Chloe Tuttle

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.

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

My mom had several pickle recipes, but this one is my favorite!

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

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.

North Carolina Road Food – Mom and Pop Diners

Chloe Tuttle — Sat, 30 May 2026 19:30:46 +0000

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

Well, we still have ’em here in eastern North Carolina. A few have closed since I did this video but many are still here and they’re worth a trip. Take a ride with me to find the best local food east of Raleigh. I’m delighted to premiere this Big Mill B&B video:

We’ve featured the “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. (Sadly, The Cypress Grill burned and it is no longer with us). Take notes and map your route to the best road food east of Raleigh, NC.

View Road Food in eastern North Carolina in a larger map

Sunnyside Oyster Bar in Williamston – 3 miles north of Big Mill B&B
Cypress Grill in Jamesville (closed, fire)
Bunn’s Barbecue in Windsor Closed, too many floods)
Bill’s Hot Dog Stand in Washington – 19 miles south of Big Mill B&B
Brenda’s Country Kitchen -(closed)
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
A new find: Ella’s Cafe, 17 miles north of Big Mill B&B

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

Big Mill Bed and Breakfast 252-792-8787

Black Bear Festival in Plymouth, NC

Chloe Tuttle — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:20 +0000

No matter what you think about bears, when someone says, “I saw a bear,” you listen. If you want to see a bear, then you must attend the Black Bear Festival in Plymouth, NC, June 5 & 6, 2026

Bears in North Carolina are usually black with a cinnamon color muzzle

Increasingly, we are seeing bears here in eastern North Carolina. They are mostly in the coastal regions – bears love our coastal Pocosin habitat.

In one of the articles I read, eastern North Carolina was said to have the highest Black Bear population of all the states. There are over 8,000 black bears in the Albemarle region, the largest concentration in North Carolina.

All 100 counties in North Carolina have reported black bear sightings. A 500-pound bear is not at all uncommon and bear biologist, Colleen Olfenbuttel, confirmed that they are seeing “an increased frequency of 700+ pound bears.” All 100 counties in North Carolina have reported black bear sightings.

Bears come in all sizes – remember Mama isn’t far away

When I was a child we had two gardens: one near the house and one early garden down near the woods. Every year, we saw bear tracks in the early garden. My mother told me that they were moving from the Pocosin (upland swamp) to another habitat. In the fall, the tracks went back the other way.

The small Inner Banks town of Plymouth, NC (located on the way to the Outer Banks) has a Black Bear Festival every June. In June the farmers harvest the winter wheat and the bears come out to forage. Bears also like acorns, frogs, fruit, fish, peanuts, seeds and even small mammals. I love that this bear is so trendy eating the dandelions!

This Black Bear is so trendy in his diet of dandelions

Have you seen a bear? If you want to see one, then be sure to pop in at the North Carolina Black Bear Festival in Plymouth, NC, June 5 & 6, 2026.

There will be skydiving bears, biplane rides, pontoon boat rides, Bandits flight formation team, classic air show and more.

Information for the festival tours can be found on the festival website.

The festival promises “relentless food” and great music – something for everyone. Don’t wait too late to book your place and pontoon rides and flight rides!

Hover over Photo to PIN FOR LATER

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

North Carolina Black Bear Festival
Plymouth, NC
June 5 & 6, 2026
Telephone: 252-799-9099
Washington County Travel & Tourism

DISTANCES:

20 miles east of BIG MILL B&B Extended Stay
124 miles east of Raleigh, NC
94 miles south of Norfolk, VA
48 miles east of Greenville, NC

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay
Williamston, NC 27892
Telephone: 252-799-8787

Berry Pickin’ Time – You Pick

Chloe Tuttle — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:30:28 +0000

Strawberry Picking Time

Strawberry picking is a spring tradition in eastern North Carolina. Guests at Big Mill B&B Extended Stay have several great options nearby. For pick-your-own strawberries, visit Griffin’s Farm Market on US 17 in Washington, NC – about 15 miles south of Big Mill – or SouthSide Farms in Chocowinity, roughly 25 miles away.

If you prefer fresh, already picked berries, Ross Farms, 1536 Garrett Road , Williamston, NC, is just 3 miles from Big Mill and offers beautiful, ready to enjoy strawberries.

Discover the best strawberry You-Pick experience while you are here. Pick, weigh, and take home gallons of ripe berries. Then the fun begins? Will it be Strawberry Jam or Strawberry Bread or maybe a great smoothie?

Every year, I try to make sure each of my guests gets a taste of fresh North Carolina strawberries – they’re one of the sweetest parts of spring here on the farm. Strawberry picking is a beloved spring tradition and I, as innkeeper, feel obliged to make sure everyone tastes fresh NC Strawberries.

Folks say berries from different fields have different flavors, and I believe them.

I love making strawberry jam for our Big Mill B&B guests. Don’t think I’m bragging, but my jam is an award-winning Strawberry Jam! It won best-of-show at our Farm Heritage Fair. And it surely does taste good.

When I was growing up, we would pick the berries, make jam and, on the very same night we ate homemade biscuits with jam and homemade butter. My biscuits aren’t nearly as good as my mother’s were, so I have to buy the frozen ones, but they’re still good.

Growing your own food and buying local is more than a trend in eastern North Carolina – it’s a way of life, and a good one. All around us you’ll find farmer’s markets, roadside vegetable stands, and local folks selling fresh produce straight from their fields. We even have vendors who sell collards right out of the back of a pickup truck. Supporting them keeps our community strong.

Plan to Visit:

Griffin Farms in Washington, NC 252-721-8277
Southside Farms in Chocowinity, NC 252-946-2487
or if you want the berries picked for you, then try Ross Farms in Williamston, NC 252-792-8829 or J&J Farms in Jamesville, NC 252-799-8110

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