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.

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.

Story by Lindsey Chester. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC- Time is running out on the land used for the current Western Wake Farmer’s Market (WWFM) located in Carpenter Village. And the group has plans for a move.

The current market location is in the vacant parking area on Morrisville Carpenter Road in the Carpenter Village subdivision. With the housing market beginning a recovery, the land will be cleared soon for new housing. WWFM hopes they can find at least a temporary home before March when their lease expires.

Temporary Home Needed for WWFM

The group has begun to draw up plans for an agricultural park, which will include a new permanent farmer’s market, education facility and parkland. These plans are long range. What is needed now is an immediate location for next Spring’s market. Even if the town OKs the move to the AM Howard Farm now, the permitting, clearing and grading necessary will take longer than eight months. They hope to find a temporary location that does not require development to enable hosting the market tents and vendors.

Long Range Plans

The WWFM  made a presentation to Town of Cary Parks director Danny Hopkins in November of 2010 that outlines their plans for an Agricultural Learning Center on the A M Howard farmland currently owned by the Town. Market managers hope Town Council will accept their request to turn the vacant farmland into a park that pays tribute to Cary’s deep rooted agricultural history and local food movement of today.

Kevin Gordon, Operations Manager, told me the “next  step is to demonstrate public support” for the project concept.The market’s own business plan shows how they have grown in the three years, both in revenue and number and diversity of vendors. They currently offer an educational component to the market every Saturday morning.

A.M. Howard Farm

In 2007, the Town of Cary purchased the 45-acre A.M. Howard farm and the adjoining historical structures to protect Cary’s agricultural history from urban development. It currently sits unused by the Town. With the Town of Cary in the midst of revamping its Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Master Plan as well as the Public Art Master Plan,  timing is good to make a proposal for the undeveloped park.

“We started this market to ensure the vitality of our community, and this venture only furthers our mission to bring fresh local food to those who live here. Cary has really embraced the WWFM, and we’re thrilled with how quickly it’s grown. We want to continue that momentum and create a space where people can connect with their natural environment, grow their own food or learn about North Carolina’s agriculture,” said Juliann Zoetmulder, president of the WWFM board of directors.

The Importance of a Farmers Market

The farmers’ market features local seasonal produce, along with hormone-free, grass-fed meats, local seafood, cheese, baked goods, coffee, flowers and more. The market was founded three years ago by a group of Wake County moms and has grown considerably since.

Their mission is for all people in the community to become educated about and benefit from locally grown food. They are the first market in Wake County to accept the EBT food stamp debit cards. They also donate to the NC Food Bank.

The WWFM board knows that their customers depend on them. They also understand that when they move it will need to be relatively close to the current location- their clients and vendors depend on them.

If you know of a possible temporary location (shopping center parking lot, school field or other) where the market could move, contact Kevin or Julianne directly.

Cary, NC – If you have ever said to yourself, “I should buy more locally grown produce,” I have one word for you to remember: Tuesday. That’s the day you’ll farm locally-grown, farm-fresh produce on sale mid-week at Cary’s two farmers markets.

The New Routine: Farm-Fresh Tuesday

Routines help us organize our lives. If we want to buy more locally grown fruits and vegetables, we have to change our routine.

Farm-Fresh Tuesday is a reminder that the Cary Downtown Farmers Market and the Western Wake Farmers Market are both open on Tuesday afternoons.

Same time every week, April to November.

Cary Downtown Farmer’s Market
Tuesdays 3-6 pm
Chatham Square Shopping Center
744 East Chatham Street, Cary NC

Western Wake Farmers Market
Tuesday 3:30-6:30 pm
Morrisville Carpenter Rd. between Davis Dr. and Hwy. 55 in Carpenter Village

Both markets are also open on Saturday mornings.

Farm-Fresh 7 Days a Week at DJs

Also worth mentioning, farm-fresh produce is available 7 days a week at DJ’s Berry Patch during the summer and fall.

DJs Berry Patch
1223 Salem Church Road
Apex, NC 27523
Mon Sat 9:00 – 6:30
Sun 12:00-6:30

Story and photos by Hal Goodtree

Apex, NC – Nothing beats the pleasure of fresh strawberries in May on farms across in the Triangle.

I’ve certainly been eating my share of ‘berries. But driving past DJ’s Berry Patch on Saturday morning, I had to consume the experience with a camera.

This, by the way, is a strawberry flower.

The fields were lush with berries, some completely ripe, others still white and green for future harvest.

I walked away from the parking lot, to the farthest end of the field. The air smelled like strawberries. How do you capture that in a photo?

Springtime, and the picking is easy.

If you have a clever recipe that makes use of fresh strawberries, send it to food@carycitizen,.com.

Story by Leslie Huffman. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – I love strawberry season. Strawberries are the most delicious and versatile of fruits. And what fun it is to pick your own at one of the local strawberry farms! Here are a few wonderful recipes to make the most of Strawberry Season.

The only problem with strawberries is that they are extremely perishable. Once they are picked, they don’t last long. To keep them fresh longer, store them unwashed in the refrigerator. Wait and wash and cut them just before eating.

Strawberry and Spinach Salad

• 2 bunches of baby spinach leaves (torn in bite size pieces)
• 4 cups of sliced strawberries
• 2 oz of crumbles goat cheese
• 1/2 cup of walnuts
• a raspberry vinaigrette dressing (Ken’s or Annie’s are the ones I prefer)

Toss all the ingredients together and serve.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

• 1 lb fresh strawberries
• 16 oz of milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons shortening

Directions

1. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth.
2. Dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture.
3. Lay on wax paper and wait for the chocolate to cool.

Fresh Strawberry Jam

• 1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries stemmed and cut into chunks
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add the strawberries and continue to cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, until the strawberries release some of their juices and the mixture boils slowly.
3. Pour carefully into 2 pint canning jars and refrigerate.

Very Easy Strawberry Shortcakes

• 1 pint strawberries sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup Bisquick mix (this recipe is on the back of the box)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• Whipped topping of choice

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

1. Stir Bisquick, sugar and milk until soft dough forms.
2. Drop 4 large spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10 – 12 minutes.
3. Split warm shortcakes in half and top with fresh strawberries, and whipped topping

Here is a list of local farms where you can pick your own fresh strawberries.

• DJ’s Berry Patch in Apex
• Jean’s Berry Patch in Apex
• Buckwheat Farm in Apex
• Phillips Strawberries, 6701 Good Hope Church Road, Cary

Story by Leslie Huffman, photos provided by Carolina Farm Stewardship Association

Cary, NC – The 16th Annual Piedmont Farm Tour takes place next weekend and it’s just a short drive from Cary, NC. Billed as America’s Largest Farm Tour, on the weekend of April 16-17, you can take a carload of folks to visit 40 different Piedmont farms.

Towns just like Cary all over the state and the country are getting behind the resurgence in local farming. It’s history, food, economics and a road trip all rolled into one.

You’re Invited to a 40-Farm Tour

The 2011 Piedmont Farm Tour is a wonderful chance to view our state in a new way. You will have the opportunity to visit beautiful Lindale Organic Dairy, a 5th generation farm, and Cozi Farm, which is raising animals near downtown Saxapahaw.

Visit Benjamin Vineyards & Winery to see how Muscadine grapes are grown and sample some wine. And, Suki Roth will be opening up her Herb Haven dedicated to medicinal plants.

The tour is self-guided and farms and sites are located throughout the Triangle in Alamance, Chatham, Durham, Orange, and Person counties. Load up a car with your friends and family , choose the farms on the map you’d like to visit and get out in the countryside.

You can visit any farm in any order. And, don’t forget to take a cooler so that you can take home some of the farm fresh products for sale at many farms. The farms are expecting you!

You can visit the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association to get your tickets, and find out all the tour information or call (919) 542-2402. You can also check out the map here.

Take the 10% Challenge

The 10% Campaign is a challenge to you to buy at least 10% of your food from North Carolina sources. By taking this simple challenge you can help keep more money in North Carolina’s local food economy, eat healthy locally grown food instead of highly processed foods, and bring more of a demand for locally grown products to our area.

For more information on the 10% Challenge, visit North Carolina’s Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) and sign-up your family.