The CaryCitizen Calendar of Events is edited by Lindsey Chester. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, N.C. – Warm weather is here and our local farmers markets are all set to hold grand openings this Saturday, April 7. You’ll find locally grown produce, meat and seafood along with a healthy portion of entertainment.

Cary Downtown Farmer’s Market- New Location

The Cary Downtown Farmer’s Market returns this year to the Heart of Cary with its new location at the corner of Academy and Park in downtown Cary. For several years the market was forced to locate up the road in Chatham Square Shopping, during the Cary Train Depot renovations. This resulted in poor visibility and reduced attendance.

Manager Michele Blackley says Downtown Development Manager Ed Gawf will officially open the market on Saturday.  Live music from Paula Snyder is planned for the opening. Phil Shepherd is heading up entertainment, with the use of the Town of Cary’s portable stage, this summer will feature an assortment of bands and other performing arts.

The market will be giving away new market bags to the first 25 visitors on Saturday, and then the bags will be for sale. Twenty four vendors have signed on to be a part of the downtown market, the space can accommodate up to 29. Included in the mix is  mushroom grower, herbs and perennials, produce (9 vendors) as well as some crafters, candle sellers and three bakers (one of whom is offering gluten-free products!).

Western Wake Farmer’s Market- staying in current location for now

The Western Wake Farmer’s Market is still at the old location on Morrisville Carpenter Road in Cary within the Carpenter Village subdivision. Over the winter, there were talks of a move, but so far, they are holding steady in their current location.

Opening day at the WWFM will be  “Egg ” themed and includes an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids.

Whole Foods Market of Cary will be on hand to celebrate the season opening with recipes featuring local eggs and produce from market vendors.  Market goers are encouraged to stop by the Education Tent for a sample. Stevan Jackson will be in the Music Tent with lively farmers’ market melodies.

Throughout April, WWFM will host a wide variety of educators and musicians. Educators include Advocates for Health in Action (April 14), North Carolina 10% Campaign and the Cary Dinner Fairy (April 21) and Chef Scott Crawford of Herons Restaurant at The Umstead Hotel and Spa (April 28). Market shoppers will be entertained by the musical styling of Andrew Robbins (April 14), Kyle Scobie (April 21) and CityFolk (April 28).

The WWFM is open year-round, rain or shine, to provide area residents with access to locally grown and crafted foods.  Market offerings include fresh seasonal produce, flowers, herbs, baked goods, eggs, cheese, meats and seafood, as well as coffee, tea, local honey, hand-crafted soaps and more.

Tuesdays coming soon: Tuesday market will commence Tuesday, May 1, 2012 3:30PM – 6:30PM (May through September).

DJ’s Berry Patch- not just berries!

DJ’s is known for their fabulous Pick-Your- Own strawberries and pumpkins, the Jones family also runs a great little farm stand down on Davis Drive near Salem Baptist Church. They should be picking berries soon (mid-April) and will begin selling produce again. Official opening date is not yet set for this stand- all depends on how soon the berries start coming in!

More Weekend Events

Find more weekend events on the Calendar.

Story and t-shirt designs by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – Spring is in the air, and its time to show your Cary pride with our new line of Chickens ‘n Bees t-shirts. All offerings are available in the CaryCitizen Online Store.

Chicken ‘N Bees

“Chicken ‘N Bees” sounds disturbingly like a recipe story. But it’s not.

This is a story about Spring Apparel with a Cary message.

The message is: joy, pride, and have a little fun.

Home of the Honey Bee

Beekeeping in Cary has been in the news recently with Town Council considering action that would make it easier have a hive in Cary.

In response to an overwhelming call from citizens, we’ve produced this Home of the Honey Bee t-shirt for Spring 2012.

This shirt is safe for everyone, even if you’re allergic to bees.

Chicken: Pets or Dinner?

Meanwhile, Town Council is also considering action on the Chicken front. No, it’s not (yet) legal to have backyard chickens in Cary, but this shirt violates no national, state, local or HOA laws.

Our Chicken Series includes three shirts:

• I Am Not a Nugget
• Chicken Dinner
• Original Home of the Chicken

Our Original Home of the Chicken t-shirt actually features a rooster. The ordinance under consideration would not allow you to keep roosters in your subdivision. Unless they’re on a t-shirt.

Respect for Agriculture

It’s good to see Town Council and the community interested in questions of agriculture.

Farming has historically been a part of Cary. But does it fit in a highly-educated, high-tech community?

Pick your t-shirt and celebrate a town that’s not afraid to take on the big questions.

From the blog of Town Council member Don Frantz. Photo by Bob Gutowski.

Cary, NC – I love my job on the Cary Town Council. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life – and at times one of the most surprising. This is one of those times.

When I joined the council in 2007 I was well aware that I was in for an education. I knew I would learn more than I ever wanted to know about land use planning and zoning, property development and environmental issues – but never did I expect to become an expert in chickens and bees. (note: I am not really an expert, I just play one on TV)

I already addressed chickens in a previous post so let’s talk bees.

Currently the town does not regulate beekeeping. Town staff, In response to a few citizen’s concerns, attempted to craft an ordinance that addressed those concerns while continuing to allow residents the opportunity to keep bees. The problem however is that as proposed, the ordinance would only allow for beekeeping on lots larger than 30,000 sq. ft. (2/3 acre). Take a guess how many lots in Cary are 30,000 sq. ft. or larger?

5.6%

The proposed ordinance would essentially eliminate beekeeping in town limits.

So who cares right? I mean, who needs bees anyways?

We all do.

Honey bees play a critical role in agriculture – the most important being pollination of plants. Over 1/3 of all the food we consume relies on honey bees for pollination. No bees = no food. Think also of the economic impacts. What would happen to the price of food if you removed 1/3 of it from grocery store shelves? Numerous studies indicate a global decline in honey bee populations.

Most of the complaints the town has received about folks keeping bees has to do with the fear of being stung and folks who are allergic to bee stings – a legitimate concern. However, the overwhelming majority of “bee stings” are not caused by honey bees, but instead yellow jackets, wasps and other stinging insects. Honey bees are very docile and only attack to defend themselves or their hive…or if you happen to step on one. Yellow jackets on the other hand are very aggressive and can easily be confused for a bee. See here for a visual comparison.

But not being one to believe everything I read, I went and visited a friend’s honey bee colony first hand.

Here is the hive. It is estimated that there are upwards of 50,000 bees inside.

Here we are inspecting the hive (bee owner’s face intentionally blurred). The gentleman on the right is Mr. Will Hicks, Apiary Inspector from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Notice they are not wearing any bee protection suits. They did ask me if I wanted to wear one, but since they weren’t, I wasn’t going to be the wuss of the group. Mr. Hicks was very informative and answered a number of questions I had.

Here we are looking for any indication of disease or mites. No real issues were discovered and the colony appeared very healthy. The honey tasted pretty darn good too!

Even after “breaking into their house”, none of us were ever stung, nor did the bees show any sign of aggression.

Bottom line: I don’t believe the keeping of honey bees to be an issue that we need to regulate. While I am sympathetic to concerns, I prefer to base my decisions on fact instead of fear.

At our council meeting we rejected the proposed beekeeping regulations and instead directed staff to work with folks from the bee community in the hopes that we can come up with a set of rules/guidelines that everyone can live with.

I would have prefered to have done nothing (not create any ordinance). But we’ll see what comes back to council in a month or so after town staff and beekeeping professionals put their heads together.

Things could be worse. Cary, like many cities and states across America, could be facing multi-million dollar budget deficits, rampant unemployment, increased crime and corruption and a host of other serious problems.

I’ll take chickens and bees over that any day.

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?

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.