After more than 25 years of serving the southern Piedmont, the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market continues to be a place where consumers can find locally grown fruits and vegetables from area farmers. Charlotte is one of five farmers markets managed by the N.C. Department of Agiculture and Consumer Services, with others located in Asheville, Colfax, […]
The N.C. strawberry season started early with an abudant crop, due in part to the warmer-than-normal weather in the state this spring. As strawberry season is wrapping up, farmers markets and roadside stands are welcoming blueberry season with events such as Blueberry Day at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh. No matter where you go in the state, there’s a new […]
The N.C. Farm to School program is one way the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services promotes the health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables to children. The program is a combined effort between the department’s Food Distribution and Marketing divisions, and brings locally grown produce purchased from local farmers to school cafeterias across the state. […]
With our In the Market feature, we’ll visit the State Farmers Market with nutrition marketing specialist Freda Butner to learn about nutrition facts, recipe tips and ways to maximize your local-foods shopping experiences across the state. Using the “Goodness Grows in Living Color” color wheel as a guide, Freda explains how adding a variety of color […]
If you ventured out to the N.C. State Fair this year, you may remember an unusual offering of a “Chitlin/Collard Sandwich” among the usual suspects of funnel cakes, hot dogs and candy apples. If the leafy green vegetable (usually served boiled with a piece of salt pork or ham hock) didn’t make your deep-fried food […]
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with the Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.” The N.C. State Fair starts Thursday, Oct. 15, at 3 p.m. on the state fairgrounds in Raleigh. In addition to the Midway rides and deep-fried foods, the Fair is a celebration of North Carolina’s agricultural heritage. […]
The News & Observer featured a video from Raleigh Italian restaurant 518 West on Monday that followed executive chef Blaine Nierman during one of his weekly visits to the State Farmers Market. He explains what types of foods he looks for, how he incorporates N.C. produce into the 518 West menu and the advantages of […]
Tobacco, corn and peanut plants are not exactly what visitors to downtown Raleigh might expect to see in planters near the State Capitol, but these and other field crops are offering many visitors a unique opportunity to see some of North Carolina’s top agricultural crops up close. The plants, which are in large, permanent concrete planters […]
The State Farmers Market crowned the winner of its annual largest melon contest in Raleigh Wednesday, and this year’s top honors belong to Larry Boyette and his 203 pound watermelon. The huge fruit was just 65.8 pounds shy of the current world record melon. Eleven melons battled it out at the market’s Watermelon Day in […]
The State Farmers Market’s annual Watermelon Day might as well be called “What a melon!” Day, as the annual celebration will crown the state’s largest watermelon Thursday, Aug. 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors will also be able to sample fresh slices of watermelon, pick up recipes and meet the N.C. Watermelon Queen […]
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with the Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.” Aug. 2-8 is National Farmers Market Week, and it’s a great time to visit a farmers market and pick up some of the great food we produce here in North Carolina, Commissioner Troxler tells Rhonda Garrison […]
Each week we’ll round up the latest N.C. agricultural headlines from newspapers across the state and country, as well as excerpts from the stories. Click on the links to go straight to each paper’s full story. “Food Briefs: Want a blue ribbon?,” News & Observer: Then you should enter a cooking contest at the N.C. […]