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Side Orders: Memories of ‘Veggie Lady’– and apples

Although she's holding a plate of brownies here, Marilyn Geraldson was better known in Chattanooga as "The Veggie Lady."
Although she's holding a plate of brownies here, Marilyn Geraldson was better known in Chattanooga as "The Veggie Lady." Although she's holding a plate of brownies here, Marilyn Geraldson was better known in Chattanooga as "The Veggie Lady."

By Anne Braly 3 min read

photo Anne Braly

Tears came to my eyes, along with a smile on my face – like rain while the sun shines – when I learned that Marilyn Geraldson, a.k.a. “The Veggie Lady,” died last week.

She and I shared so many times together and those memories came flooding back when I heard the news.

Before her retirement from the Hamilton County UT Extension Service, she was my go-to person for so many food-related questions. The times we shared working together are ones I treasure.

I’ll never forget the time the two of us drove to Nashville to judge a cooking contest for the Tennessee Beef Council. A story someone told tickled Marilyn and, if anyone ever had a contagious laugh, she did. She started giggling, then I started, and we didn’t come up for air until I dropped her off at her house in Chattanooga. I’m laughing now as I remember that day.

Marilyn and I visited area farms frequently. As an extension agent, she knew most every farmer in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia. She knew them and they loved her.