My grandfather was a preacher and a farmer, and he tended to his vegetable crop with the same dedication and care as he did his congregational flock. My father possessed those same talents – Sunday School teacher to President Carter and cultivator of the sweetest, reddest tomatoes in all of Tennessee. My father would nurture a tomato vine as if it were his fifth child in need of love, Southern sunshine, and a healthy drink of water.
The Gregg men cherished both the land and the soul in equal measure, leaving me with both a love of the Lord plus the talent to pick a ripe cantaloupe with a single thump of its skin.
But I’m an urban dweller with no dirt to plant other than the decorative pot by my front door that I fill with geraniums come summer and pansies come fall. That’s right – I’m a 10-year urbanite yearning for the earth-grown riches I found on my dinner plate every evening as a child. I’m the roadside-stand forager searching for the perfect homegrown cucumber. I’m the grocery shopper who wonders how many days it’s taken for that slightly wilted head of broccoli to travel from California to the shelf of my neighborhood store.
Come spring, praise the Lord, my nutritional fortunes turn. Every Sunday from late April to the end of October, a cornucopia of fruits, vegetables, flowers, eggs, meats, honeys and so much more is trucked to Chattanooga’s Southside, mere feet from our pale pink front door where my geraniums have just been planted. The Chattanooga Market, located at the Tennessee Pavilion, is pure vegetable salvation. My weekly fix for all things grown in the rich, fertile earth. Whether it’s May’s sweet strawberries or July’s tender peaches, these locally grown riches are there for my purchase. And the hard-working farmers – many of whom I’ve come to know by name and smile – welcome me home.
The first few weeks, I arrive giddy, excited to see old friends from Melon Patch Farms, White Oak Valley Farm, Noke Granola or Heavenly Hill Honey. I buy a dozen fresh eggs from a sweet young family, then comment on how much their three kids have grown during the winter months.
“They’ve grown like weeds,” I say. Then I look for new farmers to welcome to the family.
I visit craftsmen and artisans who’ve brought their wooden and leatherworks, ceramics, paintings, jewelry, T-shirts and dog collars, buying many a birthday and Christmas present. I listen to the musicians – from Bluegrass to country to rock ‘n’ roll – performing on the pavilion’s stage. I stand in line – often a long line – at my favorite food truck. And at least once a season (OK, maybe twice), I buy a bucket of mini sugar-coated donuts and feast on them as I walk the market’s aisles.
As spring gives way to summer, the pavilion will grow more crowded, hotter and more humid underneath the lofty metal roof. A half-dozen or so Big Ass fans will spin mightily trying to mitigate the heat. Summer months at the market are not for the faint of heart, but the payoff is worth it. Zucchini, yellow squash, blueberries, cantaloupes will now be the prizes offered up on folding tables like gifts to a king...or queen.
I rarely miss a Sunday at the Chattanooga Market, sometimes running by on my way to Sunday service. (Yes, I’m one of those who often comes early, before the official 11 a.m. start time.) Sometimes lingering for hours. But either way, when I leave the pavilion with my cart stuffed full of the day’s bounty, I’m wearing a broad smile and dreaming of the evening meal.
Susan Gregg Gilmore is a Realtor and novelist who believes every great story – and home – begins with a solid foundation. She’s the author of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove and The Funeral Dress, which blend Southern charm with heartfelt humor. Her work has appeared in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Los Angeles Times and Christian Science Monitor. When not writing or helping folks find their perfect porch, she enjoys family life and all things Tennessee. Her fourth novel, The Curious Calling of Leonard Bush (Blair), debuts Aug. 26.
“My Favorite Thing” is a regular feature in which Chattanoogans from all walks of life write about the one thing they enjoy the most in the Scenic City. Installments unearth hidden gems, offer fresh perspectives of local mainstays and reveal the rich diversity of Chattanooga.