Merry Christmas, Monteagle: thanks for all you're doing.

There are some cool things happening on the mountain 50 miles up the road.

Merry Christmas, Monteagle: thanks for all you're doing.
Midway Mushrooms, Sewanee, Tennessee

There are some cool things happening on the mountain 50 miles up the road.

Sunday, we profiled the outstandingly talented Mallory Grimm and her compelling vision for local food and sustainability at LUNCH, located on the edge of The University of the South's campus on beautiful Monteagle mountain.

LUNCH, Sewanee, Tennessee

Grimm was so generous and shared not one, but two recipes. We included the first in Sunday's feature; below, you'll find the second. (Some friends in Nashville – hi, Stacey and Jonathan – already made Sunday's sweet potato and mushroom galette and loved it.)

Also in Monteagle: leaders from the Southeast Tennessee Young Farmers Coalition remain hard at work building the Coordinated Crop Production Planning initiative.

We wrote about this several weeks ago: this pilot connects growers and buyers in a visionary structure where everyone involved – farmers, restaurant owners, consumers – can rely on a scheduled planting-delivery system thereby strengthening our food economy in mature and robust ways.

Yep, right on Monteagle.

Food as a Verb thanks our newest sustaining partner, Divine Goods, for its generous support.

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.

This Sunday, we visit Midway Mushrooms, a farm unlike any other farm you've seen.

Created by a university valedictorian, missile defense contractor and former aspiring law student, Midway Mushrooms, located near Midway Road, on top of Monteagle, sells gourmet mushrooms.

The entire visit, we were spellbound.

Oyster mushrooms, Midway Mushrooms, Sewanee, Tennessee
Oyster mushrooms, Midway Mushrooms, Sewanee, Tennessee
Speckled Chestnut mushrooms, Midway Mushrooms, Sewanee, Tennessee

The guys from Midway sell each Wednesday at the Main St. Farmers' Market.

Next Wednesday, making our historic debut, so will Food as a Verb.

On Wednesday, Dec. 20, we'll be a guest vendor at the Main Street Holiday Farmers' market from 4 to 5.30 pm.

This is our official t-shirt launch party.

Stop by for a free Food as a Verb t-shirt. You'll need three things:

  • Bring money or canned goods to donate to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.
  • Purchase something from at least one local farmer.
  • Sign up and subscribe to Food as a Verb. If you're already subscribed, wrangle in some friends to subscribe, also.

The market will be packed with an abundance of gorgeous winter produce – milk, cheese, vegetables, meat, deserts, microgreens, kombucha.

(It's been a dream of mine to sell at a farmers' market. In my dream, though, I always thought I'd be selling kale, eggs and lettuce, not t-shirts. But wait until you see these shirts, Chattanooga.)

Oh yes: and if you're outside tonight or Thursday once the sun sets, look up. It's supposed to be amazing.

Finally, we say goodbye with Mallory Grimm's recipe for Cider Braised Cabbage.

Have a starry week, everyone.

David and the Food as a Verb team

Cider Braised Cabbage

1 head of cabbage, cut into 8 wedges 

1 onion, julienned

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups of apple cider

Handful of fresh thyme, salt, pepper

In a deeper skillet over high heat, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Once it shimmers, add in the cabbage wedges, searing on both cut sides until caramelized.

Remove the cabbage, reduce the heat to medium and add in the onion and garlic, sweating until softened and beginning to take on some color.

Deglaze the pan with apple cider, add in the thyme and the seared cabbage. Reduce the heat to medium low.

Season with a big pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the cabbage is softened and the liquid has reduced, about 20 minutes. Serve!

All photography by Sarah Unger. Visit SarahCatherinePhoto.com

Story ideas? Interested in sponsorship opportunities + supporting our work? Feedback or questions? Email David Cook at david@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.

Regional Farmers Markets

  • Main St. Farmers Market, Corner of W. 20th and Chestnut St., near Finley Stadium

Wednesday, 4 - 6pm (Note: the Thanksgiving week market was held on Tuesday.)

  • Brainerd Farmers Market, Grace Episcopal Church, 20 Belvoir Ave,

Saturday, 10am - noon

  • Chattanooga Market, 1820 Carter Street

Sunday, 11am - 4pm

  • Ooltewah Farmers Market, The Ooltewah Nursery

Thursday, 3 - 6pm 

  • Signal Mountain Farmers Market

Pre-order online for Thursday pick-up between 4 - 6pm at Bachman Community Center

  • 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

Dig in. (It's free)