Story by Don Frantz, Cary Town Council member, District B. First published on Blogspot. Photo by Max Westby.

Cary, NC – Call me a flip-flopper if you want, but I have changed my mind regarding chickens in Cary. It has nothing to do with “sustainability” or many of the “green” arguments chicken proponents point to – it has everything to do with freedom.

As a Cary councilman and active member of a number of business and community associations, I have worked hard to reduce or eliminate overburdensome and unfair government regulations. I am sick of government (especially the idiots in Washington) poking their noses into every facet of our lives. My position on chickens was in conflict with this.

People should have the right to do as they wish as long as their decisions do not negatively impact the health and well-being of others. Just because I do not like something doesn’t give me the right to keep you from doing it.

So we are clear – I do not want chickens. I really hope my neighbors do not get chickens. But if they do, who in the hell am I to say “no”? Just make sure you keep those things closer to your house than mine, and if your chicken flies into my yard and my dog eats your chicken, that’s on you.

Mayor Pro-Tem Gale Adcock and I have placed the following request on council’s February 9, 2012 meeting agenda:

Council initiated request to amend Cary’s ordinance to allow for the keeping of backyard hens.

Mayor Pro Tem Adcock and I are requesting council consideration of a request to direct staff to amend town code to allow for the keeping of backyard hens with the following conditions:

• This amendment applies to single family detached homes only

• No Roosters

• No backyard slaughter

• Chickens may be kept for personal use only – no raising chickens for re-sale

• A maximum of eight (8) chickens allowed per property

• Recommend an annual license fee of $10.00 total (not per chicken)

• No free range. Chickens are to remain in the chicken coup, run or fenced in yard when unsupervised. May be allowed in front yard with supervision.

• Delay the implementation of the proposed ordinance amendment for 3 months to allow HOA’s the opportunity to address this issue if they so desire.

• Chicken Coup: Chickens must be provided a covered, predator resistant housing structure that is designed in such a way that allows for ventilation, ease of cleaning and provides a minimum of two square feet per chicken. The coup should be held to standards similar to what we require for storage sheds and give the appearance of professional design and construction

• Apply appropriate set-back requirements. Understanding that every lot is different, we are looking for staff guidance on how to best protect neighbors by ensuring that the chicken coup is located closer to the chicken owner’s home than their neighbor’s.

• Allows for folks to compost hen’s fecal matter – current ordinance prohibits composting fecal matter of “household pets”. Clarify chicken/hens NOT a household pet if necessary.

“Assuming” that those council members who supported allowing chickens in Cary the last time this was discussed still do, this initiative will pass.

There is no need for more information – this issue has been studied to death. I know more about chickens than I ever cared to. Let’s just get this done and behind us. We have way more important things to focus on.

So like I said, call me a flip-flopper. I don’t care. I can admit when I am wrong. What’s your excuse?

Now all this talk of chickens has made me hungry. KFC anyone?

By Michele McKinley, Advocates for Health in Action (AHA). Photos courtesy of Cary’s Pocket Community Garden.

Cary, NC – With spring just around the corner, it’s time to hit the dirt. In the garden, that is.

Dig In

Whether you’re a new or seasoned gardener, you may want to check out Dig In, the third annual event all about starting and maintaining community and backyard gardens in the Triangle.

Advocates for Health in Action (AHA) presents Dig In on Saturday, March 10, 8:30 am-12:00 pm at Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh. Dig In features urban farming experts, hands-on workshops and booths for anyone who wants to build and maintain a community garden or gain expertise for success in his or her home garden.

Registration ($10 per person) is open online at www.advocatesforhealthinaction, but space is limited.

What are community gardens?

Community gardens are urban, suburban and rural gardens where members grow food in a shared garden plot or in their own individual garden plots, depending on a given garden’s structure. Community gardens are found in neighborhoods, schools, churches, workplaces, hospitals, community centers and youth centers. Gardens provide access to fresh, healthy produce and enhance a sense of community and connection to the environment—they come in many shapes and sizes!

In and Around Cary

Cary, Morrisville and Apex are all home to community gardens (plus a variety of school gardens), and many are starting their 2012 planning now and invite new members to join them.

• Cary’s Pocket Community Garden
• Cary Senior Center Community Garden (for gardeners 55+),
• Gracious Harvest Community Garden
• Whole Foods Market-Cary
• Morrisville Community Garden
• Simple Gifts Community Garden (Apex)

Many community gardens in the area participate in programs where gardeners donate extra produce from their harvest to area food pantries and organizations such as the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle through the Plant a Row for the Hungry program.

Gardening Know-How

“Featuring urban farming experts, Dig In is a tremendous resource to gardeners and those who want to grow healthy, local foods for their communities and their families,” commented Laura Aiken, interim director of AHA and director of regional community relations for WakeMed Health & Hospitals. “Community gardens are increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” Aiken continued. “Schools, churches, neighborhoods, community groups and other nonprofits can capitalize on the excitement around sustainable food systems, connect people with where their food comes from and promote environmentally friendly living.”

Dig In includes workshops are offered in two tracks: Track 1: Starting a Community Garden and Track 2: Taking Your Garden to the Next Level.

Track 1 workshops include starting a community and school gardens, composting, and raised beds and container gardens. Track 2 workshops include making money from gardens, preserving foods, engaging youth and seniors in the garden, keeping gardens growing.

Plus, all registrants will take part in a hands-on cooking lesson from Whole Foods Market-Cary and Whole Foods Market-Raleigh (Wade Ave.) about how to enjoy the bounty of the garden. In addition, a variety of educational booths about gardening, local food, composting and more are available at Dig In.

AHA!

Advocates for Health in Action (AHA) fosters and supports community efforts to make healthy eating and physical activity the way of life in Wake County. AHA is a group of more than 50 diverse organizations and community members who are shaping the environment throughout Wake County to ensure available and affordable access to healthful foods and physical activity for all community members.

Story by Kaynan Goldberg. Kaynan is CaryCitizen’s 13-year-old columnist on all things frugal, crunchy, healthy and green. She blogs at VeggiesGoCrunch. Photo by Mike.

Cary, NC – Beef has a bad reputation.  It’s considered dirty, and fatty, and just plain unhealthy.  But not all beef is equal.  In fact, it can be one of the best foods for you.  It all depends on where it’s from, and how it was raised.

Feedlot Beef

Now, if you buy the supermarket beef, then, yeah, it’s probably unhealthy.  That’s because it’s likely to be feedlot beef.  I’m sure you’ve heard the horror stories of the feedots and processing plants – I’m not going to go into those here.  I’m not going to write about abused cows or CAFOs.  I’m not even going to write about the absurd practice of fattening cows up on grain (which isn’t something they’re designed to eat in the first place). I’m just going to say that there is no point in eating meat from cows treated regularly with antibiotics and growth hormones.  If they’re that sick, there is no way that meat can make you healthy.

Photo by NDSU Ag Comm.

Cows Are Supposed to Eat Veggies

On the other hand, I’m more than happy to talk about grass-fed, grass-finished beef.  Cows are ruminants; they’re supposed to eat grass and other leafy green plants.  This diet gives them the correct balance of omega-3′s and omega-6′s.  Grass-fed meat is also a great source of conjugated linoleic acid, an important nutrient that can strengthen your immune system and even reduce your risk of cancer.  Most importantly, the meat tastes a hundred times better!

How to Eat Beef

Here are some of my favorite ways to eat grass-fed beef.

Hamburgers!  This is one of my all-time favorite foods, and the rest of my family agrees with me.  We have them almost every week during the summer.  My dad takes some ground beef (we eat around two pounds combined – a family of four would be good to go with a pound) and sprinkles a little salt and pepper on it.  Then he makes some patties and grills them until they are juicy and delicious. I can definitely taste a difference between these grass-fed burgers and supermarket beef – the grass-fed beef has so much more flavor, and the texture is like meat, not a ground-up paste.

• Pot roast.  I am in love with pot roast.  My mom uses the recipe from The Joy of Cooking, and we put the pot roast on savory pancakes that soak up the gravy.
• Throw a ribeye on the grill.  Eat.  Done.
• Chili. We use stew meat and Italian sausage (pork).  Diced tomatoes, onions, chili powder, and jalapenos join the party, and then our secret ingredient: honey.
• Baked ziti.  Or lasagna.  Or spaghetti and meatballs.  Or any kind of Italian food!
• Tacos.  Enchiladas are great, too.
• Brisket!  Barbecue beef brisket is one of the best things that I have ever eaten.  It’s a crowd-pleaser, but if you’re lucky, you won’t have a crowd – you’ll have lots of leftovers!

Mmm… steak.

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The Food column on CaryCitizen is sponsored in part by Thai Spices and Sushi of Cary.

Story from staff reports. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – The Western Wake Farmer’s Market (WWFM) is holding a special market on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 for your Thanksgiving meal this year.

Special Farmers Market on Tuesday Nov 22

WWFM has joined up with five Triangle area farmers’ markets. The Carrboro Farmers’ Market, Durham Farmers’ Market, Eno River Farmers’ Market in Hillsborough, S. Estes Farmers’ Market in Chapel Hill and the WWFM in Cary are all hosting holiday markets on Tuesday November 22 to provide shoppers with the freshest, locally and sustainably grown foods available.

The WWFM in Cary will be open from 3-6 pm.

“We are very excited to partner with some of our sister markets in the area for the second year in a row to promote shopping locally during the holidays,” says Sarah Blacklin, Market Manager for the Carrboro Farmers Market, “To show our appreciation, each of our area Markets will be offering a lucky customer a gift basket featuring specialty items collected from each of the 5 Markets.  It’s our way of saying thank you to all our customers who commit to buying local during the holidays and support our local food community in the Triangle.”

The 10% Campaign

The markets support a movement called the NC 10% Campaign. People can help to build North Carolina’s local economy by spending 10% of their existing food dollars on locally produced foods. Learn more about this Center for Environmental Farm Systems initiative at www.nc10percent.com.

All five of the participating markets are grower only/producer only markets. This means that all the foods are grown by area farmers and all the crafts made by local artisans. Each market supports local, sustainable agriculture and provides the Triangle with access to healthy, local, sustainably grown and produced foods.

Check out their collective website  as a resource for a local Thanksgiving, complete with details on each of the markets’ hours, offerings, special events, and recipes.

WWFM Hours For Thanksgiving Shopping
Tues Nov 22 – Pre-Thanksgiving Market hours: 3-6pm
Saturday Market will be CLOSED Saturday, November 26th following Thanksgiving

WWFM is in its third season in Cary at Carpenter Village Marketplace (1225 Morrisvile Carpenter Rd.), and is open year-round on Saturdays. The market is open from 8 am-12 pm April-November and 10 am-12 pm December-March, rain or shine.

The market’s mission is for all people in the community to become educated about and benefit from locally grown food.

Story by Lindsey Chester, photos by Casey Toth

Cary, NC- Looking for some local fun now that the Fair is over, but the weather makes you want to be outside? Try one of our local Corn Mazes.  Our Photo Intern, Casey Toth, took a trip to the one created at the Phillips Farm located at  6701 Good Hope Church Road.

The Phillip’s farm is open from strawberry season through Christmas selling produce and trees. Their Corn Maze includes a hayride, bounce house, small vehicles that visitors can ride and a night time haunted maze (If you dare!) The maze will be operating through November 1st. Groups may arrange to visit during the week and the public is invited Fridays- Sundays.

Farm Family Tradition

Phillips Farms is proud of its long history of family ownership and quality farm products serving central North Carolina for over 100 years. Lee Phillips, the current owner, purchased Phillips Farms from his grandfather’s estate, William Busbee Ennis, in 1976. The farm’s primary crops were straw, hay and tobacco. In 1996 Phillips Farms began a successful strawberry picking farm frequented by thousands of adults and their children every year. In response to public health concerns and changes in the market, Phillips Farms ceased farming tobacco products in 1998.

To this day, Phillips Farms continues farming hay, straw, corn and strawberry crops at various seasons throughout the year and sells Christmas trees every December. The farm’s major attractions are the family Corn Maze and Haunted Farm. Thousands of families visit the farm for a healthy dose of family entertainment and a little scare, all in good fun.

To check out more mazes and other fun for the season read our previous story.

Story by Kaynan Goldberg. Kaynan is CaryCitizen’s 13-year-old columnist on all things frugal, crunchy, healthy and green. She also blogs at VeggiesGoCrunch. Photo by Hal Goodtree, CaryCitizen’s Chief Cook and Bottlewasher. He also takes pictures over on FotoHal.

Cary, NC – It’s October.  I’m so excited for autumn – it’s my favorite season, hands-down.

I like the piles of crunchy leaves, the cozy sweaters I can bring out from my closet, the warm, rich food… hey, I’m a food blogger, right?  I’m always thinking about what I can eat, and in fall, there is a cornucopia of choices – and I’m not just talking about Thanksgiving dinner.

Fall Apples

I do love apples….

For one thing, there are apples.  I love apples, especially Granny Smith, with a bit of peanut butter or creamed honey.  Or in pie.  Or cooked with a bit of butter, and served with breakfast.  Or just plain – crunch!  Fall is apple season – if you live up north, you’ll probably have bushels of fresh, local apples flooding the farmers markets.  Even down here, we’ve got a couple farmers selling apples.  And, boy, are they good.

Just Say No to Canned Pumpkins

Another fall produce item is – duh – pumpkins!  Everybody knows that fall means pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup… the list goes on.

However, look at almost any recipe for any of these dishes, and what will it say?  “2 cups canned pumpkin.”  AARRGGHH!!  We seem to think that edible pumpkin only comes in a can.  Well, it doesn’t – you can eat the flesh of any pumpkin, same as any squash.  Markets sell special “pie pumpkins,” which are grown specially for making pie.  However, if you really want to, you can make pie - or any pumpkin dish – out of one of the pumpkins sold on the side of the road.

Other Fall Produce

There are a lot of other veggies and fruits that we seem to think don’t even have a season.  They do:  fall.

Some of my favorites include grapes (yep, grapes are an early fall produce item), cranberries (you can get ‘em fresh), potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions.

These are all available year-round in the stores, so I guess we don’t ever think about when they’re in season.  But, like I’ve said before, food is so much better for you and your taste buds when it’s fresh, local, and in season.

Enjoy Your Fall Produce

Take advantage of the autumn harvest season right here in North Carolina. You’ll be amazed at the varieties of apples, pumpkins and other fall produce you will find at the farmers market.

Story by Matt Young. Photo by Downing Street.

Morrisville, NC – Morrisville Community Garden on Church Street in Morrisville is going to be hosting its first cook-off, with a seasonal theme.

If your cooking inspiration arrives with the cooler weather this contest may be for you!

Anyone from Anywhere Can Enter, But Only Local Food Can be Used

Key to the event is that every entry must feature a locally sourced seasonal ingredient. This contest is open to everyone of all ages and addresses -you need NOT be a Morrisville resident to participate!

You must submit a completed entry form and pay the $5 per recipe entry fee by October 17 ($7.50 at the door).

The event will be held Saturday, October 22, from 11:00 am-1:00 pm. Recipes need to arrive by 11:00am on October 22. Awards presented at noon.

Dishes must be entered by category (starter, entree, dessert) and level of experience (amateur, professional, youth).

Seems like a great opportunity to get new recipe ideas just in time for the holidays, meet new friends, and enjoy some beautiful fall weather in Morrisville!

“If you do not sow in the spring you will not reap in the autumn.” – Irish Proverb

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Community News on CaryCitizen is sponsored in part by Sip a Wine Store.

Cary, N.C. – Enjoy an old-fashioned pig pickin’, live music, kids’ entertainment and raffle prizes at the Pig Pickin’ Palooza Fundraiser on Sat., Sept. 10, 11 am-2 pm, at the Western Wake Farmers’ Market.

Bring a blanket or a chair and your friends and family for the fun and foods donated by market farmers and vendors, including hormone-free BBQ pork sandwiches from Coon Rock Farm and featuring BBQ sauce from local company Outta the Park, along with lamb from Little River Ranch, a vegetarian option from Martin’s Curry Rice, Redbud ripe tomatoes, and dessert from Annelore’s German Bakery. Muddy Dog Roasting Co. will provide hush puppies, and sweet tea to wet your whistle. Menu updates will be available at the market’s website.

Tickets are for sale at the market on Tuesdays, 3:30-6:30 pm and Saturdays 8 am-12 pm. Tickets are $10; kids’ plate: $5. Your ticket automatically enters you into the raffle to win farmers’ market goodies, and additional raffle tickets will be available for sale.

“Pig Pickin Palooza is what this market is all about–the community coming together for a great day of local food from farmers’ markets and artisans.” says Juliann Zoetmulder, President of the WWFM. “This market has a great sense of community, and this is a really fun way for all of us to come together and enjoy fantastic local food. And to help to support the market. “

Zoetmulder suggests bringing a cooler for market shopping, and then staying for the food, music, door prizes and fun.

From staff reports. Photo via Green Acres Farm.

Cary, NC – On Saturday, September 3, children with disabilities will take a break from life in the city while participating in a special Miracle Day at Green Acres Farm in Cary.  Players and families of the Miracle League of the Triangle will receive free admission to the farm and corn maze. More than 200 families have registered to attend.

Green Acres & The Miracle League

Green Acres is a family-owned farm, which is open to the public during the fall and winter seasons.  The farm opens for the fall on September 3 and features family activities such as a corn maze, bounce house, hay rides, pony rides, face painting, and more.  Admission prices and information can be found at www.greenacrescary.com.

The Miracle League of the Triangle is a nonprofit baseball league for children with special needs.  Serving more than 400 children with disabilities per year, the league operates 22 teams in the spring and fall seasons on an adapted, rubberized field in Cary.  Fall season begins September 9, and the league celebrates its fifth anniversary on September 17.  For more information, go to www.miracleleagueofthetriangle.com.

Event Details

WHO:

Children and families of the Miracle League of the Triangle – free admission
General public – standard admission rates

WHAT:

Players and families of the Miracle League of the Triangle will receive free admission to the farm and corn maze.  The farm is open to the general public from September 3 through October 30.

WHERE:

Green Acres Farm and Corn Maze
1132 Morrisville Carpenter Rd
Cary, NC 27519

WHEN:

Saturday, September 3, from morning until dark

Story and photos by Hal Goodtree

Cary, NC – You can get tomatoes at the supermarket all year round. But science can’t trump Nature, and for the true tomato aficionado, now is a time of tomato joy in the Piedmont.

In Praise of Heirloom Tomatoes

For flavor, give me an heirloom tomato anytime, ripened in the field, its firmness just beginning to relax into perfection.

Pick it up and smell it. It smells like a tomato.

Heirloom tomatoes are grown from old-timey varieties, before the advent of pesticides and laboratory engineering. German Johnson (a really big tomato pictured above) and Purple Cherokee seem popular at the markets this year.

Heirlooms are generally bigger than modern varieties (sometimes called hybrids) – too big to ship en mass to a supermarket without bruising. They are also “ugly” tomatoes, sometimes ropey or strangely shaped.

A perfectly round, unblemished, evenly red tomato (like the three-pack from the grocery store) has no flavor at all compared to an heirloom. It’s just red pulp.

Okay, I know. Supermarkets do get heirlooms and other fancy tomatoes. But they can cost $4.99 a pound, a buck more than at the farm markets. And they’re not as field-fresh as the ones sold by the farmers, either.

Now is the Season for Carolina Tomatoes

All across the Piedmont, the really big tomatoes are coming in. Now is the time to get them if you love a good tomato.

In addition to the heirlooms, Roma tomatoes are in abundance as well as varieties of yellow tomatoes – both the big ones and the yellow “cherry” tomatoes.

If you eat by the seasons, the lettuce is over and the arugula gone to flower. So enjoy what Nature gives us during the height of summer – heavenly tomatoes.

The Downtown Cary Farmers Market and the Western Wake Farmers Market are both open on Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. DJ’s Farmstand is open 7 days a week during warm weather. Visit their respective websites for more information.

What’s Your Favorite Tomato Recipe?

Share your favorite tomato recipe in the comments.