Wow, the list of fall events keeps growing. Check these out!
SEPTEMBER:
Sept. 23 and 25: Diane Daniel discusses sustainable farming, agritourism and more on “Bookwatch” with D.G. Martin on UNC-TV. Airs Friday and repeats Sunday.
Sept. 24: Terra Vita returns! Grand Tasting on the Green is back, where chefs from across the state are on hand to chat and share samples from 1 to 4 p.m. at Southern Village in Chapel Hill. New this year is the “Sustainable Classroom,” a great lineup of speakers and workshops. Tickets are available now.
Sept. 30: Deadline for signing up for TS Designs 4th annual Cotton of Carolinas field trip at Rolling Hills Gin in New London, N.C. The outing is on Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details and signup here.
Continuing through fall, Poplar Ridge Farm in the Charlotte area (Union County) offers cooking classes and also farm dinners. All info here.
Also continuing through fall, the ultra-cool Cookery in Durham is offering an interesting lineup of reasonably priced culinary workshops, from fruit tarts to cooking whole animals. Check ‘em out here.
OCTOBER
Oct. 2: 4th Annual Amazing Pittsboro Pepper Festival, 4 to 7 p.m. It keeps getting bigger and better. (And I keep being out of town for every one of them!) Featuring: music, food, farmers, and, yes, peppers!
Oct. 2: One of my favorite twice-yearly events (spring and fall) is the combo Open Farm Day at Goat Lady Dairy and Rising Meadow Farm in Randolph County, 30 miles southeast of Greensboro. From 1 to 5 p.m. Goats, lambs, cheese, meat, music, pottery, and more! Goat Lady also has a ongoing series of on-farm dinners that come with a deluxe tour, not to mention wonderful food and good cheer.
Oct. 3: Lexicon of Sustainability at Watts Grocery from 5 to 8 p.m. This art exhibit and silent auction features artwork by Douglas Gayeton and is one of 100 such shows taking place around the country. For the past two years the California multimedia artist has been photographing practitioners of sustainability in food and farming, which he presents in large-format photo collages. This show is hosted by Walking Fish with local sponsors and includes locally sourced apps and a cash bar. You must RSVP to info AT walking-fish.org to attend.
Oct. 8: TS Designs’ 4th annual Cotton of Carolinas field trip at Rolling Hills Gin in New London, N.C. The outing is on Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details and signup here. (Sign-up by Sept. 30!)
Oct. 15: Yam Jam! is an annual gleaning extravaganza in Johnston and Harnett counties sponsored by our friends Society of St. Andrew.
Oct. 15: Farm dinner at Capt. John S. Pope’s Farm in Cedar Grove, featuring the farm’s grass-fed lamb and catered by Jason Smith of 18 Seaboard and Cantina 18 in Raleigh. Four-course dinner with wine served in 150-year-old farmhouse costs a very reasonable $65, all inclusive. For reservations, call 919-621-1150.
October 27-29: The national Farm Sanctuary is hosting its first National Conference to End Factory Factory, to be held in Washington, DC. The conference will explore factory farming’s detrimental effects on human health, animal welfare and our environment through a diverse program of speakers from each of these movements.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 9: Diane Daniel will present her lively “Farm Fresh North Carolina” narrated photo show at 7 p.m. at the East Regional/Knightdale branch of the Wake County Public Library.
Nov. 11: In Durham, Local Foods Feast and speaker Joan Dye Gussow, author of This Organic Life and, most recently, Growing, Older. You can pay $45 to benefit Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. (Cost is $35 if you’re part of conference, below.) Event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Imperial.
Nov. 11-13: Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s annual conference, this year in Durham. Speakers, workshops, networking and more! This is an awesome annual gathering, with the location rotating yearly across North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.
