Come and celebrate Sage at the First Annual Sage Festival in Windsor, North Carolina. The festivities kick off on Friday night, May 31st with a street dance downtown on Granville Street. There will be three bands, farm equipment displays and vendors and lots of stuff about sage.

Bertie County and the surrounding counties in eastern North Carolina grow 15,000 acres of Clary Sage. This sage is in the Salvia family; I remember my mother calling the red salvia that is so popular “scarlet sage.” Clary Sage is a beautiful plant that grows upright and blooms with vibrant, mostly purple flowers.

Avoca Farms in Merry Hill is one of the sponsors for the Sage Festival. Avoca Farms is named for Avoca Plantation that was located where the farms are now. Bertie County had its share of plantations including Avoca, Scotch Hall and Hope Plantation.

At Avoca, the sage is distilled, extracting a waxy material that is used in many products including expensive perfumes, to make fragrances linger longer. Sage has many uses, including medicinal.

If you are tempted to stop and pick a bouquet – don’t. Not because someone will arrest you, but because the sage flowers really don’t smell good.

Lewis Hoggard of the Windsor Bertie Chamber of Commerce said you can watch folks stop and pick a flower or two, and guaranteed about 100 yards down the road, they pitch them out. Glad they compost!

On Saturday, the folks from Avoca will host an “in-field” Sage Harvest demonstration — at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. I will be there with several cameras. Hope to see you all there.

Sage Festival, Windsor, NC, Friday, May 31st, 4 p.m. thru 11 p.m; Saturday, June 1st, 9 a.m. thru 2 p.m.

Details - Windsor Chamber of Commerce, 252-794-4277

Distances from:

124 miles east of Raleigh, NC
91 miles south of Norfolk, VA
41 miles east of Greenville, NC
17 miles north of Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, NC

Thanks to Joan Daniels for these gorgeous photos.

Map from Big Mill B&B to Sage Festival (17 miles)

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The mighty Roanoke River is heaven for the Rock Fish Fisherman

(Rock fish – Striper in the Roanoke River – photo courtesy Mitchell Blake)

Beginning in March, 2013, the entire Roanoke River basin is open for Rock Fish fishing or Stripers with some rules, of course. The minimum limit is 18 inches and only one river bass above 27 inches can be kept, in the creel, as they say.

After April 1, there are certain other rules concerning what hooks you can use for the Upper Roanoke. This is serious fishing, no doubt – a guide is a good idea. And the fishing will be great through June.

Captain Mitch Blake (below) at FishIBX is one of the best. IBX is the Inner Banks. Many of his fishing folks stay at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast, so I hear all the good fish stories and see the photos. The access areas are really close to the inn.

(Captain Mitch & Dalton with their Rockfish catch – photo courtesy Mitchell Blake)

My favorite story is from a fellow who stayed here and wrote a great review for Big Mill B&B. He called and told me he was so sorry but he misspelled Striper and confessed that in his review he said he had ridden up and down the Roanoke River looking for strippers. He certainly didn’t find any strippers that day.

Rock Fish Stew Recipe – Gardner’s Creek Version

Years ago, Carolyn Roberson at Roberson’s Marina on Gardner’s Creek gave me this recipe. She told me that you can make it with most any fish you have, even shrimp or crabmeat. In eastern North Carolina, we eat what we catch. Carolyn also added a layer of corn meal dumplings to her stew.

•     1 quart water, approximately
•     3 bunches green onions tops and bottoms, chopped (reserve 1 cup tops)
•     2 large sweet onions, peeled and sliced
•     4 hot red peppers about an inch in length, crushed (like Thai hot)
•     1 pound bacon, fried & crumbled, reserve drippings; set bacon aside
•     ½ pound skinned fat back, cut into cubes and fried, reserve drippings
•     5 baking potatoes, peeled and diced
•     5 cups rock fish, cut into bite-size pieces (approximately 3 pounds)
•     10 boiled eggs, peeled and diced
•     Salt and Pepper to taste

Put water, chopped green onions, sliced onions, red peppers, bacon drippings, fatback and drippings in a large stew pot. Cook uncovered over medium heat until onions dissolve, about 30 minutes.

Add potatoes to the pot. Layer the fish on top of potatoes. Do not stir. Carolyn put a layer of corn meal dumplings on top of the potatoes. For Dumpling recipe, click here.

Cook until potatoes are tender and fish is flaky, about 20-30 minutes. You might want to shake the pot, but do not stir.

When pot contents are done, remove from heat. Combine boiled eggs, bacon, reserved green onion tops, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over contents of pot. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes. When serving, gently spoon out in sections because the stew will be in layers.

The amount of water to add to the pot is a matter of judgment. Make sure the water does not boil out because the stew will burn. Also, gently shake the pot from time to time to make sure it is not sticking. But do not stir!

If you have a hankering to catch a striper or river bass — rock fish, as we locals call them — give Captain Mitch a call: 252-495-1803. If you have a hankering to eat some Fish Stew made from the Rock Fish of the Roanoke River, then check out the Cypess Grill in Jamesville, NC.

Roanoke River Access Areas

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The Message of Easter – a free outdoor drama near Williamston, NC

For thirty four years, the folks of Piney Grove Baptist Church in the Farm Life Community near Williamston, NC, have been performing  this 90-minute outdoor drama of the life and death of Jesus Christ.

We love outdoor dramas here in North Carolina.  These home town folks put on a big city drama. Every year they give their time and talents to bring this message to all who will listen.

Often, big buses pull in and some nights they perform to several thousand. If you plan to go, remember the bleachers are hard and they might even get cold as the night wears on. So take a cushion, a blanket and it never hurts to have a flashlight.

It is more than amazing what this small community has done – all hometown folks, and many of them are my cousins. “Pilot” was my first boyfriend – he was three and I was two. Billy’s wife Betty Jo says she is tired of hearing that story!

(A special thanks to Piney Grove Church for use of photographs)

For information call:  252-792-1342

PERFORMANCE DATES in 2013:  March 22 (in Spanish) March 23 & 24; March 27-31 (27 is also for hearing impaired)

DISTANCES FROM:

110 miles east of Raleigh, NC
114 miles south of Norfolk, VA
54 miles north of New Bern, NC
87 miles west of Manteo, NC (Outer Banks)
8 miles south of Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, NC

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Bird lovers everywhere will join in the 2013
Great Backyard Bird Count on February 15 – 18th

(Photo by Guy Livesay)

We love the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. It’s easy to participate and it helps the birds. You sign up on the website and agree to count birds for at least 15 minutes on at least one of the 4 days of the bird count, more if you want. Everyone is welcome. You don’t need to be an expert.  Sign up is easy and free.

We have always had birds here at Big Mill. When I was growing up, my father would tell me the name of each bird by the song it sang. Oh, how I wish I had that gift.

(This photo by Guy Livesay really shows how gorgeous Mrs. Cardinal is.
When I saw she was hopping & trying to reach the feeder, I put food on the ground for her)

A birding group of young people in Michigan — they call themselves the Michigan Bird Brains — will be counting birds entirely by ear. These students and their teacher are blind.

(Photo by Guy Livesay)

One spring morning a guest said to me, “This is not a complaint, but I have never before been awakened by the birds. I like it.”

For 4 days, starting February 15th, I will grab my North Carolina bird book, my camera and stare out my window – hoping I can recognize the wonderful birds here at Big Mill Bird & Breakfast. Yes, I feed them breakfast. And we are a Certified Bird Friendly Business.

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Remember the Mom and Pop restaurants that were in every town?

Well, we still have ‘em here in eastern North Carolina. Take a ride with me to find the best local food east of Raleigh. I’m delighted to premiere the latest Big Mill B&B video: Carolina Road Foods – Mom and Pop Diners.

We’ve featured the 10 “must see” spots for off-the-beaten path diners and dives throughout Eastern NC. We begin in Williamston and end up in Morehead City, stopping in some little towns that don’t even have a stoplight. Buckle up!

One thing you should know — you’ll have to ask a local where these restaurants are and when they are open. These cafes can have some seemingly odd hours to outsiders – but it all makes sense to any North Carolinian. Sunnyside Oyster Bar is open only in months with an “r” in them; Cypress Grill is only open four months a year – when the herring are running. So take notes and map your route to the best road food east of Raleigh, NC.

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Sunnyside Oyster Bar in Williamston – 3 miles north of Big Mill B&B
Cypress Grill in Jamesville -11 miles east of Big Mill B&B
Bunn’s Barbecue in WIndsor - 17 miles north of Big Mill B&B             
Bill’s Hot Dog Stand in Washington – 19 miles south of Big Mill B&B
Brenda’s Country Kitchen -19 miles northeast of Big Mill B&B
B’s Barbecue in Greenville – 29 miles west of Big Mill B&B
Skylight Inn in Ayden – 44 miles southwest of Big Mill B&B
Bum’s Barbecue in Ayden – 44 miles southwest of Big Mill B&B
Lovick’s Cafe in Kinston – 58 miles northwest of Big Mill B&B
El’s Drive-In in Morehead City – 88 miles southeast of Big Mill B&B

P.S. – Thanks to my nephew, Barney, for his amazing video editing and voiceover narration skills. What a gem.

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Christmas lights in Windsor – you can see the glow from half a mile away!

People come from everywhere to the small eastern North Carolina town of Windsor just to see these lights. Folks turn off their headlighs and drive slowly through the lighted arches, past elves and santas, angels and reindeer, cut-out critters and blow-up scenes – and lots of lights, up in the trees, on the scenes. It is almost too much to see at one time.

Some nights real elves are there, chatting with the folks. I talked to one, very nice chap.

It takes Herman and Therman, and sometimes Sherman three months to put up all the characters and scenes – it takes two months to take them down.

The Hoggard triplets began this loving project in 1997 as a tribute to Therman’s daughter. (Pictured above – Herman & Therman…or is it Therman & Herman?)

Herman does the painting of all the scenes; each year new decorations are added. They leave most of them up all year.  And their December electricity bill often tops $5,000 – they pay it gladly – there is a box for donations.

I have read  that this is one of the largest private Christmas light displays in the country – easy to believe with over 450,000 lights!

Starting the day after Thanksgiving, the magic of the lights begins – they will glow every night until New Year’s.

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DISTANCES FROM:

116 miles east of Raleigh, NC
90 miles south of Norfolk, VA
23 miles south of Edenton, NC
82 miles west of Manteo, NC (Outer Banks)
18 miles north of Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, NC

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Event: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. beginning the day after Thanksgiving through January 1st;  Phone:  252-794-4277 (Bertie County Chamber of Commerce)

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The “Dart” Found Williamston

Fox News-Detroit does a segment called “throw the dart.” Wherever the dart lands – that town gets a call. Well, it landed on Williamston, NC, and they called the Martin County Travel & Tourism Authority.

Tourism director Sarah Katherine Adams asked my nephew Barney Conway to take the call. And, of course, he did a stellar job. It’s like they called Andy of Mayberry and got Charles Kuralt. Our whole town is a-buzz! We are still talking about it.

Let me know what you think. Doesn’t it make you want to head to North Carolina? And, of course, Big Mill B&B got an honorable mention.

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You can smell the vinegar & red pepper before you enter
the door of the Skylight Inn in Ayden, North Carolina

Photo by Chloe Tuttle*

Since 1947, Pete Jones and family have been serving this tasty eastern North Carolina style barbecue (always pork) to locals and folks who are willing to travel long distances. They cook whole hogs, over oak. To BBQ enthusiasts, this is essential.

Photo by Chloe Tuttle*

Tap, tap, tap . . . that is the sound of the Skylight Inn. You can see the meat as it is being chopped, right there in front of you . . . tap, tap, tap.

As I stood there trying to see what was on the menu, a local fellow leaned in and said to me, “If you want something other than Barbecue, you have to come on Thursdays . . . they have chicken on Thursday.”

Photo by Chloe Tuttle*

The menu let me know that today I could get a small barbecue or a large barbecue. That was fine with me. I had driven to Ayden to eat barbecue. Lots of folks come to Ayden for the barbecue – George W. Bush, Daisy Duke, Ronald Reagan. According to the N.C Barbecue Society, the North Carolina Barbecue Trail starts in Ayden at the Skylight Inn.

In 2003, they received the James Beard award, have had stories written about them in the Saveur Magazine and the Roadfood series by Jan & Michael Stern.

Saveur Magazine calls it “North Carolina’s finest pulled pork.” And Southern Living lists the Skylight Inn as one of the “South’s 20 Best BBQ Joints.”

Yum, that is the taste of the Skylight Inn Barbecue – ’tis great roadfood. And, that same cute fellow who leaned in to tell me the menu, bought me lunch.

P.S. We don’t care if Rick Perry doesn’t like eastern North Carolina barbecue. Bet he is sorry he made that barbecue remark!

*You are welcome to use these Skylight Inn photos, just let me know and give me, Chloe’s Blog and Big Mill Bed & Breakfast credit. Thanks!

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