2016 Arts and Ag Tour Guide

The 2016 Arts & Ag Tour Guide and Map is now available for pickup or download.  Explore the beautiful back roads of Hickman County on this free, two day, self-guided tour of farms, art and music. Many favorite stops from previous years will be returning, as well as some new stops and new vendors to meet. Printed guides are now available at the Hickman County Chamber of Commerce on the Centerville Town Square and at each stop on the day of the tour.  In the meantime, you can download a full version of the tour guide here.

Download the 2016 Arts & Ag tour guide

 

Preview Arts & Ag Tour Stop #1

Stop # 1, Wild Duck Soup Emporium, welcomes you to the Third Annual Arts & Ag Tour.

Grab a hard copy, printed version, of the 2014 Tour Guide here and meet Arts & Ag co-founder Antonia Meadors. Meadors opened Wild Duck Soup Emporium, the unofficial headquarters of Arts & Ag, in 2011. Since then her venue has grown to be the premiere art gallery in the county as well as a haven for those seeking natural foods, local honey, herbal supplements and other healthful items.

As the unofficial headquarters of Arts & Ag, Wild Duck Soup Emporium is THE place to get the inside scoop on everything related to the Tour and to participate in our Tour Guide activities:

• If you take a photo of your favorite stop on the Tour and post it on our facebook page, you can get a free I Love Back Roads bumper sticker from the counter at Wild Duck Soup Emporium.
• If you guess which number belongs in the blank star on the Tour Map, head to that stop and get them to sign your Tour Guide, you can get a free Arts & Ag gift from Wild Duck Soup Emporium!

Left: Antonia Meadors, Owner Wild Duck Soup
Right: Cindy Sarlo, Arts & Ag Photographer

Several artists and exhibits will be on site at Stop #1. You’ll have the opportunity to meet Cindy Sarlo, the Official Photographer for Arts & Ag, and to view her recent works, including photographs from last year’s Tour. You’ll hear live music from local fiddlist, Mark Baczynski and singer-songwriter Gloria McCord. Tour the patio garden and view works by sculptor, Daniel Sheridan and folk artist, Jo Neace Krause.

Meadors, a native of Hickman County, is a wealth of information regarding local foods and the people who grow them. She is plugged into the extensive network of artists, craftsmen and musicians who call Hickman County home and proudly offers many of their one-of-a-kind pieces for sale at Wild Duck Soup Emporium. Her enthusiasm for all things local and her positive, encouraging attitude makes Wild Duck Soup Emporium an exciting hub of local activity with a friendly, inviting atmosphere. Come see for yourself during the Arts & Ag Tour this Memorial Day Weekend!

2014 Arts & Ag Tour Guide Release

With just one month to go, the countdown to the Arts & Ag Tour has officially begun. To kick off the countdown, we’re releasing the online version of the 2014 Arts & Ag Tour Guide today! The hard copy, printed version of the Tour Guide will be available for free to folks taking the tour. Look for them soon at Wild Duck Soup Emporium or email us at artsandagtour@gmail.com for more information. This multi-paged booklet contains everything you need to know about taking the Arts & Ag Tour including descriptions of each stop, touring tips, a schedule of music and demonstrations, the tour map and much more. Stay tuned here for more posts highlighting various points of interest on the Tour as we journey to our opening day, Friday May 23rd. Click the image below to link to the Tour Guide.

The Arts & Ag Harvest Market Vendor Map is here!

What will you find at The Arts & Ag Harvest Market? Here is our Vendor List!

October 19^th 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Grinder’s Switch Winery, 2119 Hwy 50 W. Loop, Centerville, TN

‘Tis the season when crisp autumn air rejuvenates the spirit, multi-colored leaves light up the forests, and nature’s waning harvest reminds us to start stocking up for the winter ahead. Did you know there’s only 14 more weekends till Christmas? No need to panic – the Arts & Ag Harvest Market will be the perfect stop to get a head start on your holiday shopping and hostess gifts for this festive time of year! Featuring some of the county’s best homegrown farm goods, artisan crafts, live music, baked goods and award-winning wine the Harvest Market will offer a bountiful cornucopia overflowing with variety and fall fun. You can also munch on some delicious pulled pork and sausages made by Hickman County’s own Jodie Morgan (of Eatin’ on the Cheap!).  Mark your calendars and share the news with friends- you won’t want to miss this family-friendly event!

The 2013 Arts & Ag Harvest Market Vendor List:

Barefoot Farmgirl – raw honey, homemade beauty products, crocheted and sewn textile creations

Bratton Farms – harvest produce

Beaverdam Creek Farm – harvest produce, handmade soaps and more

Belle Springs Farm – information about dairy cow shares; farm-made, family-friendly household cleaners for sale. Also, find creations by Simple Stitches with lovely knitted items and handmade jewelry.

Buffalo River Artisans Cooperative

Centerville Garden Club

Cindy Sarlo Photography

Cheeky Petz – handmade stuffed animals and pet toys

Clay’s Benches and More – handmade wood creations

Clay Harris Theatre – tickets to Hickman County’s talented theatre shows

Dodi Lovett – watercolors and fine art

Fondue Vintage Homewares – vintage wallpapered home décor & more

Good Wool Etc. – felted creations from Jacob’s sheep wool, enameled necklaces, notecards, wooden accessories

Hardwear Merry – Jewelry with lots of texture and unique appeal by hammering, enameling, fold forming, etching, twisting, polishing and use of patina

Heritage Reclaimed Farm – fry bread, preserved food

Hickman County Quilt Guild – fabric and local quilt books

Home-Made-Home – blacksmith, Dustin Morgan’s creations; also, handmade brooms, pillows, stuffed animals and corn husk dolls

Joanne’s Creations – jewelry, jams and more

Leah McIntyre Jewelry – “simple, unique, handcrafted, jewelry”

New Eden Farm – harvest produce & more

Pieceful Worlds Clothing – tie dyed clothing and creations

Pinewood Farms – harvest produce

Ruby-Valentine Designs – jewelry and more

Star Brite Soap – goat milk soaps and real goats to pet!

Tom the Furniture Guy – barn wood signs

Tottys Bend Soap Farm – goat milk soaps, lotions, laundry powders & candles

True Self Studio – Copper Stainless Aluminum Brass Forged Wire Wrapped Hand Hammered Stamped One Of A Kind Artisan Designed Jewelry Earrings Bracelets Necklaces Pendants Rings

Unique Expressions – watercolor paintings and decorated boxes by Sharon Cude

Vottery – pottery creations by Vicki Imoberstag

Wild Duck Soup Emporium – a variety of all natural and handmade goods

Whippoorwill – fine art felted characters

Woodchips and Sawdust – turned bowls, vases, painted saw blades

Cheeky Petz vintage inspired stuffed animals coming to the Harvest Market

Back in the 1970s, Kathleen had begun making one-of-a-kind rag-dolls which she sold at a local crafts store. Later, under the label name Ladybrady, she produced art wearables that featured recycled vintage materials.

Her garments and accessories were sold through an agent to boutiques in New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and London.She also worked as a costumer, for Opryland, Nashville Ballet, and various theatres in Nashville and Atlanta.

Kathleen fondly recalls stopping in Centerville many times to eat lunch, while enroute to the thrift stores in Hohenwald to search for treasures to incorporate into her original designs.She’s had a soft-spot for Hickman County ever since, and she dreams about moving there after her husband retires.” I’m mad for the Happy Hollow Road area, ” she says, ” You just can’t beat having an address like that !! ”

As part of a home-schooling effort last fall, Kathleen, aka Grandma, began teaching 9-year-old Marina how to sew. Almost immediately, Marina wanted to make stuffed animals.She also wanted to sell them at crafts fairs.She hoped to be able to donate money to animal rescue organizations.” Cheeky Petz — softies with heart — ” was the end result.

Marina and Kathleen are full-fledged design, production, and marketing partners.Together, they choose vintage patterns and fabrics from Kathleen’s collection.Kathleen embroiders most of the animal’s features and machine-sews many of the bodies as well. ” My partner, however, is a whiz-bang stuffer and whip-stitcher and display innovator, ” she declares. Kathleen is proud too that Marina can now do most of the math-related work, oftentimes in her head.

” Best of all, when she grows up, Marina won’t have to pay anyone to hem a pair of jeans for her.”  Grandma thinks that’s a wonderful ” sustainable ” achievement, in and of itself.

Marina and Kathleen invite you to their Cheeky Petz booth this fall during the Harvest Market, Saturday October 19th at the Grinders Switch Winery.

Vintage Charm at Tour Stop No.22 – April’s Attic, Tom’s Furniture, Fondue Vintage, Mark the Fiddlist

Arts & Ag Tour Stop #22:  228 Hinson Lane, Centerville, Tennessee 37033  Featuring the following:

• Tom the Furniture Guy
• April’s Attic
• Fondue Vintage Homewares
• Mark the Fiddlist
• Door Prizes and too much fun!

Stop #22 features a husband and wife team who each bring creative and unique items to the tour.  Tom, the Furniture Guy uses barnwood to create his custom furniture and playful signs. By salvaging wood from storm-damaged barns, Tom makes sure these beautiful buildings live on.  His wife April has created April’s Attic, a unique collection of vintage items she finds on her many treasure hunting trips. She never knows what she is going to find and that helps create the fun and friendly environment that is April’s Attic.

Fondue Vintage Homewares will be setting up shop in April’s Attic, too. Fondue Vintage creates home décor covered in real vintage wallpapers making the mundane and utilitarian – like lamp shades, switch plate covers and tissue box covers – into something that will make you smile! Visit Nicole and catch the opportunity for some good deals (scroll down for a coupon!).

ALSO – don’t miss Mark the Fiddlist on Saturday from 11-4. Mark has entertained with some of the very best of them and we’ll be lucky enough to hear (and hang with!) him for this very special opportunity on Saturday. He will also have cds and fiddles for sale. Always wanted to learn how to play? Well, Mark’s the man who can teach you! Need a fiddle to be repaired? Again – Mark’s the guy who can help you out.

And, at Tour Stop #22 will also be Tour Maps, fans, bumper stickers and ice cold water for sale (all proceeds from these sales go towards next year’s tour expenses).

Buckle up, drive carefully and roll those windows down. We’re looking forward to seeing you!

 

Arts & Ag Tour Maps available NOW for FREE download!

1. DOWNLOAD { side 1 } of program / map here: programmapSIDE1
2. DOWNLOAD { side 2 } of program / map here: programmapSIDE2
3. DOWNLOAD  additional info insert here: mapinsert

Printing Tips: Once you download each file you can print. The map file is 11″ x 17″ so you’ll probably want to select “scale to paper size” in your printer settings. Be sure to also select landscape format (so it prints horizontally).

Benefits and Methods of Grass Fed Beef by Gabriel New of New Eden Farm (Stop #15)

The benefits of grass fed beef have been widely known for some time now, but how can a non farmer be sure they’re getting the real deal?  It really pains me that this is so, but there are unethical producers out there and we all run the risk of being taken in by them.  Hopefully I can help you reduce that risk.  My name is Gabriel New and I’ve been farming for five years and using rotational grazing with animals for four of those years.  We currently raise beef and dairy cattle, dairy goats and chickens.

First, get your potential supplier talking about their farm/ranch.  They will probably be happy to do so and will volunteer most of the information for which you’re looking.  They should invite you out to see their farm, but if not, don’t be afraid to ask if you can visit.  Make sure you ask about what they feed and what they use for medication when needed.

I don’t want this to be a negative article, but since that’s what the media hype focuses on, let’s get those things out of the way.  Here’s a few things I don’t like in my beef: hormones and steroids (usually in the form of implants in the animal’s ear), synthetic wormers, vaccinations and of course the big one – grain.  Why would I even mention grain, after all, didn’t I start by talking about grass fed?  Surprising as it is, many ranchers think that “some” grain doesn’t disqualify their animals from being called “grass fed”, after all, grain fed beef comes from feedlots and their cattle are out on pasture!  So it’s good to double check and make sure that they feed no grain at all.  Now for the good stuff: are the cattle on pasture?  Not just the typical pasture that you see from the highway that looks like a mangy dog with overgrown weeds next to bald spots, but consistently tall and diverse forage.  Ideally they’ll be using portable electric fence rather than just permanent fencing.  It should look something like this:

If the pasture they’ll be moving onto is short, you’ll probably be disappointed in the quality of the meat.  Taller grass gives them a better selection and prevents the need to graze closely to the manure that was left on the last rotation.  Consistently high quality forage is necessary for the health of the animal and this is achieved by giving them a new buffet every day, or even more often than that.  The animals should not be spread out over a huge pasture, but “mobbed up” densely on a small piece mimicking the behavior of large herds that existed before mankind came along and put up lots of fences.  That might look something like this:

Or it might look a lot less dense, depending on the time of year.

The key thing you’re looking for is that they’re on good forage and consistently being rotated to fresh pasture.  The other big thing is soil life.  Look for worm castings and dung beetle activity.  If there aren’t any, or many, that tells you something is very wrong.

I hope this has helped you.  If you’d like to ask some more questions, feel free to email me gabe@newedenfarm.net or stop by our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Eden-Farm/546688835347559

My farm, New Eden Farm is Stop #15 on the 2013 Arts & Ag Tour this Memorial Day Weekend. You’ll be able to tour the farm, learn about what we do,  and sample some of my naturally raised, grass fed beef.

Stir-Fried Watercress a.k.a. “Creek Salat” Stir-Fry

Hickman County has so many streams with fresh spring water that watercress is abundant.  It stays green all year, doesn’t freeze, and is filled with Vitamin C and iron. When it is blossoming, it might be a bit tangy.  I don’t eat the blossoms but you might like them.  It is easiest to pick watercress with scissors (which I keep in my vehicle at all times), and take care not to pull it up by the roots.  You can trim off the little bits of roots later but leave the rooted parts of the plants to keep growing.  The beauty of watercress is that it will only grow in clean, fresh spring water, and will not grow in polluted water, so we have fresh chemical free greens available all year. Warning, you might get your feet wet!

I like to use a large cast iron skillet.

Chop bacon into small bits and fry until almost crispy. Alternatively, or in addition to bacon, add diced firm water-packed tofu, and let it fry in the bacon grease (or oil) until golden on several sides.

Add diced sweet onions or fresh scallions and minced garlic from the garden, fry one or two minutes until soft.

Rinse a huge pile of watercress.  Clean off any yellowed leaves, grasses or other unwanted debris. Chop, starting at the thicker stems, about one inch in length. Toss the chopped stems into the mix for a minute, then pile the rest of the greens into the pot. Add a dash of Bragg’s Aminos (available at Wild Duck Soup) or good soy sauce, fresh ground black pepper and cover with a lid.

At this point you can turn off the heat, wait two or three minutes and then stir to mix all ingredients.

Serve over rice or quinoa or millet (also available at Wild Duck Soup).

You can also scramble a few eggs if you make a hole in the center of the greens or cook them in the juices after you’ve emptied the pan.

You can add finely diced jalapenos, or any kind of peppers (add that to the onions), or include any other fresh veggies that suit your fancy. Diced tomatoes at the end are delicious, or a fresh salsa, barely heated. The main thing is to add the watercress at the end and heat it only long enough to wilt it.