It’s time to plan gardens.  We have a new house and plenty of yard space to transform into patches of edibles so work will begin soon.  We’ve made a short list of what will be included.  As of now, a medium sized vegetable garden and two smaller herb gardens are planned.

Herbs to be included:

• Rosemary
• Basil, Sweet
• Oregano
• Lemon Balm
• Thyme
• Sage
• Parsley
• Catnip (Something for the rodents we keep as pets.)
• Peppermint
• Spearmint
• Cilantro
• Dill

Vegetables:

• Squash – Yellow
• Eggplant
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tomatoes, Roma & Beefsteak
• Peppers – Bell, Datil, Poblano, Anaheim
• Cucumbers
• Onions
• Broccoli

I am sure more will be added as we get into it and know exactly how much room we will have.  I would like to plant artichokes, I think that may have to wait a year.   Asparagus is another one but I’ll need to make space around the yard elsewhere as keeps on giving and I don’t want to risk digging it up by getting the gardenspace ready each year.

I have all the organic pest control I should need.  Neem oil has done the job quite well in the past and should suffice now.   Organic veggies and herbs throughout the season should get me cooking regularly.

Lesley over at MCB has been catching up here since her return from out west and noticed the post I did last week regarding unsavory food additives.  She also pointed out another post on cracked.com regarding the tasty delicacy Casu Marzu.

Casu Marzu is a cheese from Sardinia, Italy that is infested with larve and is more commonly known locally as “maggot cheese”  It doesn’t stop there.  These larve are capable of jumping…while you EAT this stuff.  These larve survive the digestive process (if they can take that smell then what can’t they take?) and setup shop in the intestines, boring into the lining causing bloody diarrhea, vomiting and nausea.

Ready for lunch?  I know I am!  Watch this:

The Veggie Cafe has finally opened in East Nashville.   We made our first visit on Saturday night and had a great dinner.    It is located at the corner of Porter Avenue and Riverside Drive at 1601 Riverside.   Plenty of parking and not an overly small place.

I am sure there were some people who walked in and waited to be seated, not the case.  Go to the front counter and order then find yourself a table.  There’s even a comfy couch and chairs to relax in.

We both had the vegan meatloaf with green beans and turnip greens and my daughter had a bagel with roasted red pepper hummus.   Vegan mashed potatoes were available earlier in the day and there was macaroni and cheese as a side choice, but it is not vegan.  All menu items are marked V and GF for Vegan and Gluten Free making choices easy.  The extremely happy and attentive staff is ready for any questions you have about the menu.

The meatloaf was not what I expected, a good mix of grains with a tomato topping that didn’t overpower and the vegetable sides were very fresh, excellent. The hummus was very good as well and topped with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and sprouts with sliced apples and strawberries on the side.   We wanted to try the dessert.  Cookies,  apple crunch and muffins were on the menu, all vegan, but there were none available.   I did not carry a camera in, so no food pictures.   I’ll remedy that next visit.   Overall, a great dinner for $20.

From what I understand menu items will vary so I am eager to return to see what else joins the meatloaf, tofu reuben, sandwiches and wraps.   Dawn, the owner, told me plans were to soon open for brunch on the first Sunday of each month and starting in April to open for breakfast.  I am not sure how often I would be able to make it for breakfast but I would love to see how they create a tofu scramble.

The only full-time vegetarian and vegan restaurant should be around for a long time.  I am already wanting to try it again.

If you have followed the news of The Veggie Cafe since their announcement of opening in East Nashville from being in a mobile unit a year ago you will know opening dates have come and gone.  All of this because of inspection issues, I can assume it can be hard getting started in the restaurant business.   Today was the certain announced date of their Grand Opening, so, when I called this morning find their hours for over the weekend to plan my visit I have to say I was surprised to  hear the the opening had to be postponed once again.  I spoke with Dawn and she told me she hoped to be open tomorrow (Saturday, March 15th) but was uncertain and would call me to let me know for sure.

So, if you planned on a trip to East Nashville today or this weekend to get a vegetarian or vegan lunch you’ll be waiting a bit longer.    No Veggie Cafe today…

The Veggie Cafe
1601 Riverside Drive
Nashville, TN 37216
(615) 495-8888

UPDATE:  Just had a call, Grand Opening is on for tomorrow (Saturday).

Another email sent to Trader Joe’s corporate today.  Just to update those who need to know, the reply:

We appreciate your suggestions and enthusiasm regarding opening a store in Nashville. We regret to inform you that at this time we have no plans for a store location in this area.

File that under Trader Joe’s – Nashville –  No.