, children’s activities and delicious food. CONTACT: (888) 214-3400, www.historicrugby.org MAY 16-17

15th ANNUAL SEIGE AT FORT WATAUGA Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area, Elizabethton It’s 1776, and the colonies are in the throes of a Revolution and the frontier is in a state of chaos. Come see how settlers of the Watauga Valley defend their lives, families, hearth and home at the “Seige.” CONTACT: (423) 543-5808, www.sycamoreshoals.org MAY 16-17

GATLINBURG SCOTTISH FESTIVAL AND GAMES

Gatlinburg Scottish games and festivities including concerts, Highland athletics, bagpipe competitions, Highland dancing, food and demonstrations. CONTACT: (800) 568-4748, www.gsfg.org MAY 20-23

21st ANNUAL SHERIFF BUFORD PUSSER FESTIVAL Adamsville Held in the hometown of the legendary Sheriff Buford Pusser of “Walking Tall” fame. People from all over the country come together to enjoy good music, food and family fun. CONTACT: (731) 632-4080, www.sheriffbufordpusser.com MAY 21-23

39th ANNUAL CELEBRATION SPRING FUN SHOW Calson Arena, Shelbyville Early season preview of the top Tennessee Walking Horses across the country. Many will compete for world championship honors at the Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration in August. CONTACT: (931) 684-5915, www.twhnc.com

OFFICIAL NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETINGS TENNESSEE FARMERS INSURANCE COMPANIES Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, Tennessee Farmers Life Insurance Company and Tennessee Farmers Assurance Company will hold their annual meetings on Thursday, March 26, 2009, at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin, Tenn., beginning at 10 a.m. (Central Time) The meetings are for policyholders of Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Company and stockholders of Tennessee Farmers Life Insurance Company and Tennessee Farmers Assurance Company.

RIVERFRONT RANCH • Almost One Mile of All-Accessible Riverfront • Private 61 Acres

MAY 23

APPALACHIAN DUMPLIN’ FESTIVAL Winfield Municipal Center, Winfield Includes live bluegrass music, horseshoe competition, pageant, carriage rides, firefighter competition and the largest variety of dumplings in the region.

CONTACT: (423) 569-6139, www.appalachiandumplinfestival.com MAY 23

11th HERITAGE DAY Granville Includes bluegrass festival, antique car and tractor show, craft demonstrations, food, storytelling and more. CONTACT: Randall Clemons, (931) 653-4511, www.granvillemuseum.com MAY 23

ROCKIN’ THE DOCKS Lenoir City Live bands, food, fireworks, rock-climbing wall and children’s area, all on the banks of beautiful Fort Loudoun Lake, the Lakeway to the Smokies. CONTACT: (865) 986-1223, www.visitloudoncounty.com MAY 23-24

LOG CABIN DAYS McBays Log Cabin Village, Pikeville Fourth annual fine arts-and-crafts fair with craft demonstrations, live music, storytelling, antique tractor display, living history re-enactors and activities for children. CONTACT: (423) 533-2732, www.logcabindays.org MAY 30

NATIONAL MOO FEST Downtown Athens A day of historical and educational activities highlighting the important role the dairy industry plays in the community. Features tours of Mayfield Dairy Farms, crafts, food, homemade ice cream and live entertainment.

CONTACT: Richard Newman, (423) 746-9041, www.nationalmoofest.com

orthopod@frontiernet.net

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Sparta Features a full day of music, crafts, food, games, truck and car show, and much more.

Visitors from across the country come to pay tribute to legendary bluegrass pioneer Lester Flatt, and enjoy an entertaining outing. CONTACT: (931) 836-3248, www.sparta-chamber.net

• Calfkiller River in White Co. Just off the Caney Fork River

$995,000 Home&Farm |Spring 2009

LESTER FLATT MEMORIAL BLUEGRASS DAY

• Rolling Hills

(931) 260-6068 or (931) 526-3759

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Staff Photo

Phil de Nobriga

It’s Time to Enter the 14th Annual Tennessee Farm Bureau Photo Contest Pull out your camera and start snapping! Submit your best photos in our annual contest, and you could be named the grand-prize winner.

To enter, fill out the form below and mail your prints to us. Or, visit tnhomeandfarm.com to upload your digital photos and enter online.

Winners will be announced in the winter issue of Tennessee Home & Farm. First-place winners in each of three categories will be awarded $100 cash prizes; the grand-prize winner receives $200. Entries must be postmarked (or submitted online) by Aug. 1.

Name ___________________________________________________ Address __________________________________________________ City __________________________ State _______ ZIP ________ Phone ___________________________________________________ County of FB Membership _________________________________ Category: R Tennessee Churches

R Things on a Fencepost

R Just Kids

Mail entry to:

Tennessee Farm Bureau Photo Contest P.O. Box 313, Columbia, TN 38402-0313 OFFICIAL RULES: Only original photos or high-quality reprints will be accepted via mailed entries. Color or black-and-white photos are acceptable in any size. Attach this entry form to the back of the photo (copies may be made of entry form if more than one is needed). No CD-ROMS (or other digital media storage) will be accepted via the mailed entry option.

To submit a digital photo, visit tnhomeandfarm.com and click on the photo contest entry form.

Digital files must be high quality – minimum of 5x7 size at 300 dpi resolution. An online tutorial for testing file size can be found at tnhomeandfarm.com. To avoid legal entanglements, make certain permission has been given for use of photos.

We offer three categories: Tennessee Churches, Things on a Fencepost and Just Kids. Only one entry per person per category. Only Tennessee Farm Bureau members and their immediate family (parents, children, siblings) are eligible to enter. Employees of Tennessee Farm Bureau, Tennessee Farmers Insurance Cos., county Farm Bureaus or their families are not eligible to win.

This is an amateur photo contest. Professional photographers are not eligible. Entries must be postmarked by Aug. 1, 2009. Photos will not be returned and will become property of Tennessee Farm Bureau. Images may be used in TFBF publications with photo credit given. For additional information, call Tennessee Farm Bureau, (931) 388-7872, Misty McNeese, ext. 2211. For questions about the online entry form, call Jessy Yancey at (800) 333-8842, ext. 217.

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Home & Farm

READ PAST ISSUES SEARCH FOR RECIPES COMMENT ON YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLES WATCH OUR COOKING VIDEOS

Visit us online at tnhomeandfarm.com

Visit Our Advertisers Earlyworks Museum Complex www.earlyworks.com

Southwest Tennessee Tourism Association www.tast.tn.org

First Farmers & Merchants Bank www.fandmbank.com Gatlinburg Department of Tourism www.gatlinburg-tennessee.com Huntsville Botanical Garden www.hsvbg.org

Tennessee Farm Bureau www.tnfarmbureau.org

Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau www.huntsville.org

Tennessee Farm Fresh www.tnfarmfresh.com

Jack’s Roost Ranch John Deere – Atlanta Branch Qualsight Inc. www.qualsight.com Sevierville Convention & Visitors Bureau www.seviervillecvb.com

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Tennessee Department of Agriculture www.picktnproducts.org

Tennessee Farmers Insurance Companies www.fbitn.com

Tennessee Rural Health Plans www.trh.com

Your Man Tours

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2/3/09 1:08:29 PM

Quantity: ______ @ $9.95 ____________

Tennessee Home & Farm presents:

Sales tax Quantity: _____ x $0.92 sales tax ______ (TN residents add 9.25% sales tax) Postage: first book @ $3.99 ___________ additional books ____ @ .99 ___________ Total amount: ________________________ Make check payable to Journal Communications 1 book = $14.86

4 books = $50.44

2 books = $26.72

5 books = $62.30

3 books = $38.58

Includes shipping & sales tax

Send to: Name: _______________________________ Address: _____________________________

As author Pettus Read puts it, “country has been around for a long time.” In this book of his favorite Read All About It columns from the past 30-plus years, Read discusses pulley bones, the disappearance of stick horses, Christmases at Mop-Ma’s and the ever popular Uncle Sid and Aunt Sadie. Full of Read’s wisdom and wit, this Rural Psychology Primer will likely stir up your own feelings of nostalgia for the country way of life.

City: _________________________________ State: ________________ Zip: __________ Daytime phone #: _____________________ By mail: Journal Communications Inc. c/o Retail Fulfillment Center 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400 Franklin, TN 37067

Portion of proceeds to benefit Tennessee 4-H and FFA programs.

SEE TENNESSEE

NEIGHBORS

Entry Form: Name: Address: City: Daytime phone number: (

State:

County of Farm Bureau membership:

Mail to: See Tennessee Giveaway c/o Tennessee Home & Farm 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400 Franklin, TN 37067

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The Tennessee Farm Bureau and Tennessee Home & Farm want to send two lucky families to Huntsville, Ala. Each prize package includes two nights at the Westin Huntsville in the new Bridge Street Town Centre plus a family four-pack of tickets to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville Botanical Garden, EarlyWorks Museum Complex, Sci-Quest Hands-on Science Center, Burritt on the Mountain and the Huntsville Museum of Art. Enter online at tnhomeandfarm.com or complete the official entry form and mail. Must be received by May 5, 2009. One entry per household – open to Tennessee Farm Bureau members only.

)

E-mail address:

tnhomeandfarm.com

ZIP:

Win a Getaway to Huntsville, Alabama!

Official Rules: No purchase necessary. Contest is open to all members of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation age 18 or older. Entrants must use the official entry form printed in the magazine or submitted online at tnhomeandfarm.com. The winner will be selected by random drawing at Journal Communications, and all decisions are final.

Winners are responsible for their own transportation to/from Huntsville.

Sponsors are not liable for any incidents (including injury/death or lost, stolen or damaged property) that may occur at any time during the trip.

Employees and immediate family members of Journal Communications Inc., Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, the Huntsville sponsors, or their subsidiaries, affiliates or agencies are not eligible to enter.

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Marketplace

Bakeries

Call Doug Horne at (865) 560-1131.

www.gibsongoodies.com

Gospel Music

Business Opportunities

www.salvationtrain.com

www.DreamBigBBold.com, www.smile1234.com

Help Wanted

Farm Land Looking for farm land on paved roads. 100 acres or more. No limit on size of acreage.

Appraisal Career Opportunity. Earn $65,000/yr part time. Farm equipment and livestock appraisal training and certification. Agricultural background required. Classroom or home study

courses available. (800) 488-7570, www. amagappraisers.com

Real Estate 26 acres hunting land Possum Hollow Rd. Dekalb Co. TN. Wooded. 700 ft. road frontage on gravel. Electricity. Owner financing with 20% downpayment. $50,000. (931) 224-9077 ralphnorthcutt@ hotmail.com

Residential Design/House Custom residential designer, cabins to mansions, additions, remodels, reasonable fees, professional service. (731) 616-3771

Vacation Rentals Cabins & chalets in Pigeon Forge. (800) 382-4393, www.pantherknob.com Log cabins streamside Townsend, Tennessee. www.blountweb.com/smlc, (800) 532-4565 Cabins near Dollywood, 1-36 people. (800) 362-1897, www.mcrr93.com Gatlinburg, com

www.baskinscreeksounds.

Gatlinburg chalet, all amenities. (615) 828-3059, www.morningmistchalet.com Cabins – Peaceful Townsend. (865) 983-3545 Ranch Bed and Breakfast, weddings and group events, farm tours. www. chestnuthillranch.com, (931) 729-0153.

Cozy Clean Creekside Cabin in Cosby.

Reasonable rates. www. bearfootproperties.com (812) 779-6143.

Cumberland Plateau www.grandview mountaincottages.com (423) 365-4412.

Linden Perry County Historical Hotel hunting and other outdoor fun. www. commodorehotellinden.com (931) 589-3224.

Wholesale Clothing Work clothes – Save 75% on quality work clothes. 6 pants + 6 shirts = $39.95, men’s jeans 5 pair $25, lined work jackets $9.95.

Since 1968. (800) 233-1853. Satisfaction guaranteed! www.usedworkclothing.com

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2/3/09 1:10:44 PM

View From the Back Porch

A Woolly Surprise SPRING LAMBING BRINGS UNEXPECTED HOUSEGUEST have raised goats, and, to tell you the truth, I really don’t miss them. While it is true that baby goats are one of the cutest farm animals around, it is also true that grown-up goats can be quite annoying.

We used to raise goats when we first moved to our farm more than 10 years ago. They were quite useful in helping to clear out the underbrush on our long-neglected piece of land, but still, I don’t miss the “horns-stuckin-the-fence” syndrome that seems to be a dominant trait in the greater goat population.

Once the browse was cleaned up and our pasture lands were restored, we switched to raising sheep. And, that’s when I really fell in love. Of course, my first love will always be beef cattle, but somehow our flock of ewes has slowly etched its way into my heart – and, for that matter, my home.

One cold spring afternoon I met my first (and certainly not last) bottle lamb. Upon my routine afternoon check during lambing season, I found the weaker half of a set of twins missing. It was already cold, getting dark and spitting that lovely half-rain, half-ice mixture we Tennesseans know and love. After looking nearly everywhere, I found her curled up in a fencerow, her tiny ears already cold and unresponsive, but, remarkably, the newborn lamb was still alive. Without even thinking twice, I took her to the house, stripped the sheets off our bed and turned the electric blanket on to warm.

While the blanket was heating up, I carried

I

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my little lamb around with me as I looked in books for a good “sheep colostrum” recipe.

After finding one for which I actually had all the needed ingredients, I returned my lamb to our bedroom and deposited her in the middle of our warm, fuzzy electric blanket and went to mix up a bottle. Not really expecting all of this attention and care to work, I was amazed when I returned with the bottle and found she was actually trying to stand on her own feet.

She was fighting hard to live, so I attempted to feed her. Amazingly, she liked my sheep formula and actually took a few sips before she drifted off to sleep for a bit. I found a clothes basket, lined it with towels and made a little bed for her, but she would not settle down in “her” bed, so all night she slept with me on my chest. I would get up to feed her every time she awoke, and she became stronger and healthier quite quickly.

I decided to call the lamb “Milk Dud.” From that point on, Milk Dud thrived. She followed us around the farm like a puppy dog and would even squeeze through the porch door into the house if she knew it was feeding time. The “click, clack” of her little hooves on the kitchen floor became commonplace. And, of course, Milk Dud became the best lead sheep we have ever had, as she would come running even when you did not want her to.

Yes, the sheep have shared my home on rare and necessary occasions, but they share my heart for all time.

After my Milk Dud, how could they not?

About the Author Julie Vaughn is a farmer, wife and mother who raises her two 100 percent farm boys in Eagleville, Tenn. She is looking forward to this year’s spring lamb crop hitting the ground.

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