Welcome our new blogger Charlotte “Charlie” Sharrar who will be adding fresh ideas to
the area’s freshest ingredients. As I have said on many occasions, my skills in the kitchen are not
as eloquent as my writing or farming skills so I am elated to add her to the blog team! You may
recognize her as she is no stranger to the market nor the local farmer scene. She was Crabtree
Farm’s fulltime farmer for two years (from 2017 until 2019). She left to continue her education
and received her 2020 Bachelor’s in Community Development.

Last year was a milestone for many of us however Charlie added to her own whirlwind
by moving to Cookeville, moving back to Chattanooga, having her first child and buying their
first house. Married for almost six years, Charlie and her husband Mark are also excited to teach
their nine-month-old daughter Selah about eating local and where food comes from.
She has already broke ground in her new home with gifted five-year-old peach and cherry
trees plus they have space ready for a garden. When asked what her three favorite things are to
grow, she mentioned Tulsi, also the name of their two-year-old pup, along with zucchini and
tomatoes.

Having a passion and now formal education to develop the community, Charlie is looking
at this new collaboration with market recipes as another way to help feed minds and bellies. The
theme for the market is “Collaboration in 2021.” We love when vendors work together– like
Ada’s Heritage using Land To Table for dog treats, Blue Indian Kombucha using Crabtree
Farm’s sage, Belle Chocolates using Feathers & Fruit blueberries, Bread & Butter using
Riverview Milling grits, Pig Mountain using Fall Creek Farms goat milk, and the list goes on.
Every blog will contain at least three of our vendors to help show versatility and ease
with the bounty available all year long. Even the blog itself will be a collaboration. As Charlie
and I have worked together before in fields, this is also exciting for us as we get to grow our friendship. Since I have a Journalism degree (former Assistant Editor and current contributor to
The Pulse), I will continue to tell stories about vendors, tips or tricks while Charlie will help
inspire us in the kitchen. But don’t fret…Starting next week, we’re going to give you the recipe
at the very beginning of the blog and my organic ramblings afterwards.

With all the distancing, we encourage you to creatively partake in your own #CollaborationIn2021and may it be as fulfilling, healthy, and fun as our blog hopefully becomes.