Nashville Farmers Market – The Salted Table

Generous Helpings & A Giveaway! (CONTEST CLOSED)

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee started in 1978 with dedicated community leaders who wanted to provide a central distribution center for companies, groups and individuals who desired to help provide food for hungry people in Middle Tennessee. Second Harvest’s mission is to feed hungry people and work to solve hunger issues in our community.

Did you know that one in four children in the state of Tennessee are food insecure? Could you imagine not knowing where your next meal was going to come from? Having to juggle which is more important, getting gas for work tomorrow or buying dinner for your family? Well, you may have never faced these challenges but many families in Middle Tennessee and across the state are. The Second Harvest Food Bank provided somewhere around twenty-million meals to hungry children, families and seniors last year?

The SHFBMT will be hosting its annual Generous Helpings Fundraiser on Thursday, May 15 from 6-9 p.m. at the Nashville Farmer’s Market. And I’m elated to be partnering with them in giving away two tickets to one lucky winner. How awesome is that?! I love these kind of events because my work schedule is hectic and these awesome events allow me to sample cuisine from restaurants I haven’t had the chance to dine at. I’ve heard the event is phenomenal and I am looking forward to seeing you there! The event will feature 30 of Nashville’s finest restaurants and local beverage/wine distributors. It will be a night full of stuffing your face and mingling with some of the most talented chefs in Nashville. You can find out more on the event here including the list of participants!

The contest rules are simple and as follows:

1. Join Second Harvest’s e-mail list at secondharvestmidtn.org
2. Follow Second Harvest on twitter : @2HarvestMidTN and if you don’t have a twitter account, you can follow on facebook.
3. Follow me on twitter @localforkful and retweet the contest.
4. Come back to this blog post and leave a comment stating that you have completed all three tasks. The contest ends on Wednesday Monday May 5th. A winner will be chosen and notified via e-mail.

I mean, could it be more simple for a pair of tickets worth $100 value which reminds me. If you don’t happen to win the contest, this is such a great cause that I encourage you to head over to the website and make a donation. What better way to bless someone than with food?!

The Peach Truck…Summer Obsession!

How painful to only enjoy good peaches from June to July. Everyone knows a good ripe, juicy peach is often hard to find with local commercial chains peddling the unripened, often mealy ones. Most civilians aren’t aware that leaving them in a paper bag for a couple of days is the remedy.

The Peach Truck typically takes this process out of the equation by bringing you the best peaches from his aunt & uncle’s very own peach farm in Fort Valley, Goergia. The farm is located southwest of Macon on 1500 acres of supple peaches awaiting Nashville local chefs and foodies alike to whip up salivating culinary creations.

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I spoke with Steven Rose briefly, the man behind the tweets and pickup truck instagram shots. He says briefly after he and his wife married and began their lives in Nashville. He had somewhat of a hard time finding peaches to his satisfaction. He shared this hardship with his aunt and uncle who inspired him to bring the edible candy up the interstate to you and me.

We ran into Annie Downs. Check out the awesome christian author @ http://annieblogs.com/

You can find these incredibly delicious peaches outside of denim clothiers imogene & willie’s in the 12 South Neighborhood. As well as the Nashville Farmer’s Market located off Rosa Parks Blvd. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook to find out how you can your hands on these summer obsessions. But sorry, you’ll have to wait till next summer because peach season’s over. Unless you know something we don’t.

Peach Recipe. Here’s a simple but delicious Peach Cobbler with a White Chocolate Sauce you can make with your bag of peaches.

5 peaches (pealed,opt.)
1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T. granulated sugar

Topping

1/2 c. AP flour
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
smidge of kosher salt
3 T. room temp. unsalted butter
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

White Chocolate Sauce

2 oz. White Chocolate discs or shaved bark
1 T. vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven for 350 degrees. Cut your peaches into bite size pieces. Toss in lemon juice and sugar. Set aside

2. Add first 4 dry ingredients for topping, set aside. Using a hand held blender, blend together your butter, egg, and vanilla. Add your dry ingredients a little at a time until all combined.

3. You can opt to use two 12 oz. ramekins or a 1.5 qt baking dish. Place sugared peaches in the bottom of ramekins or dish. I like to add a couple of dollops of butter in at the last minute. Completely optional, about a T. Spoon your batter over the top of the mixture. Don’t worry about covering it evenly. It will spread. Bake for 40 min. or until top of cobbler is lightly browned around the edges and peaches are bubbling around the sides.

4. Put the the white chocolate & oil into a microwave safe dish. Temper in 20 sec. intervals using a spoon to stir the mixture in between the intervals until completely melted. Top off your cobbler and Enjoy!

Iron Fork 2012…Edible Deliciousness!

You don’t want to miss out on this incredible display of Culinary Talent among some of the Best Chefs Nashville has to offer. Be there or be square, or better don’t miss out on this Culinary Disneyland. The first time when leaving with a belly ache is well worth it! following post from the Nashville Scene

POSTED BY JIM RIDLEY ON MON, MAR 5, 2012 AT 9:00 AM

More tasting stations and a new venue will put some extra sparkle on the gleaming tines of the fifth annual Iron Fork, the culinary extravaganza and charity benefit sponsored by the Scene. The event, in which five of Nashville’s finest chefs vie to impress a panel of judges with their inventive application of a single common ingredient — any resemblance between this and a certain imported Japanese food-competition show is strictly coincidental — vastly exceeded the expected turnout in its first year and has been a blockbuster ever since.

The main attraction each year, however, is the roster of participating chefs. They’re treated and greeted like the rock stars they are, cheered on by fans, and this year’s lineup promises rowdy rooting sections from East and West Nashville. The Iron Fork chefs for 2012 are:

Laura Wilson, 2011 Returning Champion (Nashville Farmers’ Market)
Roderick Bailey (Silly Goose)
Hernan Borda (Rumours East)
Jason Brumm (Merchants)
Vinny Tardo (Saffire)

Please, no wagering. Instead, check out the local favorites who’ll provide tasting stations about the arena: 12 South Taproom and Grill, Amerigo, Copper Kettle, Cuestion Tequila. Four Roses Bourbon, Fuse Sports Club, Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, Mirko Pasta, Nashville Farmer’s Market, Noshville Delicatessen, Perl Catering, Porta Via Italian Kitchen, Solario, Stone House Q, Swett’s, The Art Institute of Tennessee, The Corner Market, The Southern, Urban Flats, Vito’s Ristorante & Wine Bar and Woodlands, with many more to be announced.

The 2012 Iron Fork takes place 6-10 p.m. Wednesday, April 25 at the huge new Marathon Motor Works concert space in Marathon Village. Tickets are $35, available here until April 1 (when they go up to $45). This year’s event benefits Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.