What an exciting first frosty season it has turned out to be?! Within five days, we received below freezing temps, flash floods, serene snowfall and now blue skies with sixty degree sunshine. You really can experience all four seasons in Tennessee, I just didn’t realize it would be within the same month nevertheless the same week!

Being a farmer or small business owner, flexibility is a core skill and to know that failing is a part of success. You plant something and bugs might eat it all up before you get to even taste it. You try a new recipe and it turns out to look more like a pinterest fail than a sellable win. Our farmers are busy studying their seed catalogs and planning for spring and summer crops. Our artisans are concocting new flavors to complement the seasons and please your palate. And we are all working hard on being ready to close Chestnut Street in March and move the market to a more celebratory-like shopping experience.

Which brings me to our beloved Blue Indian Kombucha. Did you know that they started brewing their fermented tea within the walls of Chattanooga Brewing? Once their inventory began to overfloweth, Karen Brokaw and her brew moved to her own set up in Brainerd and has been cranking out our favorites like Blackberry Sage and Strawberry Basil. Within the last year, she has been inspired to create new flavors and partnered with new vendor Erbe Acres Farmsted for locally grown Thai basil and hibiscus flowers to make the beautifully bold Thai Hibiscus blend.

Other new flavors include Citrus Turmeric, Coconut Kombeacha, and just released last week— Pitaya Grapefruit. For a description of each flavor, go to her website Blue Indian Kombucha or better yet, ask for a taste at her market booth.

TIP: Don’t forget to pack a growler, mason jar or any container that can be filled with the buch. As Karen is a firm believer in zero waste, she does not package her product and only offers it on tap. I have a rotating system where I keep an empty growler and quart mason jar in my car just in case. I have had friends shopping at the market who forgot their container so my preparedness has come in handy to help keep their fridges locally stocked too.