Local Foodies Unite!

Tonight there was a free preview screening of the movie Fresh (www.freshthemovie.com) in the Old City. It was sponsored by Slow Food Knoxville (www.slowfoodknoxville.org or www.slowfoodusa.org). A bunch of vendors from the Market Square Farmers Market were there, and boy, did they bring some awesome local food. It was a potluck, and there was an enviable amount of food, mostly local, mostly organic, and most vegetarian. It almost makes me rethink my mantra that fresh tastes better "undoctored", meaning I pretty much steam just about everything, and use very little seasoning. Maybe it's just because I am too lazy to learn to cook with fresh and local foods! These dishes were fabulous - savory soups, delectable salads, and amazingly luscious desserts. I tried a quiche made with local goat cheese. I am not normally a fan of goat cheese; I find the taste a little too strong and "gamey". But this quiche was amazing.
If you live in Ktown and are interested in the local food movement, check out the website for Slow Food Knoxville and join us for the next potluck on November 22!

Field Trip - Urban Renewal

This was the first time we took this field trip to the Old City to see first hand what's been done to refurbish some of the historic buildings in downtown K'town. Mr. David Dewhirst of Dewhirst Properties (123 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902) gave us an incredible tour of some of the apartments in the JFG Building. This building was sold in 2007. Up to that time, coffee was still processed in this old, 6 story building. The theme of urban renewal is a very important one for UT students, most of whom were raised in the 'burbs. They are not familiar with the concept of city living other than maybe Chicago or New York. They really loved these apartments, and were pleasantly surprised to find out the rents weren't as high as they thought.

The organization for folks living downtown is citypeople.org . I'm sure they would also be willing to help arrange a field trip.

Field Trip - Beardsley Farm

Beardsley Farm at 1719 Reynolds Ave off Western Avenue near the News Sentinel is a real jewel! It is an organic community farm nestled in the heart of Mechanicsville. It's open Monday - Friday 8 AM to 5 PM, but it's best to call ahead for a tour. The last time I took my class there, we also did some service work for 30 minutes in the butterfly garden. I think it was great for my students, many of whom have never gardened, to really "feel the soil"! This awesome community garden is always expanding, and there are lots of service opportunities for your students.

Field Trip - Local Food

If you are looking for Knoxville-area field trip about local food, here are some suggestions. There are several farmer markets held between May and early November, such as F.A.R.M. at the Lauren Church of Christ at 3457 Kingston Pike near Cherokee Blvd (Tues and Fri 3 PM - 6 PM) and Market Square Farmers Market (Wed 10 AM - 2 PM, Sat 9 AM - 2 PM). The Market Square market is much larger, but the F.A.R.M. is better for taking a field trip because it is not so crowded. My students had a ball talking with the producers and finding out about their farms and family.
Another fun trip is to a restaurant that uses local food, such as La Costa and Tomato Head in Market Square. The chef at La Costa came to our table and explained where he obtained al lthe food in our appetizers. The students loved this personal touch, and in addition, thought the chef was pretty cute (for some reason, most of the students in this class tend to be female).

Welcome to Living Green Knoxville

This is my first attempt at a blog, so bear with me! I have been on a journey to "Living Green in Knoxville" for the past two years. It all started with a Freshman studies class I decided to teach back in 2007. We were instructed to create a "catchy" title that would be attractive and enticing to a freshman at the University of Tennessee. So I settled on "Living Green: let's be Ecofriendly!". I have kept this title for the 5 times I have taught this class to 11 unsuspecting students. It's been a successful studies class, with full enrollment the 5 times I have taught it. The goal of this blog is to share information I have discovered about Living Green in Knoxville, including topics about local food, organic food, community gardens, recycling, water quality, global warming, wastewater treatment, air quality, transportation, etc. Come along for the "ride"!