Jellyroll Johnson, Fred Knobloch, Thom Schuyler & Tony Arata (left to right)

On June 18th, The Nashville Food Project will host the 2nd annual Nourish event to raise funds towards the work of alleviating hunger in the Nashville community. As a small token of thanks, patron supporters of the sold-out Nourish fundraiser were recently invited to a special night at Nashville’s famous Bluebird Cafe.  Dinner was prepared and served by the staff and volunteers of TNFP.  The highlight of the evening was the performance of acclaimed songwriters and musicians Thom Schuyler, Fred Knobloch, Jelly Roll Johnson and Tony Arata. A heartfelt thank you goes to all those who helped make our first Nourish Patron’s Party a great success.

We hope you enjoy the photos below. Head over to the food project recipe blog, Cook for a Crowd, for a couple of recipes that are guaranteed to be a hit at your next party!

This is the time of year to get tomatoes in the ground and settled for the summer growing season.  We wanted to share with you some fun facts about growing tomatoes and how to achieve success!  Two wonderful volunteers helped us to get our tomato plants in the ground this week.  At the WCC gardens, we have three heirloom varieties growing: Cherokee Purple, Chianti Rose, and Pearly Pink Cherry and two modern varieties: Better Boy and Sungold Cherry.  We spaced each plant two feet apart, but home gardeners can space them three feet apart to increase air flow.  This cuts down on disease transmission between plants.  Earlier this year, we planted spring peas to fix nitrogen in the same bed that the tomatoes are in now.  Hopefully the soil is now chock full of nitrogen and other good nutrients that will help the tomatoes thrive.  Along with the tomatoes, we planted nasturtium and borage as companion plants.  Nasturtium deters aphids, white flies, and cucumber beetles.  Borage deters tomato hornworms and cabbage worms, while adding trace minerals to the soil.  Try planting these in your own home vegetable garden!  The next succession planting for tomatoes in our garden will be June 1.  We’d love to have you come out to help, just sign up on our website!

Did you know?

- Tomatoes are a great source of vitamins A & C

- The tomato is Tennessee’s State Fruit!

- Tomato leaves are toxic, so only eat the fruit.

- Tomato comes from the Aztec word  xitomatl, which means “plump thing with a navel”

- The Tomato Art Fest is held every August in East Nashville

The mission of SCA is “to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of our environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land.” As members of SCA’s Conservation Corps program, these youth are working with the Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Use Survey Program. Like their fellow Corps members, they live and work in teams, supervised by an onsite staff member, to gain the critical skills, training and field experience necessary to set them on a path toward careers as conservation leaders. During the course of their program, corps members have one day a week that is dedicated to Conservation Projects in the local community. We are glad they chose the Nashville Food Project!

For further information on this local SCA group, visit their website:

http://www.thesca.org/node/355287

This is what the bed looks like before we begin. It is overgrown with weeds and has most likely been lying dormant since last season’s harvest.

Forking the beds is a labor-intensive step because many of the weeds have deep, fibrous roots. It’s not imperative to remove ALL weeds, but it is important to get as much crabgrass out as possible. If not, you’ll be fighting that battle all season long.

This image shows a bed after it’s been hoed in along the edges. We hoe in the sides to create a clean, weed-free edge. The soil is nice and fluffy! Now we add compost and other amendments based on our soil testing. Finally, the bed is raked for a nice, flat surface.

After seeds have been plants in long, measured rows, we cover the bed with row covering. This (in theory) keeps the squirrels from digging up the seeds and keeps any heavy rain that we may have from washing the seeds away before they have a chance to germinate. If you’ve come by the garden recently, you may have wondered what those white sheets were!

Here is a completed bed full of growing seedlings! They are thriving in their new home and love the TLC that we are giving them. This week, volunteer Linda, and Christine set up this lovely irrigation system to keep them well-watered in this heat!

These are a few of the beds in various stages. The beds get prepped as we need them, so there are always a few waiting their turn!

Touring this inspiring place, Christine was surprised to discover that the Delvins are farming 96 acres of the land that her family once owned.  She recalls spending her childhood days in those fields picking blackberries and hunting for arrowheads along the Harpeth River. Her father sold the land in the late 1980s, but her grandmother held onto the tract where the Delvins now farm until about 15 years ago. The land’s transformation is truly inspiring and Christine was comforted to see it has not been turned into development. We would like to thank the Delvins for generously donating seedlings of kale and cabbage, which are currently thriving in the Wedgewood Urban Garden.  They will soon be harvested to feed those who might not otherwise taste all that the land of Middle Tennessee can offer.  Please enjoy the photos from our trip and share in a bit of Christine’s homecoming!

The Nashville Food Project has arranged for an exclusive “In the Round” concert with Tony Arata, Jelly Roll Johnson, J. Fred Knobloch and Thom Schuyler for Patrons of the 2013 Nourish event. The hit songs they’ve composed and perform is only one impressive component to the performances they’ve been sharing together for years. Add to that list of songs, masterful musicianship, tight harmonies, poignant stories, and really funny banter, audiences experience an evening of entertainment that is unmatched. Join us for an evening you won’t forget!

The Patron Package includes:

- Tickets (2) to the Nourish event and a listing in the program as a patron

- Tickets (2) to an exclusive Patrons’ Party on May 22 at The Bluebird Cafe, feat. Tony Arata, Jelly Roll Johnson, J. Fred Knobloch and Thom Schuyler

Get Tickets and More Information.

With a small, part-time staff, we often rely on volunteers to help make things happen. Volunteers, like Rachel, make our staff feel like a hundred people strong. Take a minute to read the beautiful reflection she recently provided about her volunteer opportunity on one of our meal truck runs.

“I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to serve that the Nashville Food Project has given me. It is truly the most fulfilling volunteer effort that I have been a part of. One element that I love the most about the Nashville Food Project is how engaged you are with the people we are serving. After volunteering once a month for over a year, I can honestly say that I know many of the families that we visit. I look forward to seeing them during our shift and have the opportunity to pray for them during the weeks we are not serving. They are more than just passing faces. They are people with struggles and obstacles just like me. I also am grateful for the generosity of the hands that prepare the food. It is always a delicious and fulfilling meal, and it is presented to those we serve with dignity and respect. Because of that, I think these meals demonstrate God’s grace in such a beautiful way. Our job as volunteers is to share His compassion with those less fortunate, and I am so thankful that the Nashville Food Project provides me that opportunity in such a satisfying way.”

On January 30th, TNFP hosted its first Farmers’ Lunch honoring the work and generosity of local growers who have made significant contributions toward increasing access to healthy food in our communities. We want to extend another thank you to all of our farm and local food partners for their gifts to our programs. As always, we are excited about the future potential of our partnership.