Category Archives: Food

Dig deeper with Taste Carolina food-farm events

Posted on April 25, 2013 by didaniel

I got to hang out with some of my favorite food purveyors last night — Farmhand Foods, which distributes local, pasture-raised meats, and April McGreger of Farmer’s Daughter Brand, sweet-and-savory queen of all that is preserved or fermented. And I … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking, Durham County, Environmental, Farmers, Food, Livestock, Orange County, Recipes, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fermenting food in a few easy steps

Posted on October 19, 2012 by didaniel

I’m bubbling over with excitement after my workshop on fermenting! OK, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement, but it was very interesting to get a primer on the process that I’ve been reading so much about over the past … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking, Durham County, Food | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Vollmer Farm returns with even more fall festivities

Posted on September 30, 2012 by didaniel

Happy fall, y’all! … One of my favorite photos taken for my “Farm Fresh North Carolina” guidebook is this one, of a boy we spotted at Vollmer Farm carrying a load of pumpkins. It might look staged, but it’s not.  And … Continue reading →

Posted in Family travel, Food, Johnston County, Road travel, U-pick farms | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Southern cooking: it’s a sides show

Posted on September 27, 2012 by didaniel

Lina found me crying over an ugly green plastic box the other week. I was reading through my mom’s recipes (she died in 2009), on yellowed index cards in her hand-writing. Her famous salmon cakes, always served with cole slaw … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Cooking, Food, Orange County, Wake County | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Do not miss this year’s TerraVITA food festival

Posted on September 26, 2012 by didaniel

Food and farm-fresh friends, I don’t mean to harp on this, but if you haven’t gotten your tickets to TerraVITA,  one of the state’s leading food and beverage festivals, you’d better do it soon. The three-day spectacular is in Chapel … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Orange County | Tagged | Comments Off

TerraVITA triples the fun (get your tix now)

Posted on August 13, 2012 by didaniel

Wow, in only its third year, TerraVITA has become a leading Southern food and wine event, with a focus on farm-sourcing, artisanal producers. This year’s event has expanded over several days, with activities running Nov. 1 to Nov. 3 in … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Dining, Farmers' markets, Films, Food, Orange County, Wine | Tagged , | 1 Comment

It’s maple-tree tapping time again — yes, in NC!

Posted on February 20, 2012 by didaniel

It’s time to get sappy! Yes, it’s maple syrup-tapping time again — even in North Carolina! Maple Creek Farm outside of Burnsville, in the mountains, will host its fourth annual Maple Tour on Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26, from … Continue reading →

Posted in Family travel, Farmers, Food, Yancey County | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Culinary/ag education in Charlotte and beyond

Posted on December 16, 2011 by didaniel

Thought I’d share this recent email and my answer, as it contains some good farm-fresh culinary/agricultural education resources in Charlotte and beyond. Dear Diane, My brother is an aspiring chef living in Charlotte. He is very passionate about sustainable farming and farm … Continue reading →

Posted in Chatham County, Cooking, Food, Mecklenburg County | Leave a comment

Home Grown Hand Made videos are online

Posted on December 4, 2011 by didaniel

Wow, a big shout-out to Axel Foley of the The Peoples Channel and Durham Community Media for making videos of all the vendors at the group’s fall fund-raiser, Home Grown Hand Made, at Fullsteam Brewery in Durham. The one for Farm Fresh North … Continue reading →

Posted in Durham County, Farm Fresh book events, Food | Leave a comment

Farm Fresh NC on UNC-TV’s ‘Bookwatch’

Posted on October 6, 2011 by didaniel

D.G. Martin interviewed me in the summer for his author-focused show, “Bookwatch,” on UNC-TV. We had a wide-ranging talk about agritourism, farm-to-table restaurants, farmers markets, etc. It was a fun show, and I’m grateful for the opportunity! It first aired Sept. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Charlotte area, Coastal Region-Sandhills, Dining, Farmers' markets, Food, Mountains, Triad, Triangle, Wine | Leave a comment

Food and race; High Country tour; learn to write, paint and cook in a day; food classes; and more!

Posted on August 2, 2011 by didaniel

Mark your calendars for these farm-food events in the Tiangle and the mountains:  Thursday, Aug. 4: “Eating the Other: Food, Race and You,” discussion of race as it relates to agribusiness, farmers’ markets and the slow food culture. At Southwest Regional … Continue reading →

Posted in Alleghany County, Ashe County, Avery County, Bicycling, Cooking, Dining, Durham County, Family travel, Farmers, Food, Road travel, Watauga County, Wilkes County | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Guidebook author’s dream come true

Posted on July 29, 2011 by didaniel

A guidebook writer couldn’t ask for more than this blog post   from pastry chef and local-food lover Jenni Field for SavorNC magazine.  She writes about how her husband bought her my book for their anniversary (thank you, husband!) and, more importantly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Family travel, Farmers, Food, Granville County, Livestock, Meat, Road travel | 2 Comments

Bee there, freshest fish, food tours and more

Posted on July 27, 2011 by didaniel

It’s time again for Quick Bites, a harvest of Farm Fresh news. How sweet it is: TONIGHT, July 27, at 6 pm (movie at 9:15), Market Restaurant in Raleigh will host a music and movie night in its parking lot, featuring … Continue reading →

Posted in Bees, Books, Dining, Durham County, Environmental, Food, Food policy, Forsyth County, Guilford County, Orange County, Wake County | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Farm Fresh NC and Fickle Creek share video spotlight

Posted on July 8, 2011 by didaniel

What a great gift for Fickle Creek Farm, my book “Farm Fresh North Carolina,” and the Piedmont Farm Tour. The state’s former (as of June) tourism marketing agency, Charlotte-based LKM, commissioned a video about agritourism in general and the book … Continue reading →

Posted in Farm Fresh book events, Farmers, Food, Livestock, Lodging, Media, Orange County | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Find dining in Asheville

Posted on June 6, 2011 by didaniel

Wrote this little ditty below for a Boston Globe summer-fun roundup, so makes sense to share with my NC readers. With farm-to-table dining practically de rigueur, farmers are starting to share the menu with foragers. In what is billed as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Buncombe County, Dining, Food, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Asheville’s Tupelo Honey Cafe puts out cookbook

Posted on May 25, 2011 by didaniel

Tupelo Honey Café is one of those landmark dining spots that actually deserves its popularity. Tourists and locals alike go to the Asheville restaurant for Southern comfort food with a modern twist. It’s a high-volume place (and a second location … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Books, Buncombe County, Cooking, Dining, Food, Recipes, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Where to find organic U-pick strawberries

Posted on May 12, 2011 by didaniel

2013 Update: Strawberries are a full month or more late, so are just starting to get juicy in mid-May. Crazy. Check with these places, researched in 2011, to make sure they have berries. Happy picking! Several people have asked me … Continue reading →

Posted in Brunswick, Buncombe County, Food, Franklin County, Fruit, Orange County, U-pick farms, Wake County | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

In Durham, a special sit-down dinner with Pie Pushers

Posted on April 17, 2011 by didaniel

One of the upsides* to all the rain and subsequent slow traffic on the Piedmont Farm Tour  yesterday was the opportunity to see the Pie Pushers’ full profile, instead of how I usually see Mike Hacker and Becky Cascio — as faces … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Durham County, Food, Orange County | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Coming up: farm tour, party, picnic, local fish — and more!

Posted on April 14, 2011 by didaniel

No surprise that spring is positively bursting with farm/food news. At the top of my list is the Piedmont Farm Tour in the Triangle this weekend, sponsored by the awesome Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA). Everything about this yearly happening … Continue reading →

Posted in Chatham County, Family travel, Farm Fresh events, Food, Livestock, Orange County, Poultry, Wake County | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Andrea Reusing, season by season

Posted on March 28, 2011 by didaniel

Andrea Reusing’s first cookbook, “Cooking in the Moment,” will make Triangle residents proud. Over the years, Andrea, chef/co-founder at the Asian-inspired Lantern in Chapel Hill, has made quite a national name for herself through her creative cooking and reliance on … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Dining, Durham County, Food, Orange County, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment