Cary, NC – Advocates for Health in Action (AHA) has partnered with the Town of Cary to present a free event on Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 6 PM called Growing a Healthy Community: A Film & Conversation about Your Health and Your Community. Read more
Story by Lindsey Chester. Photo by Hal Goodtree.
Cary, NC – Next Saturday, May 4, 2013, the Friends of Page-Walker host their 4th annual Herbfest celebration. See the historic Page-Walker garden in full bloom, learn about local plants and herbs, sample foods, browse for gifts and garden items and much more.
The Friends have planned a pre-Herbfest reception for Friday, May 3, 2013 at the Page-Walker Arts and History Center (7:00 PM). The kickoff event stars local celebrity food and garden writers Debbie Moose and Carol Stein, co-authors of The (Raleigh) News & Observer’s monthly column, The Tasteful Garden.
Debbie and Carol will talk about how to cook what you grow and grow what you like to eat. Guests will have an opportunity to meet the writers at a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception and book signing following the program.
If you know the Tasteful Garden column, you know Debbie and Carol like to cook with vegetables and herbs they grow here in their Triangle garden.
Debbie is currently on a tour for her latest book, Buttermilk:A Savor The South Cookbook, published by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She did a book signing appearance recently at La Farm Bakery here in Cary and will visit Charleston, SC.
I asked Debbie what attendees can expect during the evening. “Carol and I tend not to plan too strongly. We have been writing the column for about 8 years together.” She adds, “Carol knows more about gardening and I know more about food trends.”
Debbie and Carol will bring food with them to be sampled at the event. Debbie is debating whether to choose deviled eggs from one cookbook or some potato salad featured in another. Whatever she brings, you be rest assured it will be fresh, using herbs she grows in containers. Like many suburbanites, Debbie’s garden has limited sunny patches suitable for a larger plot.
Growing some types of vegetables can be a challenge in the Piedmont with our acidic soil (thanks Pine trees!) and clay base. I asked Carol Stein “Can you grow a decent tomato here?” Carol said its a question she gets often.
“The answer is yes. But many tomato varieties are subject to soil borne diseases. Tomatoes prefer alkaline soils, with organic compost mixed in. In the garden, they require frequent weeding and for that reason I prefer to grow tomatoes in large containers. My favorite variety is Sun Gold grape tomatoes. They’re prolific, have the sweetest flavor ever, and easy to grow in larger containers.”
The two will no doubt get questions like that one and many others from eager Cary gardeners.
Carol’s 5 tips creating a successful garden:
Debbie mentioned they will talk about growing conditions here in the Piedmont – what plants like it here, but can also look good in your landscape, and what are edible. Maybe a recipe or two will be thrown in at the end, like they do in their weekly column.
The festival continues to grow, adding new vendors and additional food options each year. The date is always the first Saturday in May, falling conveniently before Mother’s Day allowing for purchases of last minute gifts for Mom (or Dad).
Festival-goers will have many opportunities to find out all they need to know about starting an herb garden by touring the Page Educational Garden, including a close-up look at the historic 1850’s Page smokehouse.
In addition, they will have a chance to watch herb cooking demonstrations and stroll through booths selling a wide variety of herbs, crafts and garden products.
The popular Suzanne Tilton, a.k.a. the Butterfly Lady returns to Herbfest this year as a crowd favorite. Her live butterfly releases are scheduled for 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM.
New to this year’s Herbfest is the Friends’ collaboration with the Cary Creative Center From 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, volunteers from the Center will provide reuse materials and guidance for children to make a fun garden craft. The Cary Creative Center is connecting people with the arts and environment to promote reuse as a way to achieve waste reduction in our community landfills.
Guests also won’t want to miss the silent auction for a chance to win herb and garden-related items, including a garden book and beautiful butterfly/herb photographs.
“We’re so pleased that Herbfest has become a community tradition that brings so many people to historic downtown Cary,” said Friends’ President, Brent Miller. “I know that folks won’t want to miss the special program with Debbie Moose and Carol
Stein on Friday evening, and of course the fantastic vendors, garden tours, children’s activities, food and fun on Saturday.”
Herbfest 2013
presented by the Friends of Page-Walker Hotel
Sat May 4, 2013
9am-3pm
rain or shine
Page- Walker Arts & History Center
119 Ambassador Loop
Cary, NC
Cost: Free
Activities throughout the day, booths with items for purchase.
Pre-festival event “The Tasteful Garden”
Friday May 3, 7:00pm
Authors Carol Stein and Debbie Moose will speak about gardening and cooking.
Attendees can meet the authors during a wine and cheese reception.
Tickets for the pre-festival evening program on May 3 are $20.00 each and can be purchased at the Cary Arts Center box office, online at eTix.com or by phone at 1-800-514-3849. A limited number of tickets are available to this event and a sellout is anticipated.
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The Gardening Column on CaryCitizen is sponsored by Garden Supply Company on Old Apex Rd. in Cary, NC.
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
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
Story by Lindsey Chester. Photo by Hal Goodtree.
Cary, NC – When it comes to food, the winter of our discontent is giving way to eminent joy – the return of all three Cary farmer’s markets. Two open this weekend (April 6, 2013) and the other opens on April 20, 2013. Read more
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
Story and pictures by Hal Goodtree.
Cary, NC – I had a chance to eat lunch at Café 121 a few days ago. One word review: fabulous. Read more
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
Cary, NC – When you come from New York City, you think that St. Patrick’s Day is a crazy celebration with public drunkenness and a parade through town that leaves the average worker vowing to stay inside for lunch on March 17. But here in Cary, the revelry is decidedly more civilized. Look for these local pubs to fix you up with some excellent grub, fine Irish entertainment and a pint or two. Read more
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