Chloe Tuttle

Ride the Wind: Hang Gliding on the Outer Banks

Chloe Tuttle — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:23 +0000

A few years back, my friend Marion and I hiked up Jockey’s Ridge – the tallest living sand dune on the Atlantic coast. Back then, I made it to the top without much fuss. These days? I’d probably need a week and a good pep talk … but I’d still give it a go.

Jockey’s Ridge isn’t just for climbing – it’s also one of the best places to try hang gliding. Kitty Hawk Kites has been teaching folks to fly there since 1974. And yes, anyone can do it.

Take a beginning Hang Gliding Lesson for $158.00. With this beginner hang gliding lesson, you will “take flight” just a few miles from where the Wright Brothers flew their first aircraft. Start with a 30-minute “Ground School” introduction, take a short break, and then begin the flight portion of your lesson. Don your helmet and harness, and head out to the dunes near Jockey’s Ridge – from there, take five training flights over two hours. Read more about – Beginner Hang Gliding Lesson

You start with Ground School, move on to a tethered flight, and then – if you’re feeling brave – you get to soar solo. It’s thrilling, a little wild, and absolutely unforgettable.

When you’re staying at Big Mill B&B Extended Stay, hang gliding at Jockey’s Ridge makes for a pretty unforgettable day – 94 miles from our front porch to the launch site – but the views, the thrill, and the bragging rights? Worth every mile.

Big Mill B&B Extended Stay to Jockey’s Ridge Hang Gliding School, 94 miles

To arrange Hang Gliding lessons and experience the freedom of flight over North Carolina’s sand dunes, contact Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School, Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Nags Head, NC (252) 441-2426

Big Mill B&B Extended Stay 252-792-8787

Quiet rentals for traveling nurses & professionals in eastern North Carolina

Looking for extended stay lodging in Eastern North Carolina? Big Mill Extended Stay offers quiet, fully furnished rentals ideal for traveling nurses, medical professionals, contractors, and guests relocating to the area. Our accommodations provide comfort, privacy, and Southern hospitality, perfect for short-term and long-term stays. We also have three RV rental spaces.

Okra, Corn and Tomatoes Recipe

Chloe Tuttle — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 12:00:22 +0000

There is a very small window of time when Sweet Corn, Okra, and Tomatoes are in season at the same time – Probably just a few weeks in late summer.

It always reminds me of late summer on the farm when we were harvesting or “putting in” tobacco. Those were long nights when my dad and Walter sat into the night poking wood into the fire to cure the tobacco.

If you have an overabundance of okra, let some of them stay on the plant until they are dried out. You can then make the cutest Okra Santa Christmas ornaments.

Corn, Okra, and Tomatoes Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine American southern

Keyword okra corn and tomatoes, okra corn and tomatoes recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 97kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

1 large sweet onion or 2 small onions peeled and chopped
4 Tablespoons butter
2 cups fresh tender okra (about a double hand full)
6 large ripe tomatoes or a 28-ounce cans whole, peeled tomatoes - canned tomatoes are fine
3-4 ears fresh mature corn
1 teaspoon sea salt or regular salt
Pepper if desired
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Cook chopped onion for a few minutes until transparent, not browned.
While the onions are cooking, blanch the tomatoes for half a minute. Drain and cool tomatoes. Peel, remove the cores and cut into chunks, making sure that you save the juice. If using canned tomatoes, cut the tomatoes into large pieces, saving the juice.
Wash the okra. Cut stem ends off and cut into ½ inch round pieces.
Shuck corn and cut corn off the cob. Older or mature corn works best for this recipe.
Add the tomatoes and juice, okra, corn, salt, pepper and water to the cooked onions. Cook covered over medium to low heart for one hour or until the ingredients are all done.
Serve with homemade cornbread.

Nutrition

With all the great summer produce, sometimes we just want to make something that takes us back to the farm and to Grandmother’s cooking. In coastal North Carolina, this recipe is an expected summer treat.

Big Mill Bed and Breakfast Extended Stay 252-799-8787

Settle into a quiet, fully furnished space at Big Mill Extended Stay in Eastern North Carolina. Our rentals are perfect for traveling nurses, medical professionals, contractors, and guests who need a comfortable home base during long assignments. Enjoy privacy, farm views, and the welcoming charm Big Mill is known for. Three RV rental spaces are also available for extended stays.

Watermelon Punch says Summer at Big Mill B&B

Chloe Tuttle — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 13:43:58 +0000

Summer in coastal North Carolina means great watermelons. If you want a unique watermelon recipe, here it is – Watermelon Punch

Refreshing Watermelon Punch

When I was growing up on the farm, my father planted three long rows of watermelons – each one stretching at least a city block. It was a sight, and it meant we had more watermelons than most folks could imagine.

By July and August, we’d drive the pickup truck straight into the field and load the back full of those big, striped melons. Then we hauled them to the house and laid them under the old pecan trees, the same ones still standing here at Big Mill B&B Extended Stay today.

Every afternoon, no matter how hot it was or how much work we had left, we’d stop, slice open a watermelon, and eat until we were cool and sticky with juice. Whatever we didn’t finish went to the cows and the mules – nothing was ever wasted on a farm. We didn’t feed the watermelon to the chickens. Mother said it hurt their faces.

If you are having a summer party, this is the punch you should serve. This gorgeous, refreshing Watermelon Punch Recipe will please everyone and is definitely a show stopper.

This Watermelon Punch is a show stopper

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword watermelon punch, watermelon punch recipe

Prep Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 153kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

1 lemon or orange washed and sliced
2 liters lemon lime soda chilled. Reserve half
1 large watermelon
1 qt orange juice
3/4 cup sugar or to taste

Instructions

The ice mold should be made earlier, in time for it to freeze. The punch needs to be made just before serving.

Ice Ring:

Slice the lemon or orange and arrange in the ice mold. Pour 1/2 the lemon-lime soda into the mold and freeze.

Punch:

Cut watermelon into halves. Scoop out pulp and place in blender, seeds and all.
Blend for several seconds on medium speed. Strain through a fine-sieve colander, squeezing out juice. Discard solid parts.
Pour watermelon juice into a large container with lid. Add orange juice concentrate and sugar and stir until sugar and orange juice are dissolved. Chill until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, pour punch into clear glass or plastic punch bowl. Add the lemon-lime soda and stir. Place ice ring in the punch bowl.

Serving Suggestions:

This is a gorgeous red punch, so be sure to serve it in a clear glass or plastic container. It looks great served in wine glasses.

Nutrition

Recipe from innkeeper at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

Quiet rentals for traveling nurses & professionals in eastern North Carolina 252-792-8787

Looking for extended stay lodging in Eastern North Carolina? Big Mill Extended Stay offers quiet, fully furnished rentals ideal for traveling nurses, medical professionals, contractors, and guests relocating to the area. Our accommodations provide comfort, privacy, and Southern hospitality – perfect for short-term or long-term stays. We also have three RV rental spaces

Gazpacho – Chilled Tomato Soup

Chloe Tuttle — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:33 +0000

I first tasted Gazpacho in the sixties when I was a young student living in Spain.

Gazpacho is perfect for hot summer days.

It happened in a little café in Toledo, Spain, and I can still picture it – the café itself, the handsome young man, and the Gazpacho that made such an impression on me.

My own gazpacho recipe grew from one in Craig Claiborne’s New York Times International Cookbook, my favorite cookbook. And here’s a fun bit of trivia: Craig Claiborne, longtime food editor of the New York Times, was born in Sunflower, Mississippi.

Gazpacho

Gazpacho - Chilled Tomato Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine Spanish

Keyword gazpacho, tomato gazpacho, tomato gazpacho recipe

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 151kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

4 cups tomatoes with cores removed 2 1/2 to 3 pounds* or 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
1 1/2 cups peeled cucumber cut into large chunks
1/2 cup cucumber diced into small pieces for garnish (reserved)
1 green pepper seeded and cut into chunks
1 small clove garlic peeled and minced
5 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or white vinegar wine vinegar is more distinctive
1 1/2 slices bread or 2 slices French bread

Instructions

Place tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups cucumber, green pepper, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and bread into a blender. Blend until pureed.
Pour through a kitchen sieve and press with the pestle to extract the liquid. Discard the seed and skins - they make great compost.
Chill and serve in flat bowls with the reserved, diced cucumber as garnish.

Notes

*You can also make this gazpacho with one 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes.

Nutrition

Fresh tomatoes grown on the Farm

The basket in the photo is a treasure. It was a gift from Miss Sadie, who owned the original Big Mill grist mill. Long ago, she carried this very basket up town every week with three dozen eggs to trade for coffee, sugar, and anything she couldn’t grow herself. The cotton seeds are still tucked inside — her clever way of keeping the eggs from breaking.

I grew the tomatoes in my Big Mill Cook’s garden, tucked into the orchard where our livestock once grazed beneath the apple trees. It’s a place full of stories, and this basket is one of my favorites.

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay 252-799-8787

Sweet Cucumber Pickle Recipe – a Southern Tradition

Chloe Tuttle — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:31:21 +0000

Sweet cucumber pickles are as southern as iced tea.

Chloe’s Sweet Cucumber Pickles are worth the trouble.

Not just any pickles either – they must be homemade and preferably homegrown. It is alright if someone gives you the cucumbers, or you pick them up fresh from your local Farmers Market.

We all have a sweet pickle family recipe that has been passed down and it usually involves days of work for our pickles to have just the right crunch. This recipe involved three days. Some of the older recipes take an entire week. It involves soaking in lime and rinsing and soaking and rinsing again.

This year I had to add some extra help so I coerced Cynthia, a B&B guest to help with the washing and slicing. She is a natural.

Southerners work pickles into all kinds of dishes – pickle relish, pickle juice, and chopped pickles show up in everything from chicken salad to potato salad to deviled eggs. And of course, I’ve got a homemade pickle relish recipe too.

My mother, Chloe, had several pickle recipes, but this one is my favorite.

FYI – I also have a pickle fork in several different sterling patterns. It’s a southern thing. And we all have to have a deviled egg plate, that too is a Southern thing.

Sweet Cucumber Pickles

Course Condiments

Cuisine American

Keyword sweet cucumber pickle recipe, sweet cucumber pickles

Prep Time 1 4 15

Cook Time 1 10

Resting 12

Total Time 1 17 25

Servings servings

Calories 237kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

7 lbs cucumbers
2 cups pickling lime
Numerous buckets of water
1/2 gallon 5% white distilled vinegar most vinegar is 5%
5 pounds sugar - see note
3 Tablespoons pickling spice

Instructions

Use small or long pickling cucumbers. Burpless work too. Just don't use large cucumbers with many seeds. Wash the cucumbers. Slice crosswise into 1/8"-1/4" slices.
Mix 2 cups of lime with several cups of water in a large ceramic, enamel or stainless steel vessel. Stir to blend.
Add the cut cucumbers and enough water to cover them. Gently stir the mixture. Be very careful -- they will break so easily.
Soak for 24 hours.
I remember my mother making these pickles. Sometimes she had a plate on top to hold down the cucumbers. As you pass by, gently stir under the cukes, just to loosen the settled lime. Note: you can soak them for 48 hours and they are still wonderful.
After soaking for 24 hours, rinse the cucumbers in clear water. Then change the water every hour on the hour, 4 times.
Tie pickling spices in a double thickness of cheesecloth. Put 1/2 gallon distilled vinegar, 5 pounds sugar and the pickling spices into a large stainless steel or enamel cooking pot. Stir to melt the sugar. Add the cucumbers and bring to a boil. Let stand overnight.
Next day bring the cucumbers and vinegar to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Pack pickles and vinegar mixture into sterilized jars according to canning instructions.

Notes

Yield 9-10 pints

These days sugar often comes in a bag that is 4 pounds instead of 5. If you are measuring, 5 pounds is about 11 1/4 cups of sugar.

Nutrition

CLICK SAVE on photo to PIN FOR LATER

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-799-8787

Strawberry Bread Recipe Made with Fresh Strawberries

Chloe Tuttle — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:00:34 +0000

This easy Strawberry Bread recipe uses self-rising flour.

Strawberry bread is a springtime treat for folks in eastern North Carolina. You can make this bread any time of year, but it just seems so special when strawberries are in season, and and you can pick them yourself. It also is a great treat in the middle of winter when you are thinking about those warm spring days.

Fresh strawberries are the best

I was outside getting ready to take a picture of these berries when a rainstorm made me take cover in my Old Red Truck. While I waited out the storm, I took this photo – the lighting was perfect. It is one of my favorites. Local berries, of course.

Old red truck is gone, But fresh strawberries are still abundant in eastern North Carolina. I miss Old Red Truck.

My mother Chloe used self-rising flour, but I never did. Lately I have been experimenting with her recipes and some of my own and now I am a believer, especially if “quick” is in the cards.

Enjoy!

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-799-8787

Strawberry Bread

Picking strawberries is such fun I always end up with "too many." This bread is a great way to preserve that bounty.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword strawberry bread, strawberry bread recipe, strawberry quick bread

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 207kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

1 large egg
¼ cup corn or vegetable oil
¾ cups sugar
1/2 cup chopped & mashed strawberries (about 1/2 pound of berries) drain ALL the juice off
1 cup self-rising flour packed (see note for all-purpose flour) *
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two mini loaf pans with cooking spray with flour like Baker's Secret.
Wash and hull the berries. Chop and mash berries and strain off the excess juice. Measure out ½ cup.
Whisk egg in large mixing bowl. Add oil, sugar and mashed strawberries. In another mixing bowl stir together the flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry mixture to the strawberry mixture and stir.
Pour into loaf pans, filling about 1/2 full. This is a moist bread and it will not cook through if you fill the pans too full.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned or until a straw inserted into the center comes out clean. Moist breads like this Strawberry Bread are difficult to know when they are done. The straw or small knife inserted into the bread is the best way to know. You can’t just go by the time.
Cool on wire racks for five minutes. Remove bread from pans and continue to cool until ready to slice. To store, wrap in clear wrap. This bread will keep fresh for several days.

Notes

* Note: if using all-purpose flour add ¼ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon baking powder

Nutrition

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay – Peaceful Lodging for Traveling Nurses & Professionals 252-799-8787