Twice a month we feature local restaurants, farms and farmers markets featured on episodes of UNC-TV’s Flavor, NC. This week, we review episode eight of Season 3, in which hostess Lisa Prince highlights specialty crops from Plum Granny Farm in King and garlic recipes from Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen in Greensboro.
“Garlic, it’s not just for warding off vampires,” Lisa said about the specialty crop that Plum Granny Farm grows in King. Cheryl Ferguson and Ray Tuegel have converted the farm from tobacco to a USDA-certified organic farm that grows specialty crops. These crops include ginger, turmeric, and 20 varieties of garlic. The garlic is planted in the fall and harvested in early summer. It is then hung in the old tobacco barns on the property to cure for about six weeks.
A specialty crop is one that is new to the state and isn’t grown on a large scale. The specialty crop industry in North Carolina is growing. “Farming is evolving in North Carolina,” Lisa said. “It is not just about the same old staple crops anymore. The next time you visit your favorite farmers market, why not pick up a specialty crop, like garlic, to go along with the tomatoes and corn.”
After the visit to Plum Granny Farm, Chef Jay Pierce of Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen in Greensboro shares a few recipes using garlic. His recipes include a mushroom and roasted garlic soup, barley risotto (with confit garlic), white bean puree (with confit garlic) and a chimichurri (with raw garlic). Below is his recipe for chimichurri:
Ingredients:
2 cups flat leaf parsley, chopped
½ cup garlic, peeled and rough chopped
1 cup olive oil
¼ cup lime juice
salt to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until it looks like pesto.
Makes 3 cups