Posts

A Visit to the Culinary Farm at SAS Campus

/4 Comments/in , , , /by

sas-farm-2

Story and photos by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – On Monday, I had the pleasure of visiting the Culinary Farm at SAS Campus. This gem-of-a-garden supplies fresh vegetables and fruit for Herons, An and the SAS cafeterias.

A Visit to the Culinary Farm at SAS

I had heard about the farm at SAS a while back. Two years ago, the effort got a full-time Culinary farmer. Her name is Maggie Lawrence and she gave me the full tour on a bright morning.

“This is a culinary farm,” Maggie told me. “Everything we grow is for the table.” The farm supplies fresh-picked, organically grown vegetables and fruits to The Umstead Hotel, Herons and An Restaurant. The farm also supplies produce to the employee cafeterias at SAS and The Umstead.

“This is a late-spring garden,” Maggie told me. She’s growing broccoli, fennel, lots of lettuce, turnips, beets, peas and a whole lot more.

I saw cilantro blossoms and red vein sorrel; comfy, tarragon and chervil; opal basil and red Russian kale.

Maggie showed me red bok choi, Napa cabbage and rainbow chard. She has blueberry and blackberry shrubs just getting started with hopes to produce fruit in a couple of years. She even has a small stand of asparagus for future production.

The culinary farm also includes plants like Salvia and butterfly bush, grown not for the table but to attract pollinators like wild honey bees and butterflies.

Looking toward summer, Maggie plans to grown different varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes and other hot weather crops. She even grows produce for the Hotel bar, including mint and the aforementioned opal basil. “I’ve been consulting with a mixologist,” she explained.

The plot I saw was one of two on the SAS campus. Maggie and her co-worker Ariel Greenwood plant, pick and cultivate it all themselves.

As a guy who loves gardening, it was heaven. But all too soon, we all had to get back to work. Maybe I’ll get invited to visit again.

Pictures: Culinary Farm at SAS Campus

sas-farm-1

sas-farm-3

sas-farm-6

sas-farm-2

sas-farm-4

sas-farm-7

sas-farm-8

Recipe: Lamb Chops on the Grill for Mother’s Day

/2 Comments/in , , /by

grilled-lamb-chops-recipe

Story by Hal Goodtree. Photo by Alexandra Moss.

Cary, NC – Here’s an easy recipe for lamb chops on the grill that will make Mom (or the mother of your children) say “he’s thinking outside the box.” Read more

Short Drive from Cary: Beltline Brew Tours

/5 Comments/in , /by

triangle-brew-tours

Story by Matt Young. Photo by Dave Goldberg.

Cary, NC – A brilliant idea a long time coming, in my mind anyway. Beltline Brew Tours visits breweries across the Triangle in a private bus. I took the newest tour of the Triangle’s hippest food destination – Durham. Read more

18 Restaurants on Kildaire Farm Road

/7 Comments/in , , , /by

18-restaurants-kildare-farm-road

Story by Jamie Buning, first in a series of restaurant guides for Cary dining.

Cary, NC- I grew up in Cary and have seen lots of changes over the last 20 years. To me, one of the best is the development of an actual restaurant scene, especially the addition of new, ethnically diverse restaurants. Read more

It’s a Grind – Open in Cary

/3 Comments/in , , /by

its-a-grind-cary-nc

Story and photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – Over a year ago, I wrote a story about the closing of It’s a Grind coffeehouse in Stonecreek Village. It opened back up quickly under new ownership and has been open ever since. Read more

French Culinary Students Come Here To Learn

/in , , /by

P1000836

Story and Photo by Barbara Shepard, president of the Sister Cities Association Of Cary

Cary, NC – Where do culinary students from Le Touquet, France come to work and study their craft? If you answered “Cary and the Triangle”, you would be right.  Yes, culinary students from France, right here in Cary! Read more

Pictures: Spring Farmers’ Market

/in , , /by

wwfm-2013-1

 

Photos by Hal Goodtree and Lindsey Chester.

Cary, NC – Two of Cary’s three farmers’ markets opened their Spring season on Saturday. Here are some pictures. Read more

400 Beers Compete in Local Homebrew Competition

/in , , /by

carboy-beer-competition

Story by Jamie Buning. Photo by Steev Hise.

Triangle, NC – Saint Patrick’s Day is a well-liked holiday because it requires very little of us. We don as much green as possible and drink beer all night long. Sometimes, if one feels like a real go-getter, he will go to a parade.

My family’s tradition is to eat a hearty meal of corned beef, cabbage, Irish soda bread and green jello while listening to The Chieftains or some other Irish jam band. The drink of choice is always beer. On occasion, there will be a Guinness lying around; otherwise we drink some of my dad’s homebrew. Read more

Recipe: Matzoh Ball Soup

/in , /by

matzoh-ball-soup-recipe

Story and recipe by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – Passover, the Jewish holiday commemorating the Exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt, starts on Monday evening. Here’s a family recipe for matzoh ball soup, a staple of the holiday. Read more

Green Beer is for Leprechauns

/in , /by

green-beer

Story by April Schlanger, owner of Sip…A Wine Store. Photo by Will Vanlue. 

Cary, NC- Green Beer is for leprechauns, “GREEN” beer is for humans. The word GREEN is not only a color, but it’s a movement.  It is what people who are concerned about our environment want to paint the town. There are plenty of GREEN beers to enjoy.  Whether you want Certified Organic, No Preservatives, or local, there is a Green beer for you. So, put down that colored beer and pick up a beer that makes a difference not just on St. Patrick’s Day, but all year long. Read more