Preserving culture

In the harsh winter of 1818, John Oliver and his family, some of the earliest European settlers to our area, were saved from certain starvation by a gift. Dried pumpkin was offered by Cherokee Chief Kade to provide sustenance to the outlanders, which ensured the survival of the man, his wife and baby child. A great friendship bloomed and fruited into a crucial relationship between two cultures.

Today, we Americans no longer rely on scraps of preserved foodstuffs in order to survive; our modern contrivances assist to provide us with ample nourishment. However, the folkways and food systems of our forebears, which can be relevant in the present, are under constant pressure of decline and extinction. At Blackberry Farm, we seek to preserve these ways as sensitive stewards of our culture and the land in which it exists. Our team of artisans exercise their talents to perpetuate the distinct roots of the American south, by pickling, curing, drying, seed saving and sharing the stories of our past. In particular, Master Gardener John Coykendall, whose singular effort in curating his treasured collection of heirloom vegetable seeds and their history and heritage has become an essential life’s work. And the preservationist, cheesemaker, forager, butcher and baker, who bring together a collective push to capture the essence of the American past in their respective crafts.

Consider the fact that the vast majority of cultivated fruits, grains and vegetables were once alien to our country. Like the diaspora of immigrants from Africa, South America, Europe and elsewhere, American fields and orchards teem with crops whose provenance is from distant fields. Each planted row tells a story, and that story is translated on each plate that is presented to visitors to our restaurants. Our efforts to interpret the rich lore, both true and romanticized, enhances our guests’ experiences by attaching a salient memory to each dish, jar, link, loaf or seed. The arcane wisdom of the normally tight-lipped denizens of our area in East Tennessee deserves a prominent place in the wider American experience, and our work to disseminate it through sharing is a hallmark of our hospitality.

Like the collision of a society of hunter-gatherers with one of a more agrarian bent, as in Chief Kade’s and John Oliver’s days, the sharing of food and wisdom around a common table ensures the survival of a vibrant and vital America.

Jeff Ross, Garden Manager

In the harsh winter of 1818, John Oliver and his family, some of the earliest European settlers to our area, were saved from certain starvation by a gift. Dried pumpkin was offered by Cherokee Chief Kade to provide sustenance to the outlanders, which ensured the survival of the man, his wife and baby child. A great friendship bloomed and fruited into a crucial relationship between two cultures.

Today, we Americans no longer rely on scraps of preserved foodstuffs in order to survive; our modern contrivances assist to provide us with ample nourishment. However, the folkways and food systems of our forebears, which can be relevant in the present, are under constant pressure of decline and extinction. At Blackberry Farm, we seek to preserve these ways as sensitive stewards of our culture and the land in which it exists. Our team of artisans exercise their talents to perpetuate the distinct roots of the American south, by pickling, curing, drying, seed saving and sharing the stories of our past. In particular, Master Gardener John Coykendall, whose singular effort in curating his treasured collection of heirloom vegetable seeds and their history and heritage has become an essential life’s work. And the preservationist, cheesemaker, forager, butcher and baker, who bring together a collective push to capture the essence of the American past in their respective crafts.

Consider the fact that the vast majority of cultivated fruits, grains and vegetables were once alien to our country. Like the diaspora of immigrants from Africa, South America, Europe and elsewhere, American fields and orchards teem with crops whose provenance is from distant fields. Each planted row tells a story, and that story is translated on each plate that is presented to visitors to our restaurants. Our efforts to interpret the rich lore, both true and romanticized, enhances our guests’ experiences by attaching a salient memory to each dish, jar, link, loaf or seed. The arcane wisdom of the normally tight-lipped denizens of our area in East Tennessee deserves a prominent place in the wider American experience, and our work to disseminate it through sharing is a hallmark of our hospitality.

Like the collision of a society of hunter-gatherers with one of a more agrarian bent, as in Chief Kade’s and John Oliver’s days, the sharing of food and wisdom around a common table ensures the survival of a vibrant and vital America.

Jeff Ross, Garden Manager