Category Archives: Topics

The Last Barn Dance (and post?)

Posted on January 5, 2015 by didaniel

Greetings and Happy New Year. Perhaps it’s fitting that one of my final posts here will be about “The Last Barn Dance,” a lovely film in the making. Here’s the synopsis: “Randy Lewis knows that losing his dairy business would … Continue reading →

Posted in Alamance County, Books, Media, Tennessee | Tagged | 1 Comment

‘Farm Fresh Georgia’ joins the family

Posted on March 20, 2014 by didaniel

I’m very excited to announce the arrival of “Farm Fresh Georgia,” another sister book, after Tennessee. This one has a North Carolina component — it was researched and written by Charlotte journalist and travel writer Jodi Helmer. Jodi is as … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Family travel, Farmers, Farmers' markets, History, Livestock, Lodging, Recipes, Road travel, U-pick farms, Wine | Leave a comment

Help RAFI help farmers with book project

Posted on February 21, 2014 by didaniel

RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation International), based in Pittsboro, has an impressive project in the works. Growing Innovation will document 17 years of farmer innovation in North Carolina with an online library and printed book. These will be tools for farmers … Continue reading →

Posted in Chatham County, Farmers, Food, Orange County | Leave a comment

Laurey Masterton: a pioneer who kept pushing

Posted on February 20, 2014 by didaniel

When it was time to choose a spot to have my western NC book-release party in 2011, I immediately said: Laurey’s in Asheville. The cafe, run by chef and owner Laurey Masterton, embodied everything I love about the local foods … Continue reading →

Posted in Bees, Buncombe County, Cooking, Dining | Leave a comment

Everyone is clucking about local turkeys

Posted on November 16, 2013 by didaniel

I’ve seen plenty of wild turkeys in my day, but I’d never been around farm turkeys much until I wrote “Farm Fresh North Carolina.” When I was researching the book, in 2008, regular folks getting farm-raised turkeys for their Thanksgiving … Continue reading →

Posted in Brunswick, Chatham County, Cooking, Durham County, Livestock, Meat, Orange County, South Carolina, Wake County | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pepper Festival returns with more pep than ever

Posted on October 3, 2013 by didaniel

Somehow, regretfully, I end up being out of town every year for one of my favorite events — the Pepper Festival in Chatham County, so please go for me! This year’s fest, on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 3 to 7 … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Chatham County, Environmental, Family travel, Farmers, Food, Orange County | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Flurry of farm-fresh fall festivities

Posted on September 5, 2013 by didaniel

Wow, there’s so much going on that I feel compelled to do a round-up. Typical fall in the Carolinas! The 8th annual and always entertaining Eastern Triangle Farm Tour is happening Sept. 21-22. Six new farms are included among the 27 … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Charlotte area, Durham County, Family travel, Farmers' markets, Food, Franklin County, Johnston County, Lincoln County, Mecklenburg County, Road travel, Stokes County, Wake County, Wine | Leave a comment

Some favorite U-pick farms for U

Posted on July 21, 2013 by didaniel

The U-pick season is shorter in the mountains and middle of the state. Here are a few of my favorite spots there, with their entries from my book. Check ’em out! (But of course call or check online before you … Continue reading →

Posted in Ashe County, Food, Madison County, Rockingham County, U-pick farms | Leave a comment

Our NC peaches are peachy keen

Posted on June 18, 2013 by didaniel

Back in the day, North Carolina’s peach crop, concentrated mainly in the Sandhills area around Southern Pines and Pinehurst, used to be shipped up the East Coast. Those days are gone, but luckily for us, the peaches are not. By … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Region-Sandhills, Farmers, Fruit, South Carolina | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Peregrine Farm founders spread the wealth

Posted on May 2, 2013 by didaniel

Alex and Betsy Hitt of Peregrine Farm get the star treatment they deserve in yesterday’s News & Observer. Writer Andrea Weigl wrote a great profile about the farmers in Graham. Part of the story is how they’ve mentored so many … Continue reading →

Posted in Alamance County, Farmers | Tagged | Leave a comment

Dig deeper with Taste Carolina food-farm events

Posted on April 25, 2013 by didaniel

I got to hang out with some of my favorite food purveyors last night — Farmhand Foods, which distributes local, pasture-raised meats, and April McGreger of Farmer’s Daughter Brand, sweet-and-savory queen of all that is preserved or fermented. And I … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking, Durham County, Environmental, Farmers, Food, Livestock, Orange County, Recipes, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tribute to a gentle giant in farming

Posted on December 8, 2012 by didaniel

Bill Dow, one of the state’s sustainable-farming pioneers, passed away this week at the age of 67. Bill was a kind and gentle man whose humility served him well, first as a doctor and then as a farmer advocating a … Continue reading →

Posted in Chatham County, Farmers, Farmers' markets, Organics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Food fest recap: all yummy all the time

Posted on November 9, 2012 by didaniel

I was treated to some glorious dining and noshing events at TerraVITA in Chapel Hill last weekend. and now it‘s back to watching the waistline. I’ve witnessed this fine food and beverage festival, founded and run by the gracious and … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Dining, Orange County, Wine | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Fermenting food in a few easy steps

Posted on October 19, 2012 by didaniel

I’m bubbling over with excitement after my workshop on fermenting! OK, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement, but it was very interesting to get a primer on the process that I’ve been reading so much about over the past … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking, Durham County, Food | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Let ‘Chefs of the Mountains’ be your guide

Posted on October 9, 2012 by didaniel

First, there was the “Food Lovers’ Guide to the Triangle.” Now there’s “Chefs of the Mountains: Restaurants & Recipes from Western North Carolina” (John F. Blair, $19.95), by food critic John E. Batchelor. John doesn’t know it, but he helped … Continue reading →

Posted in Ashe County, Avery County, Books, Buncombe County, Cooking, Family travel, Haywood County, Henderson County, Recipes, Road travel, Watauga County | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Vollmer Farm returns with even more fall festivities

Posted on September 30, 2012 by didaniel

Happy fall, y’all! … One of my favorite photos taken for my “Farm Fresh North Carolina” guidebook is this one, of a boy we spotted at Vollmer Farm carrying a load of pumpkins. It might look staged, but it’s not.  And … Continue reading →

Posted in Family travel, Food, Johnston County, Road travel, U-pick farms | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Southern cooking: it’s a sides show

Posted on September 27, 2012 by didaniel

Lina found me crying over an ugly green plastic box the other week. I was reading through my mom’s recipes (she died in 2009), on yellowed index cards in her hand-writing. Her famous salmon cakes, always served with cole slaw … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Cooking, Food, Orange County, Wake County | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Do not miss this year’s TerraVITA food festival

Posted on September 26, 2012 by didaniel

Food and farm-fresh friends, I don’t mean to harp on this, but if you haven’t gotten your tickets to TerraVITA,  one of the state’s leading food and beverage festivals, you’d better do it soon. The three-day spectacular is in Chapel … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Orange County | Tagged | Comments Off on Do not miss this year’s TerraVITA food festival

‘Food Lovers’ Guide’ to the Triangle is out

Posted on September 17, 2012 by didaniel

My pal and busy “Durham Foodie” blogger Johanna Kramer just birthed her first book, and it’s a great one for food-minded locals and visitors to the Triangle. (And, really, who isn’t food minded?) “Food Lovers’ Guide to Raleigh, Durham & … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Dining, Durham County, Family travel, Orange County, Recipes, Wake County | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Farm tours held across NC this month

Posted on September 13, 2012 by didaniel

Wow, it’s farm tour central here in North Carolina, with two tours this weekend, in Charlotte and the eastern Triangle, and next weekend in Asheville and environs. (Many of the farms are in my book, which offers do-it-yourself tours!) The … Continue reading →

Posted in Farmers | Leave a comment