Farm to your table at Hardin Valley
My other half loves to drag me to farmers’ markets. She is really going to love the one hosted by a former student Dale Akins at his Hardin Valley Event Center. here in Knoxville. What I have always wondered when I go into Whole Foods, Publix and the other grocery stores is “Where is the ugly produce?” Often at the farmers’ markets, the produce sometimes isn’t as pretty as it is at the Fresh Market. It is often bruised, wrinkled and actually looks like it was home grown rather than industrially produced. I also remember my grandfather’s crops. They weren’t necessarily pretty but they sure tasted good. So I might have gotten an answer to my question when I ran across the website Misfits Markets.
https://www.misfitsmarket.com/hp55
They say that ugly food should not be thrown away and wasted. Rather they work with farmers to send you fresh produce, meat, seafood and dairy at prices lower than you pay at the grocery stores. Sort of an online farmers’ market. The headline on their website is “Groceries sourced for flavor, not appearances.” It says that 40 percent of food grown is wasted. That is astounding if true. It also says “Industrial agriculture is detrimental to the environment” (see my post on Roundup), “Animals are raised for efficiency instead of welfare” (see the post on eggs), “Small makers are shut out if they can’t pay for shelf space” (so much for buying local), “You overpay for food that’s stripped of quality and taste” (my mother’s lament), and “Familiar labels dominate, leaving no room for fun, unexpected finds” (that may be true but have you ever tried looked at the local beer selection at Total Wine?).
But hey. I am all in favor of ugly food especially if it tastes better than the pretty stuff and is cheaper. So go check out the website and more importantly go check out your local farmers’ markets, especially Dale’s at Hardin Valley. I salute him for bringing us our own farm to table.
Join the invite list to receive a monthly email about upcoming events:
Follow social media to find vendor information:
https://www.facebook.com/pavilionfarmersmarket
Thanks Dale!
haroldblackphd.com 
Dale and I have been close friends since moving into the same neighborhood some 15+ years ago. If Dale, says it, you can believe it!!
I’m very familiar with Misfits Markets. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of doing consulting work for close friends in NW Arkansas at a company called Happy Eggs. We were investigating some co-marketing opportunities with Misfits, and we purchased from them for a number of months – their products are a mish-mash of sometimes odd looking but always high quality varieties – at a very good price.
Per your egg comment – I can’t more highly recommend Happy Eggs (happyegg.com). They are free range, proprietary high quality fed birds with at least 8 acres of open pasture on which to roam, which makes for a deep amber, thicker shell, high quality egg. You can find them at all major markets.
Glad you know Dale – if moss never grows under a rolling stone, Dale is a rolling boulder….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Small world. I will try the eggs. Another reader recommended the eggs at Pope’s.
LikeLike