Burns Farm Produce Stand Open for the Summer

I need to say this right up front…Bobby Burns is a good friend of mine. I want you Nashville and Franklin folks to drive over to his farm stand that sits in front of the 300 blessed acres located right down the street from Arrington Vineyards, but not because he’s a friend. I’ve watched some of these plants grow from early Spring. I’ve seen the love, care, and labor that went into growing the produce.

Every farmer has a story and if it’s a local farmer who family has farmed for generations, it’s a story that belongs to everyone. The Burns family is not much different than any other farm in the middle Tennessee area, but it’s a whole lot different from the farms that mass produce the product that you often purchase in your local grocery store that were picked weeks ago.

The Burns Farm used to be a dairy farm, but for the last several years it’s only been fruits and vegetables, lots and lots of fruits and vegetables.

The Goal of the Burns Farm Produce Stand is to provide the cleanest, best selection of Tennessee produce at affordable prices, following in his father’s footsteps, known as Mr Bob.

When you stop by the stand, you might actually meet the person who picked those juicy red tomatoes. When you stop by the farm, you can ask to take a walk and see where the food was grown. When you stop by the farm, you can ask questions about farming practices that the patriarch of the family, the late Mr. Bob Burns, perfected and passed down to his children. His son Bobby Burns is a friendly man with a bigger than life personality. Because he’s a friend, I’ve been able to watch the entire season grow from the beginning. I’ve been driven all over the 300 acres and I’ve even been up on the tractor, where I was given a chance to drive it, but politely declined. Bobby grew up on this farm and learned the best farming practices from his father. Mr. Bob went on to his resting place this year, and I’m sorry I didn’t get to know him. When Bobby talks about the legacy his father left, it’s one of those heart warming, American stories. There’s not a day that goes by that he isn’t missed, and remembered for his passion for farming. Growing corn and his famous tomatoes were his passion.

The planting this Spring was fierce with 15,000 tomato plants, including Pink Girl, Mountain Fresh and my personal favorite to make tomato sauce, San Marzano. Wait till you see the tomato tart I made, but remember last year’s tomato jam? This year there will so many more tomato recipes.

There are thousands and thousands of peppers of many varieties, including banana, bell, cayenne, habanero, poblano, jalapeno and sweet Italian. You will find peaches and cream corn, potatoes, watermelon, cantaloupes, blackberries, onions and more. Just yesterday I picked up some poblano peppers, which have a nice bit of heat, and stuffed them with chicken, peaches and onions for an amazing take on Chiles en Nogada. (stay tuned for the recipe).

There are peaches and last week I made this peach cobbler and provided some tips on peeling peaches. There are blackberries and stay tuned because a blackberry cobbler is coming.

In the Fall, there will turnips, greens, and pumpkins, which means once you get comfortable driving over to the Burns Farm Produce Stand, you make it a weekly trip. Remember these roasted turnips.

While the farm is not certified organic, they use all natural fertilizer and natural pesticides only when necessary. Their farming practices are much safer than mass produced products.

Bobby Burns is working the 300 acre farm along with 10 farm hands this year, and if he’s around, he’ll be happy to tell you a lot more about what’s planted, and when each crop will be at it’s prime.

I love the mule collars hanging on the wall.

There are also Amish jams, jellies, pickles, etc. available for purchase.

This picture was taken a few weeks ago. The tomatoes are all red and ripe now, and I made the best homemade tomato soup with a batch of them, using only tomatoes, onion, salt and pepper. (recipe coming).

Peaches & Cream Corn is off the hook good. Try it with this corn salad, where I post a recipe for how to make corn in the husk and it only takes 4 minutes.