Local market provides fun during flu season
I’m sweating. I’m freezing. My skin hurts. My chest is tight. I’m hungry but I can’t stomach anything but orange popsicles and chicken soup. It’s the flu. I am not one to be sick often so when it hits, it takes me down for the count. I thought I was in the clear as I watched folks get the funk around me but then after ringing in the new year, the plague of 2020 began to circulate closer to me.
As this was the first time I’ve been sick since I started my local food journey a few years ago, I struggled to swallow the syrupy chemical crap or powdery mess since I had no idea what was in it.
Thankfully, I have surrounded myself with salt of the earth homesteaders and amazing farmers who are knowledgeable in homemade remedies and what food can heal you.
For just over a decade, the non-profit Main St. Farmers Market is a year-round, food-focused market and their mission “is to inspire healthy, environmentally responsible lifestyles by fostering relationships within the local food community.”
Their annual Winter Farmacy is a January event that brings awareness to how your health is directly affected by what you put in your body.
This weekly gathering is filled with edible items that can make you feel better all year long. When my Vitamin D was low a few months back, instead of taking a pill, I googled what food is good to remedy that and eggs, fish and mushrooms were among the top answers. They are all available at the market.
Now with the plague upon me and the urge to not use store bought meds, I reached out for real food remedies like fresh garlic and ginger, elderberry syrup, tea, greens, raw honey, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar and fire cider.
Fire cider, which is new to me, is a cold weather tonic made from fermenting apple cider vinegar with shredded roots like ginger, turmeric, horseradish & garlic. It wards off colds and flu, relieves nasal congestion, boosts energy and fights nausea. Apple cider vinegar alone aids in digestion and metabolism and boosts white blood counts to help fight infection.
When I first learned about elderberry syrup, I thought it went on pancakes. I mean, it can but it should be dosed in a syringe versus a gravy boat. Elderberry syrup has become the elixir of the century as it boosts the immune system with its beaucoup of antiviral properties full of Vitamin A and C.
To heal the taste, Ada’s Heritage Farm will have that berry deliciousness for sale as well as dandelion greens and dandelion jelly. Dandelions, yes the weed that too many try and mow over, are excellent for moving congestion and energizing the body. Known for their powerhouse greens, Tant Hill Farms will have their Awesome Asian and Lettuce mix with edible flowers! If eating flowers is wrong, I don’t want to be right!
To heal the touch and give everyone warm and fuzzies on site, Fall Creek Farms, who specializes in raw milk, will have baby goats to pet and Land To Table Farms, who specializes in red wattle hogs, will be bringing an adorable baby pig.
To heal the sound and sight, live music will be provided by Fiddlers Anonymous student, 11-year-old Abi Snell and the newly developed non-profit Sustainable Food Center will be planting microgreens at the kids booth. There will also be guest vendors Sale Creek Honey, Harvest Home, Three Rivers Farm, Blumenwagen, and Upcycled Tabletops.
For a detailed list of what’s available at this Wednesday’s Winter Farmacy off Main Street, just up the road from Chattanooga Brewing, check out the calendar online at mainstfarmersmarket.com