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, 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.

Soggy fields in and around Cary are being prepped for Spring

Cary, N. C. – Michele McKinley of the Western Wake Farmers Market contacted the CaryCitizen this week to give us an update on the upcoming season for the WWFM. Maybe it was an answer to my prayers to take me away from the cold and rain and snow.

The market will reopen for its second season on Saturday, April 3.   Said Market Manager Kim Hunter, “Even though the market has been closed for the winter, we are busy working with vendors and community partners to make our market even better this year.”  Here’s a peek at some of the work behind the scenes to prepare for the market’s spring opening.

The Vendors

Farmers across North Carolina are planning their spring and summer crops. Strawberry plants have been in ground for several months, and farmers are nurturing seedlings in their greenhouses as they prepare for spring planting.  Meanwhile, market organizers are reviewing vendor applications and visiting vendors at their farms and businesses.

If there are any vendors that you would like to see at the WWFM, Michele tells us that you should contact the market by sending an email to  info@WesternWakeFarmersMarket.org.

Helping the Hungry

Last year, market vendors generously donated produce and more to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, which stopped by the market each week at closing time to pick up donations. The Food Shuttle then made deliveries to area food pantries and community centers to prepare the perishable foods for the hungry.

For the 2010 season, market organizers hope to expand giving through a new Farmer FoodShare Program, modeled after one volunteer’s efforts at the Carrboro Farmers Market last year. This program helps shoppers get involved each week by purchasing extra produce, eggs, breads, etc. and dropping them off at the market’s Donation Station. The market will continue to partner with the Food Shuttle to deliver these foods to those in need.

In addition, the WWFM has applied to the Leaflight Foundation’s 21^st Century Farmers’ Market, which would allow the farmers’ market to process EBT (electronic benefits transfer), credit and debit transactions. The EBT replaces the paper food stamps of years ago and allows qualified recipients to shop for healthy, fresh foods at the market. Other shoppers reap the benefit of being able to use a credit or debit card at the market, rather than just cash and checks.

“The 21^st Century Farmers’ Market program is such a great way to help local farmers and those who need access to healthy foods, rather than processed, boxed and canned foods,” said WWFM President Juliann Zoetmulder. “Supporting small family farms and providing access to local foods for all people is really important to the farmers’ market board members. We hope to be accepted for the program this spring but will let everyone know when that happens.”

Education and Communications

The farmers’ market continues to update its web site, www.WesternWakeFarmersMarket.org, with information on eating local.

In addition to news about local food events and policy, the market strives to highlight national discussion about the local food movement, sustainability and the importance of small farms and make that relevant on a local level here in Western Wake County. Educating people about eating local is one of the WWFM’s goals.

Market organizers also are working to enhance the web site with more vendor information, archiving, photos and recipes before the market opens. In the meantime, Cary citizens may sign up for the WWFM’s free e-newsletter, Western Wake Eats, for more market and local food news.

Area Sponsorship Grows

The staff at The Umstead Hotel and Spa and Herons are also working closely with the WWFM to help raise funds for the upcoming season.

The Umstead, a WWFM sponsor, will host a fundraiser showcasing local foods from market vendors on Friday, May 21, 6-8 pm.  Details are still in the works, but tickets will be on sale for this special event that celebrates seasonal, local produce as well as local meats, breads, cheese and other products from farmers’ market vendors.

Guests will have a great opportunity to visit with our farmers and artisans and learn more about how and why they farm and do business the way they do, plus enjoy local music and great food at the beautiful Umstead Hotel.  Whole Foods Market of Cary and Great Harvest Bread Co. also are lending their support to the market with donations and fundraising opportunities this spring and summer.

“Support from businesses around town has been so essential to building the sense of community around the market and furthering its mission,” Zoetmulder said. “We’ve posted information on sponsorship levels and benefits for the 2010 season at our web site and look forward to partnering with more local businesses that share our passion for local food access, hunger prevention and education.”

Mark Your Calendar:  April 3

Starting April 3, the market will be open every Saturday through November 20, rain or shine, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht will join vendors on opening day.

Spring is just around the corner!

With special thanks to Michele McKinley for the update and the photos.

Farmers' market vendors hoop houses are used to nurture seeds before the weather warms

Upchurch is a famous name in Cary. There’s Carpenter Upchurch Road and Upchurch Meadow Road. There’s also Upchurch Farm.

William Upchurch runs the family establishment, working a day job with NC Agriculture to help pay the bills. Our picture earlier this year of the soybean crop was taken at William’s farm.

But farming today certainly isn’t what it was 25 years ago, especially in Cary. Corn Mazes, U Pick Strawberries and Christmas trees have replaced cotton and tobacco. On Upchurch Farm, they grow pumpkins to sell in the fall.

Everyone needs a pumpkin for Halloween, but what’s so special about Upchurch’s pumpkins? They’re grown right here in Cary. Here’s your chance to support local agriculture.

During the week, there’s an “honor system” pay station. But if you go on Saturdays, you can meet William and maybe help out with the farm chores (I actually saw this happen).

Upchurch Farm is located on Louis Stephens Drive near the corner of Carpenter-Upchurch Road. Big red barn. You can’t miss it. Tell William that CaryCitizen sent you.

Upchurch also sells Indian corn, bales of hay, wheat stalks and gourds for all your autumnal needs. Photos by Hal Goodtree.