Nashville/Cedar Creek Campground

Here we are at Cedar Creek Campground run by the Army Corps of Engineers) on Old Hickory Lake near Nashville...officially Mt Juliet TN. Johnny Cash and June Carter had a home just up the lake north of here. The campground is full of wildlife and generally serene. However, today we arrived in the midst of two events....the second week of April with almost 90 degree weather and the shutdown crisis. Everyone was poised to leave by 2 PM on Sunday if shutdown occurred.

We found our old friend the Great Blue Heron here, played music, met some new friends, waded in the swimming pool, took in the sunsets. By Saturday we had

the word that the place was not closing....everyone was in a celebratory mood in summertime weather. This is one of our favorite campgrounds!

Foods of the South

My favorite food of the south is turnip greens. Here they come with biscuits and pinto beans! Many people put hot sauce on the turnip greens. Lots of choices from

spicy, tiger sauce, to Louisiana fire sauce. For me, I just love turnip greens plain. I love the taste just the way they are.

Greens along with backeyed peas are traditions for New Years Day. They symbolize good luck and prosperity. This tradition dates back prior to the Civil War. The greens symbolize dollars or good crops and the peas coins of gold.

A number of years ago we were in the area for New Year's day and visited a local restuarant.They presented everyone with free turnip greens for good luck.

What about nutrition?

The noticeably bitter taste of turnip greens has been linked by researchers to its calcium content. On an ounce-for-ounce basis, turnip greens contain about 4 times more calcium than a much less bitter-tasting cruciferous vegetables like cabbage. Even in comparison to mustard greens, turnip greens contain about twice the calcium content. High calcium content is not the only reason for the noticeable bitterness of turnip greens, of course. But it may be an important contributing factor. While the commercial food industry has sometimes tried to breed out the bitter-tasting constituents from turnip greens, this practice doesn't make sense if you want to maximize your nourishment from this cruciferous vegetable. A much healthier approach would be the use a recipe and cooking method that brings out the delicious potential of turnip greens in a flavor-blended way.

The connection between turnip greens and cancer prevention should not be surprising since turnip greens provide special nutrient support for three body systems that are closely connected with cancer development as well as cancer prevention. These three systems are (1) the body's detox system, (2) its antioxidant system, and (3) its inflammatory/anti-inflammatory system. Chronic imbalances in any of these three systems can increase risk of cancer, and when imbalances in all three systems occur simultaneously, the risk of cancer increases significantly. Among all types of cancer, prevention of the following cancer types is most closely associated with intake of turnip greens: bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer.

Recipe for Vegetarianreen Turnip Greens

Ingredients 2 pounds turnip greens 1 shallot, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 cup vegetable stock 1 teaspoon pepper flakes 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard ½ chopped pecans 1 tablespoon olive oil Black pepper Heat olive oil in a large pot. Saute garlic, shallot and pepper flakes until tender. Add the cleaned and cut turnip greens and mix. Saute until the greens wilt and add pepper to taste. Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine the mustard and vegetable stock and whisk together. Add to the pot and cook the greens until the liquid is virtually gone. Remove from heat and add the pecans. Enjoy!

Blackberries

Blackberries grow widely in Tennessee and are put up in the season to enjoy all winter long. Today I enjoyed traditional blackberry cobbler with ice cream.In Tennessee there are five different festivals to celebrate the blackberry.

I started thinking about blackberries and here is what I found out: Like all berries, blackberries contain ellagic acid, an antioxidant that has been shown to protect the skin from ultraviolet damage. New research is finding that ellagic acid may not only protect the skin from damage, but also repair skin damaged by the sun. Also, according to the American Cancer Society, laboratory research has shown that ellagic acid may have anti-cancer properties.Reading on you will find blackberries are low calorie and full of vitamin C and have lots of health benefits. Here in Tennessee there is also blackberry frozen yogurt available , blackberry pie, and blackberry jams both seedless and with seeds.

So now I wonder if the seedless have as many health benefits! Well it turns out that the seeds have particular nutrition. They contain omega 3 fatty acids as well as helpful protein.

Historically, there is some evidence that blackberries were consumed 2500 years ago.

Breakfast at the water's edge

Here is breakfast one fine morning at the water's edge! The water is rushing and giving us a constant blessing of sound. Otherwise it is silent.The campground is virtually empty. Water is not only a major component of who we are as humans and a gift of life, it is a source of joy and relaxation. As we camp here on the water, we give thanks for this beautiful gift!

Carter Fold

Saturday Evening at the Carter Fold is a heart opening experience. Tonight we heard Audie Baylock and his Bluegrass Band. We again experienced the warm welcoming of Rita Forrester and her helpers!

One of the highlights of the evening were the three songs of a young man with many physical challenges whose voice filled the hall with passion and love. He received three standing ovations from the crowd.Not a dry eye in the place.( He is on the left in the photo above center.)

We camped overnight here. Since some arrangements had changed we had some parking adventures, almost impaled on a tree in front of the old Carter homestead!!!! Then the move out from this predicament to the parking lot with slants in all directions. We finally bedded down by the barn after all the cars had left!