It's a great day for loans, castration and alpaca coffee.
Yeah, you read that right.
Yeah, you read that right.
Anybody color their hair yesterday? Or ask for a loan? Apparently, Tuesday was a good day for that.
And last Wednesday? A great day for castration.
Today is prime time for baking. And moving. And starting projects. (Wait! We have a new project starting today! Keep reading!)
So says The 2024 Old Farmer's Almanac, which, if you haven't read one lately, is a fascinating, content-rich experience.
"Useful, with a pleasant degree of humor," it proclaims.
Since 1792, when it was first published, the Farmer's Almanac was bedside reading for generations of farmers who relied on the almanac as a storehouse of instruction. When to plant root vegetables? Slaughter pigs? Wash floors, mate sheep or quit smoking?
The Almanac was a trusted resource for nearly everything using old-time knowledge.
"Sun, moon, stars and planets," it says.
Is it still?
Food as a Verb is putting out the call: how many people still plant, harvest or farm following lunar and astrological signs?
"According to this age-old practice, cycles of the moon affect plant growth," the Almanac declares.
The other day at the farm, I had two left feet and ten thumbs. I forgot my hoe. Ran into the fencepost. Twice. Dropped the tiny red plastic gas cap into the tractor's gas tank. Mumbled all this under my breath to best mate and my farming partner.
"Did you check the moon?" he said.
Food as a Verb thanks Niedlov's Bakery & Cafe, our sustaining partner, for its generous support.
Niedlov's Bakery & Cafe, a Main St. anchor, has elevated our city's bakery experience to beautiful levels while strengthening community in immeasurable ways.
The old tradition of planting with the signs suggests that astrological patterns impact and affect our agricultural work.
"Plant annual flowers and vegetables that bear crops above ground during the light, or waxing of the moon," the Almanac says. "Plant flowering bulbs, biennial and perennial flowers and vegetables that bear crops below ground during the dark, or waning, of the moon."
Anyone out there – farmers or gardeners – still practice this?
We'd love to hear from you.
Food as a Verb thanks Whitney Drayer, senior vice president at Morgan Stanley, for his generous support.
Contact Whitney at whitney.drayer@ms.com or 423-752-4736.
- We're also thrilled to announce a new Wednesday series:
Food in our Phone: weekly nibbles and encounters.
Each week, we'll share some snapshots of meals, drinks, garden veggies and, well, maybe even an alpaca or backyard chicken.
This week's edition comes from Sarah.
Food in our Phone
weekly nibbles and encounters
- Rosie May's Alpaca Farm and coffee shop. If you haven't been, go and grab a coffee (they use local beans from Mean Mug) and feed these fun-loving creatures.
- Strawberries from my porch! Anyone have any suggestions on keeping these from getting nibbled on?
- Is there anything better than a summer cook out? Greens from Hissing Possum Farm, squash from Red Clay Farm.
- SMASHBOYZ! One of the best burgers in town. Only catch is, you have to find them at a pop up. Find their weekly schedule on their instagram page!
Keep an eye out for reader contributions soon.
Coming soon: we're sharing with you a really tender love story.
Have a fabulous week, everyone.
All photography by Sarah Unger (sarah@foodasaverb.com)
All design by Alex DeHart
All words by David Cook (david@foodasaverb.com)
Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in sponsorship or advertising opportunities? Email us: david@foodasaverb.com and sarah@foodasaverb.com
This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.
Food as a Verb thanks our sustaining partners for their generous support.
Since 1953, when AC Pruett began selling cabbage out of his truck bed, the Pruett family has been serving Chattanooga's food landscape. Currently, Pruett's Market on Signal Mountain offers a gorgeous grocery store complete with organic and local options balanced with a small-town market atmosphere. Main Street Meats is a modern neighborhood butcher shop and restaurant in Chattanooga’s Southside deeply committed to animal care, local farms and land stewardship that promises an experience “as farm-to-table as it gets.” For more than 25 years, Lupi's has served locally-sourced, creatively made and award-winningly delicious pizza pies from five nearby locations. Society of Work is a shared coworking space designed with business flexibility in mind and the resources to help like-minded people connect and create amazing things together. From private offices to 24/7 coworking memberships, we provide the space you need to get work done. The Chattanooga Area Food Bank believes that no one should go hungry, and through our network of over 250 hunger-relief partners, we provide equitable access to food and resources to end hunger today and build pathways for a healthy, hunger-free future tomorrow. Female-and-locally owned, Divine Goods offers beautifully curated gifts for every occasion. Be divine and send someone special a Divine Goods gift - locally sourced when possible, and always thoughtful. Tucker Build offers Chattanooga a commercial construction firm made up of design-build experts specializing in the planning, building and managing process.
Regional Farmers' Markets
- Main St. Farmers' Market
Corner of W. 20th and Chestnut St., near Finley Stadium
Wednesday, 4 - 6pm
- Brainerd Farmers' Market
Grace Episcopal Church, 20 Belvoir Ave, Chattanooga, TN
Saturday, 10am - noon
- Chattanooga Market
1820 Carter Street, Sunday, 11am - 4pm
- Fresh Mess Market
Harton Park, Monteagle, TN. (Rain location: Monteagle Fire Hall.)
Every Thursday, 3pm - 6pm, beg. June 6 - Oct. 3
- Ooltewah Farmers' Market
The Ooltewah Nursery, Thursday, 3 - 6pm
Pre-order online for Thursday pick-up between 4 - 6pm at Bachman Community Center
- South Cumberland Farmers’ Market
Sewanee Community Center (behind the Sewanee Market on Ball Park Rd.) Tuesdays from 4:15 to 6:00 p.m. (central.) Order online by Monday 10 am (central.)
- St. Albans Farmers' Market
7514 Hixson Pike, Saturday, 9.30am - 12.30pm with a free pancake breakfast every third Saturday
- Walker County Farmers' Market
Wednesday, 2 - 5 pm, Rock Spring Ag. Center
Saturday, 9 am - 1 pm, downtown Lafayette, Georgia
To include your farmers market, email david@foodasaverb.com