Farm-to-Table with Walnut Cove Farms

Farm to Table

Guest Post
by
Tara Cathey, Walnut Cove Farms

Walnut Cove Farms is proud to announce our first Farm-to-Table event on Thursday, July 17, 2014, featuring a delicious homemade supper from our heirloom produce and other fresh, local ingredients.

The event will take place in a beautiful rustic setting located right on our family-owned & operated farm in historic Waynesville, NC.

Our Farm-to-Table event will include a performance by the Darren Nicholson Band & an informal discussion on seed saving and other sustainable gardening techniques.

There is plenty to see & experience at Walnut Cove Farms!  Explore the beauty of our 2014 growing season including our hops, “Three Sisters Planting” – heirloom corn, squash and beans as well as our mushroom logs.

Tickets $60/person.   Bring your own wine & spirits.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Tara Cathey at 828.400.0115


Walnut Cove Farms is a family-owned and operated business dedicated to providing top-quality, organically-grown produce using sustainable practices.

We grow only heirloom, open-pollinated crops – NO GMO’s, NO HYBRIDS!

We offer a CSA and sell weekly on Wed. & Sat. 8-noon at the Waynesville Tailgate Market – 171 Legion Drive, Waynesville, NC.

Beginning in May 2014 our outdoor event venue will be available for rent for weddings and outdoor gatherings.

Simple Summer Pleasures

Fresh picked raspberries from Wright Way Nursery & Landscaping
Fresh picked raspberries from Wright Way Nursery & Landscaping

Summertime in the mountains of Western North Carolina is a season filled with non-stop activity—from hiking & biking adventures to backyard barbeques & family reunions.  Rain or shine, the siren song of the outdoors is simply irresistible!

What about when you want to slow down a little and savor the simple pleasures of summer?  Nothing packs all the flavor and brightness of a summer afternoon quite like juicy berries fresh from the vine.  One bite immediately transports me back to my childhood, trotting along behind my grandmother as she picked berries and I held the bucket.

We made jars & jars of freezer jam, jellies, marinades infused with garden fresh herbs and even sweet dumplings cooked in a boiling berry stew for a Sunday afternoon dessert.  My grandmother infused each of her signature dishes with fresh flavors that can only be achieved through use of seasonal ingredients harvested at the peak of ripeness.

Local raspberries and blueberries are in-season now and readily available at Haywood County Farmers Markets, Roadside Stands, Tailgates and On-farm Markets.  A listing of local sites can be found in our Online Directory as well as in our Find your Adventure! 2014 Agritourism Guide.

To inspire your own traditions for embracing the simple pleasures of summer, here is a recipe from my grandmother’s kitchen—infused with a twist of unexpected ingredients— that embodies the very essence of the season using local raspberries fresh from the vine!

Note: This dish is best enjoyed from a porch, or under your favorite tree, as the summer afternoon heat gives way to twilight—at least that is the memory from my childhood that makes this tradition one worth enjoying season after season!

—Tina Masciarelli, Buy Haywood Project Coordinator


Visit our Online Directory for local ingredients!

Pound Cake with Raspberries

Orange-Thyme Pound Cake with fresh Raspberries

Ingredients
1 (8 oz) Container of Sour Cream
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
3 cups Sugar
1 cup Butter, softened
6 large Farm Fresh Eggs, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose Flour
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier (can use other orange-flavored liqueur or substitute orange juice)
Zest of 1 Orange
2 Tablespoons fresh Thyme, chopped (optional)

Steps of Preparation
PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees

STIR together sour cream & 1/2 teaspoon baking soda;
set mixture aside.

BEAT 3 cups sugar & 1 cup butter (softened) at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy (2-3 minutes).  ADD eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

STIR together 3 cups flour & salt.  Add to egg mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  BEAT at low speed just until blended after each addition.
STIR  in 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon Gran Marnier, orange zest & chopped thyme.

POUR batter into greased and floured cake pan
(Use 1 bundt or 2 loaf pans)

BAKE at 325 degrees:  1 hour for bundt or 35 minutes for loaf pans, or until long wooden stick comes out clean.  Careful not to over bake.  Cooking times vary with oven temperatures & climate conditions.

COOL in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack.

SERVE with fresh berries & sweetened whipped cream.

Cook. Share. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Tina Masciarelli, Buy Haywood Project Coordinator— inspired by her grandmother, Lucille Parker

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Appalachian Lifestyle!

If there is one common thread that ties all Southern people together, it is the love of a great party—especially when our heritage is the theme! 

This weekend marks a series of special events in Haywood County honoring our rich Appalachian lifestyle—where heritage meets modern convenience.

Come out and join us to celebrate our community, both past & present.  You will discover that Haywood County, NC, is rich with cultural memory of heirloom seed saving, multi-generational farms, and a tradition of time spent at the dinner table surrounded by loved ones…and this weekend we’ve set an extra place just for you!


Main Street Sculpture
Photo courtesy of Downtown Waynesville Association

Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration
in historic downtown Waynesville

Saturday, June 14th, 2014
10am-5pm on Main Street, Historic Downtown Waynesville

The annual Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration is a heritage themed event featuring mountain music, dance, storytelling, arts & crafts, demonstrations, displays, local authors, traditional food & so much more!

The event will feature special guests:
Michael Reno Harrell & Darren Nicholson Band
and other local entertainment!

This event is a must-see for visitors and locals alike!


 

sheltonhouse-infantrydrill
Infantry Drill, photo courtesy of the Citizen-Times

The Shelton House
at 49 Shelton Street

Saturday, June 13th & Sunday, June 14th, 2014

In conjunction with the Appalachian celebration event, The Shelton House invites you to see a living history camp, reenactments and demonstrations on Saturday at 49 Shelton Street during their 2014 Civil War Commemoration Weekend, June 13 & 14.

Come out for a day where you can experience heritage, history & fun!  Enjoy lectures, Civil War reenactments, displays of period clothing, Southern Cross of Honor memorials, museum tours, BBQ, contra & square dancing for all ages!

For more information, visit their website or call 828.452.1551


 

cataloochee-valley-church
The church at Cataloochee Valley, photo courtesy of Visit NC Smokies

The Strand at 38Main

Visit website for showtimes & ticket information

In the evening, make plans to visit The Strand at 38 Main for a screening of “Cataloochee: A Documentary.”  The film tells the story of the Cataloochee Valley, the settlers who lived there for a hundred years, and the movement to form a national park that includes this special place.  From the Cherokee relationship to the land prior to white settlement to settlers themselves telling the story of their time in the valley – the documentary encompasses the universal themes of migration, settlement and loss of community.


CLICK HERE to plan your Haywood County adventure!

 

 

 

Haywood County Welcomes New Farm Stand

Skipper Russell of Seasonal Produce Farm
Skipper Russell of Seasonal Produce Farm & Farm Market

Just as the growing season really starts to heat up in Haywood County, Skipper Russell of Seasonal Produce Farm opens a new farm stand in Bethel, called Seasonal Produce Farm Market.

The farmstand will feature product from Russell’s own 35-acre Gap Certified farm as well as from other local growers.  Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) is a certification that focuses on best agricultural practices to verify that fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled, and stored in the safest manner possible to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards.  According to the USDA, “a GAP approach aims at applying available knowledge to addressing environmental, economic and social sustainability dimensions for on-farm production and post-production processes, resulting in safe and quality food and non-food agricultural products.”

Seasonal Produce Farm Market is located on Hwy 276 in the heart of the historic Bethel community (just a hop skip and a jump from our “Farm to Table” partners at the Jukebox Junction Restaurant & Soda Shoppe).

Seasonal Produce Farm Market will be open Monday-Saturday, from 10am-6pm.

Pack your cooler to store all the local goodies purchased at the Seasonal Produce Farm Market and plan a day trip to the picturesque Bethel community!  While you are out that way, grab one of our Find your Adventure! 2014 Agritourism Guides to see which Bethel farms welcome visitors.  Or, make the adventure a whole day trip by exploring Bethel Rural Community Organization’s Cold Mountain Heritage Tour (self-guided driving tour CDs are available for purchase).

Come on out and see all the spectacular farms, products and historic markers that makes Haywood County, North Carolina, a community of UNIQUELY LOCAL opportunities!

For more info, contact Skipper Russell at 828.734.5500