Rose Kennedy

John Coykendall, Knoxville's Seed Savior to the World

John Coykendall seeks heirloom seeds to preserve from many different sources: childhood friends and seed-saving pen pals, visitors to the Walland, Tenn. Blackberry Farm luxury hotel and restaurant where he works as master gardener, and gardeners from his travels to Austria and Hungary and Romania. But this time the colorful mix of dried heirloom beans came to him in a paper sack. In his dog’s mouth. “We were at the farm I own in Bybee, Tenn., about 200 acres near Newport, and I was planting po
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Rose Kennedy writes about outdoors, environment and gardening

The Knoxville Mercury •

Purple Bounty: Bring on the Eggplant!

Who knew a trio of Black Beauty eggplants would bring on such a flurry of self-evaluation? I’m good at resisting the “You’re Okay, I’m Not Okay” self-speak, so I wasn’t being critical so much as… comparative. It started with, “Why eggplant?” Everyone on Facebook—and isn’t that everyone?—seems to be pulling squash out of their East Tennessee gardens hand over hand. Me, I have squash bug devastation. And four prickly, upside-down feather-duster-shaped eggplant plants in emerging domination mode,
The Knoxville Mercury •

Tennessee Valley Fair Follow-up: How'd Those Corn Muffins Do?

We were traipsing around the first floor of the barn-like Jacobs Building at the Tennessee Valley Fair, taking in an impressive and almost dizzying array of canned goods next to All-American-theme photographs beside display cases of fondant-, candy-, and cutout-decorated cakes. All were festooned with ribbons, some modest slips of nylon in blue or maybe pink, some big old ruffled medallions trailed by waves of gingham or purple. I was halted in my tracks beside a layer cake topped with a scene
ajc •

How to keep your pets and family safe from coyotes in metro Atlanta

How did we get to a place where coyotes are living in an area with an established MARTA, gleaming corporate headquarters and endless rows of luxury condos? There's no use being indignant, because humans pretty much did this to themselves, according to the Atlanta Coyote Project, co-founded in 2014 by scientists from Berry College, Emory University and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. "The presence of red wolves in the southeast is historically what kept out coyotes," it said. "Once we h
ajc •

Debate settled: This is the right time to put up your Christmas tree

»RELATED: Your guide to Christmas tree lighting events around metro Atlanta There are answers to this question that depend on everything from Prince Albert to the opinion of tree growers to something called Adelaide Pageant Day. Whether you're undecided on the best time to put up your Christmas tree or are merely looking for reinforcement for your preferred date, at least one of these timing traditions is bound to work for you: The ultimate etiquette authority, Miss Manners, doesn't specify w
ajc •

4 purple vegetables to grow in your Atlanta garden this summer

Plus, there are plenty of other solid choices — most of them heat-hearty and ready for planting, and a few you can even grow in containers. Best of all, you can enjoy the royal color in your garden or use them to add groovy hues to your dinner plate, indoor centerpieces or flower arrangements. Here are four fine choices to get you started. Peace out with purple, people! Where to find: The plants are a bit cantankerous and grow from seed, so it's best to pick up plant varieties, including Little
ajc •

Goat N Hammer: How blacksmithing came back to Atlanta

By October, this unusual artisanal metalwork hub must move from the Goat Farm Arts Center where they've been hammering since 2013. But Mark Hopper and Jessica Collins, the loosely organized partnership that runs Goat N Hammer, is determined Atlanta will still be able to come to them to work metal and grind blades to their hearts' content. "Sadly, they are beginning redevelopment of the property this fall and so we must leave," Collins says. "We aren't really ready to move, but we definitely don
ajc •

Edible landscaping as an employee perk at EpiCity

"I blew people away just by having them try raw okra," he said. And then he got out a roaster, "kissed the okra on the flame first" and tossed it with Beautiful Briny Sea salt from a fellow vendor. "People lined up for it, they were eating it for breakfast," he recalled gleefully. Mosser brings that same "all in" attitude as NBT collaborates with EpiCity Real Estate Services. Not content with merely edible landscaping, or community or urban demonstration farming, he's working with companies to
ajc •

We're not playing: Here's how possums can help your household

»RELATED: Here are tips on keeping a snake-free yard Granted, with their 50 sharp teeth − more than any mammal in North America − and naked tails, possums certainly do look strange, but their other negative qualities are sometimes exaggerated. Although, a recent report of an opossum breaking into liquor store and getting “drunk as a skunk” doesn’t support the theory of the animal’s positive qualities. Still, as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife attests, in urban areas, possums ar

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