Molasses — that dark, sweet liquid that tastes so good on a hot biscuit — was once a staple on every farm in eastern North Carolina

Melvin Price and Lucy making molasses

My dad’s family made molasses and to him molasses on a sweet potato was a meal. He told me all about how they grew the cane and made the molasses. I can almost see it.

Melvin Price and his brother William Earl still make molasses like my dad did. It is magic.  Melvin pushes the stalks between two rollers and it is mashed until the liquid comes out into a pail.

Mind you, he can’t do it without Lucy, his mule. While Melvin is pushing the cane into the extractor, Lucy is walking in a circle around Melvin. She is actually the power behind this mechanism. Every once in awhile Lucy stops to chew on some of the cane – it is so good!  Then Melvin will cluck and Lucy starts up again.

Lucy the Mule

Each time Lucy and the pole come by, Melvin ducks – it’s just the natural thing to do.

When Melvin and Lucy get a bucket of the sweet juice, William Earl pours it into a big container with a fire under it. This cooks off some of the water.

He opens a faucet and allows a certain amount of this steamy liquid to pour into a flat copper cooking pan with divisions in it and he stirs and stirs and stirs. This whole process takes about 8 hours. When it is thick and syrupy, the golden nectar is ready.

William Earl stirs his Molasses

Melvin and William Earl got about 15 gallons this day – it took all day. Molasses recipes are coming, I promise.

PS – Big thanks to North Carolina’s own, Molasses Creek, for providing the soundtrack to the video. The song’s called “Still Love Fridays.” They are a wonderful band!

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

It’s late summer and figs are ripe… so gorgeous and
luscious, they hardly look real. Each one is a work of art.

After I take many photos of these just-picked figs, I make Chloe’s Fig Preserves.

One of my favorite ways to eat these preserves is with warm, creamy brie. This dish makes a great presentation, it is fast and easy – guaranteed to be a hit at the party.

Print Recipe

Creamy Brie with Fig Preserves

It’s late summer and figs are ripe… so gorgeous and luscious, they hardly look real. Each one is a work of art.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creamy brie with fig preserves, creamy brie with fig preserves recipe

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 1 wedge of Brie cheese about 16 ounces
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds optional
• 1/2 pint warm fig preserves 1 cup
• 1 box 4 & 1/2 ounces Carr’s Table Water Crackers or similar plain crackers

Instructions

• Unwrap Brie and let stand at room temperature for several hours before serving; place in a warm spot so that cheese will be soft.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread slivered almonds on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often. Remove from oven, cool and reserve.
• To serve, place Brie on a serving plate and pour preserves over the cheese. Preserves will run over the sides and onto the serving dish. Sprinkle toasted almonds on top and serve with plain water crackers like Carr’s.

Nutrition

Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 96mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

In summer, folks flock to farmer’s markets to get all those fresh fruits and vegetables. In small towns we grow our own and go to roadside stands.

My favorite Watermelon will sell only Melons from Rock Hock

And in very small towns, we count on the farmer who sits by the road in the back of his pickup truck loaded with things from his large garden – and if we are very lucky, there are watermelons from Rocky Hock.

Melons grown in Rock Hock, NC are just the BEST

Folks around here want watermelons from Rocky Hock, NC, an area near the Albemarle Sound, where we say the watermelons and cantaloupes just taste better. By the way, the Albemarle Sound area also produced author Inglis Fletcher.

So — if you see a man sitting in the parking lot of the ABC store or even the Piggly Wiggly parking lot – stop and buy something from him. They move around, and I have to go from parking lot to parking lot to find them. But it is worth it !

For Big Mill B&B, I buy three watermelons every time I see a watermelon truck. We serve our guests watermelon, we eat watermelon and we make Watermelon Punch. What are some of your favorite things to do with watermelon?

Bon appetite from Innkeeper at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

Just settle into the hammock or in a swing on the farm at Big Mill and wait …. but not for very long.

Yes, you’ll have to wind down and be still and quiet – but you will be well-rewarded. Soon, right before your eyes, the birds start singing and hop out of their hiding places, finding bugs and seeds for dinner.

It is magic.

Big Mill B&B is a bird lover’s paradise and a photographer’s dream. A few days ago I set up my video camera, nodded to the hummingbirds and then sat back and watched as they performed just for me. Thanks to the internet, you have a birds-eye view too. Be sure to turn up your speakers — you can actually hear the hummers’ wings flapping!

At one point, there are so many birds flying in and out of the frame, it’s hard to keep count!  Here’s a fun challenge – in the comments below — tell me the highest number of birds you can spot in a single frame?  <Hint: Not just hummers!>

Want hummers in your yard? Get a feeder. I really like these Best 1 Hummingbird Feeders – I’ve used mine for years. Then make up a sugar syrup Hummingbird Nectar Recipe and have fun.

Here’s the edited version of the hummingbirds (about 3 /2 minutes long)

And here’s the Extended Play version, perfect for a 10-minute retreat

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

Vollis Simpson, called the
Junkyard Poet of Whirligigs and Windmills
by the New York Times

Volis Simpson at Work in his Shop

Vollis Simpson is a craftsman of brightly painted metal art –
giant creations he calls windmills and we call whirligigs.

Driving through eastern North Carolina looking for Lucama and Vollis Simpson’s Whirligig Farm, you begin to wonder if you are lost. And then around the corner, there they are – colorful, folksy whirligigs erected atop tall poles, all spinning and creaking and shining in the sun. With reflector tape on the spinning blades, they shine in the moonlight too.

I met Mr. Simpson last summer. He was working in his shop – I was kinda hanging around and he invited me in. His workshop is stuffed … really stuffed with his metal creations, all made from objects he has collected. I saw a slight grin when he told me about the 85- foot whirligig he made for the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore; I think he used a toaster in that one.

One of Volis Simpson’s Folk Art Pieces Taken Near his Shop

Just this week we had fun mom and daughter guests Anna and Kate, who drove all the way from Philadelphia to see Vollis Simpson’s art work and to stay at Big Mill B&B.  Kate wants one of his creations and I bet she gets one.

This is American Folk Art, sometimes called Outsider Art. Whatever the name, it is worth a trip to the small eastern North Carolina community of Lucama.  But go now, you might be able to sit and talk to Vollis Simpson, still working at 92.

And buy something. I did and my wonderful helicopter whirligig loves living on the farm at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast.

Helicopter Whirligig in Volis Simpson’s Shop

Try to go on a windy day or a windy night with a full moon.

Update: the city of Wilson, NC, has purchased Mr. Simpson’s whirligig collection and they are now in the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park that will open November, 2013. The General Assembly of North Carolina voted in June of 2013 to honor Mr. Simpson and to make the Whirligig the North Carolina’s folk art symbol.

Sadly, Vollis Simpson died on June 1, 2013 at the age of 94. I am so glad I met this fascinating man.

‘hope you will stay with us at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, NC, while you visit the Whirligig Park

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

Everywhere you look, it’s planting time in eastern North Carolina

Nephew Monk Gurkin above in 1959. Monk and Aunt Chloe (that’s me) had our own garden that year. We raised tomatoes to sell to local restaurants – and for our tomato sandwiches. Note the hog pen in back.

Seems we all dig in the dirt – some of us in our gardens, some in patio gardens and some in the fields with those big tractors.

The field outside my kitchen window was planted this week with tobacco.  Brother John used to oversee the farm; now Monk has that job.

I have a great raised bed cook’s garden right on top of where chitterlings were cleaned when we had hog killings on the farm. For my flower garden, guests Bentley and Betty Ann Mohorn brought me some new Evening Primroses, so if you’re here in June, you can join our nightly “Flower Party” as we watch each primrose open.

One of my guests took thisdelightful video of the yellow evening primroses last year. But don’t blink during the first few seconds or you’ll miss a magical moment!  It’s only a couple minutes long, but listen to all the sounds Mother Nature packed in there. More videos of this year’s blossoms are a promise!

Every plant has a perfect planting time – this year I am following the almanac and the moon phases. It works! I found this list of “when to plant” that my dad “Ops” wrote years ago. I love it. But it won’t work every year, because the moon is different …. really.

Monk again watering. (See our bird dog, Don, in the background)

In early spring, my dad would get Mary the mule and plow our gardens. Mary lived for forty years in what is now the “Mule Room,” our long-term rental here at Big Mill. We had two gardens, an early one for potatoes and early crops, and another for our summer garden. Mother canned everything from the garden and she taught me how.

So now I am anxiously watching my blueberries and blackberries so I can be ready. Guests love the jams that I make. Search the recipes on Chloe’s Blog and the recipe page on www.BigMill.com for jam and jelly recipes. Here’s the recipe for my blueberry jam – Soooo good!

It’s a FUN time to be on the farm!

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

The North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission has issued a challenge to Bloggers who blog about food – create an original sweet potato recipe. First thing I had to do was learn how to spell “potato.” … amazes me that it has no “e.”

My dad grew lots of sweet potatoes here on the farm at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast. My brother John told me that some years the Sweet Potato House would be full, so they had to store them in other buildings – like tobacco barns and buildings. That was the year they raised 5,000 bushels of sweet potatoes. They liked special varieties – Hayman, Puerto Rica and Georgia Red. No one here dared raise Jewel potatoes…they just weren’t as good.

When my mother baked a cookie sheet full of sweet potatoes, they were so sweet that the juice crystallized on the pan. She never made sweet potato soup, but I know she would have liked it.

Chloe’s Gourmet Sweet Potato Soup is creamy without any cream. Good for all those lactose intolerant folks. And – no flour thickeners, so it is gluten free. This is a delicate soup that is a good accompaniment to any meal.  It is a real show-stopper.

Print Recipe

Chloe’s Gourmet Sweet Potato Soup

For the two-color soup, make two batches. This is a beautiful soup, and you will love the variations in the sweet potato soups.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sweet potato soup, sweet potato soup recipe, two color sweet potato soup

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 252kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons canola or corn oil divided
• 2 cups  leek sliced, white parts only, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds red sweet potatoes about three medium-sized or two large potatoes. Buy the darkest red sweet potatoes available.
• 1 1/2 pounds light-colored sweet potatoes like Hayman Japanese, Murasakior O'Henry (about three medium-sized or two large potatoes)
• 1 cup water divided
• 4 cans 14½ ounce good quality vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons orange zest divided

You will also need for garnish:

• Sprigs of fresh chives
• Edible flowers like pansies, nasturtiums, violets, Johnny-Jump-Ups

Instructions

To make the red sweet potato soup:

• In a medium sized fry pan, heat 2 Tablespoons canola oil. Add ½ cup sliced leeks. Sauté the leeks on medium heat until tender, stirring often. Do not let the leeks brown. Remove from heat.
• Wash and peel the red sweet potatoes and cut into large chunks. Add the red sweet potatoes to the pan with the leeks. Add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 can of vegetable broth. Cover and cook on medium heat until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Repeat this procedure with the light-colored sweet potatoes.

• Working in batches of different colors, add the sweet potato and leek mixture to a blender. Add remaining half can of vegetable broth and 1 teaspoon orange zest. Pulse gently to make a puree. Add more vegetable broth as needed to achieve the consistency of thin pancake batter. Optional - For a perfectly smooth soup, run the soup through a kitchen sieve.
• Using two medium-sized saucepans, heat soups, using low heat and stirring often. Add more broth as needed. Gently pour about 1/2 cup of the red sweet potato soup into a wide, flat soup bowl, allowing soup to settle. Gently pour 1/2 cup of the light colored soup into the other side of the soup bowl. Repeat for each serving of soup.
• Garnish with a chive sprig and an edible flower.
• This soup can be made ahead of time. Heat each batch separately before serving. You may have to add more vegetable broth or water because the soup tends to thicken as it cools.
• Serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 797mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 29395IU | Vitamin C: 26.5mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Bon appetite!
Big Mil Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

Oh, so sad for Windsor and Eastern North Carolina – Bunn’s is closed as of July 28, 2023

Driving up, you might wonder if this really is a restaurant.  There’s a Texaco pump out front – that’s because before 1938, Bunn’s was a service station. Inside, old signs hang on the walls, but the minute you enter, that wonderful aroma of vinegar, pork and red pepper greets you. You are in the right place.

A few years back, several of my friends sashayed up to the food bar and asked for a menu; they were told, “Don’t have one.”  When asked what they served the waitress — very matter-of-fact — responded, “Barbecue on a bun, barbecue on a plate.”

A menu is on the wall and they certainly have added some good eastern North Carolina  foods. You can get hot dogs, Brunswick stew and barbecue any day, and sweet tea, of course.  On Tuesdays, they serve barbecue chicken; on Thursday, the house special is chicken and pastry.

My favorite food at Bunn’s – the Cornbread Sandwich. That’s a barbecue and slaw sandwich served between two pieces of corn bread.

Open since 1938, this Windsor, North Carolina landmark is a place you just don’t want to miss. The Russell family has owned Bunn’s since 1969. High water has flooded Bunn’s seven times since 1999, twice with six feet of water.

Jan and Michael Stern, who wrote Road Food for Gourmet magazine and are now on NPR’s Splendid Table, with a Road Food column added it to their list of great Mom and Pop restaurants in the USA. I agree.

For great pork barbecue in eastern North Carolina,
Bunn’s Barbecue in Windsor has to be on your short list.

I am on a mission to photograph every Mom and Pop “Road Food” restaurant in eastern North Carolina. Do you have any suggestions?

Bunn’s Barbecue 127 N. King St. , Windsor, NC 27983, tel. 252-794-2274. (Bunn’s is just 17 miles from Big Mill Bed & Breakfast).

Distances From:
Raleigh, NC 115
Norfolk, VA
Greenville, NC 45 miles
Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 14 miles (In Williamston, NC) 252-792-8787

(all photos by Chloe Tuttle of Big Mill Bed & Breakfast)

View Bunn’s Barbecue in a larger map

Big Mill B&B has been chosen Inn of the Year by North Carolina Bed & Breakfast and Inns.  We are waving flags and tooting horns. This is a great honor – we are thrilled.

At the celebration dinner at King’s Daughter Inn our outgoing president Frank Salvo of White Gate Inn (in Asheville), standing in for Ms. Paula Deen, presented the Inn of the Year award to Chloe Tuttle, innkeeper and owner of Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, NC.

The President’s Award went to Rachel Reid of Andon-Reid Inn (in Waynesville, NC).  It’s pretty obvious — we had a good time at the festivities.

North Carolina Bed & Breakfast & Inns is a great organization and it just celebrated its 25th anniversary. If you see the NCBBI logo beside an inn’s name, you know this inn has been inspected and is held to the highest standards. Big Mill Bed and Breakfast is proud to belong to this wonderful group.

Photos by Chloe Tuttle of Big Mill B&B 252-792-8787