Chuck Chapman, owner of Chapman Hill Winery in LaFollette, reopened for business on May 6. He said being closed since the March COVID-19 shutdown was difficult, “but we’ve had really great support from our customers for our Garage Door Grab & Go. We’ve had more people join our Cellar Club as well. We’re really looking forward to being able to have folks back in the tasting room and interacting on a more personal level.”
Chapman was the featured farmer in the Nine Lakes Wine Festival newsletter. The festival has been rescheduled for Sept. 11-12, by the way.
Chapman said his tasting room is unique with a cozy seating area that people really enjoy. The winery also has an outside deck overlooking the vineyard and the hills surrounding Norris Lake. “We love good food and do our best to offer tasty snacks to complement our wines.”
Notes
Pick Tennessee: Consumers can connect to local farms and food businesses with the Pick Tennessee Products mobile app, which provides a listing based on real-time location. Find the app on Google Play or the App Store by searching Pick Tennessee. If you are already using the app, be sure to update to the most recent version to have access to all listings in the directory.
| Master Gardeners: 2020 has been a tough year for Knox County’s Master Gardeners as the group cancelled its April and May programming. Master Gardeners have been working hard to develop and distribute the scheduled June and July talks remotely via YouTube or Zoom. Find the links here. |
Dairy Farmers of America, a national dairy cooperative, has launched a Farmers Feeding Families Fund, hoping to raise $500,000 for community food banks. Of that, $10,000 is to be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. The DFA has also hosted drive-by milk giveaways at schools and donated milk directly to food banks in some regions.
Hosta Dancing Queen from Brian White’s Nursery
Brian White is an expert grower of hosta plants (and multiple native plants). The Hosta Dancing Queen pictured here is the large size and holds a good color all season long. It sells for $15 at Brian’s nursery. Shipping is extra. Info here.
Forest landowners who want to establish or enhance their woods and loggers looking to improve harvesting capacity can get financial assistance to enhance forest health and sustainability. Multiple cost share opportunities are currently open for application through the end of May. Info here.
The Market Square Farmers Market is on hold until a return to Market Square is deemed safe by the city of Knoxville and Nourish Knoxville, the sponsoring organization. Instead, a temporary market has been established on the Mary Costa Plaza, 500 Howard Baker Jr. Ave., adjacent to the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. Many of the Market Square vendors will be there. Hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Wednesday and Saturday. The 9-10 a.m. hour is dedicated for shopping by the elderly and immune-compromised. Info here.
Welcome to our Friday column about food and farming. If you’ve got suggestions for inclusions, improvements or feature stories, please give a shout to sandra.clark@KnoxTNToday.com.