Lake Mattamuskeet and the Pocosin Lakes of eastern North Carolina come alive every winter as thousands of tundra swans and snow geese make the journey from the Alaska tundra to our Inner Banks. Both refuges are an easy day trip from Big Mill Bed and Breakfast.

Photo of Tundra Swans by Guy Livesay of Livesay Photography

Click to read more about the Birds of Lake Mattumuskeet and Pocosin Lakes in eastern NC

It snowed on the farm…so we made snow cream.

Snow Ice Cream made from fresh fallen snow

And when it snows in eastern North Carolina, we go all to pieces.  If the weather man predicts snow, we buy all the milk and white bread in every grocery store. Well, I buy heavy cream, popcorn and artichoke hearts. Then we hunker down and wait for the beautiful snow. We close schools and take photos of everything in sight. But one thing we do that is really unique — we make snow cream.

Click to get Snow Cream Recipe

It’s Christmas here at my favorite Bed and Breakfast in North Carolina … I am the resident fur person and that is my opinion.

You know I have been around a lot, being a cat and all that.  So when I picked Chloe’s B&B, it was after much thought and I love it here. I even really like Chloe.

That is except when she gives me a bath and when she makes me dress up and pose for a photo. I knew this was coming, but she sneaked up on me. Hope you like me in my Santa outfit. Harrumph.

She tried to get me to wear a beard, but I flatly refused. I am a lady — what was Chloe thinking?  Thankfully, it was only a Santa hat.

Life on the farm is always special, but at Christmas, it is magical. We never really finish decorating but we have such fun doing it. Chloe says I am a big help, Well, I try.

Below: Chloe made the wreath on the Pack House from our grapevine prunings.

Chloe and I both want to let all our friends and guests know how much we care about them. This has been a wonderful year here at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast and we have met the very best folks.  Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah, Seasons Greetings and we hope to see all of you soon.

and Happy New Year

  & Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

It’s magic — those tiny lights that twinkle in wine bottles at Big Mill Big Mill Bed & Breakfast

The idea is really simple: just drill a hole in a glass bottle and push the lights in. Guests here at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast ask me all the time, “How do you do it?”  Now is the perfect time to learn and these glowing wine bottles make great gifts.

Print Recipe

How to Make Wine Bottle Lights

Make these stunning wine bottle lamps - perfect for romantic lighting

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Instructions

• • Light green or blue wine bottle

  • 1/2-inch ceramic tile drill bit (each bit will drill 6-8 bottles)

  • Small piece of masking tape

  • Electric drill (battery ones just can't cut it)

  • 20-count tiny Christmas light set. You need the kind that has a plug on one end only, not the end-to-end kind. The best time to buy these is at Christmas, they are difficult to find otherwise.
  
• Place a small piece of masking tape on the back of the bottle about 3 inches up from the bottom. Start drilling; don't use too much pressure, the bottle might break. The tape is to keep the drill bit from jumping around when you first get started.

  Be VERY careful; this is a slow process and is not to be attempted by impatient folks.

  Drill until the bit goes all the way through the glass. There will be glass dust in the bottle so you will have to rinse this out. Allow bottle to dry.

  Push each light into the hole that you have just drilled. This can be tedious and is not for the fainthearted. After all 20 are inside you are finished. Voila, it is gorgeous and magic!

First you need an empty bottle; wine bottles are good because they are free. The best ones are light green, usually Chardonnay, or blue, usually Riesling, but not always. The dark green bottles used for red wines like Merlot just don’t illuminate well.

You can either drink the wine or beg your friends to give you their empties. I have been saving wine bottles for years and now I have quite a stash.

Some folks decorate the bottles with all kinds of sequins, glitter and bottle covers. I don’t add anything because I like to see the wine labels.

We have these pretty wine bottles everywhere here at Big Mill B&B.  Everyone loves them and the price is certainly right. Oops, forgot to tell you that the ceramic drill bits cost about $16 each.

What a fun way to recycle!
innkeeper at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

War wages every year on the first weekend in November as the Confederates attempt to defend Fort Branch against the Union Army.  Fort Branch is located in Hamilton, North Carolina — just about 12 miles from Big Mill Bed and Breakfast.

Yankee reenactor Mike Kerriker (below) gets his weapon ready for battle in the annual Civil War Battle Re-Enactment this weekend near Big Mill B&B.

Fort Branch sits high up on a cliff at a bend in the muddy, fast-moving Roanoke River near Hamilton, NC.

Click here to read more about the Battle of Ft. Branch

Tobacco stands tall in summer at Big Mill B&B

Summer nights bring back memories of childhood on the farm. You could heard the frogs, the crickets and you could smell the tobacco curing. It was a sweet, wonderful smell not at all like the smell associated with cigarette smoke.  I can still look out the window and see tobacco growing.

Beautiful, sticky tobacco blossoms in summer

You can too, if you visit Big Mill Bed and Breakfast or eastern North Carolina in spring, summer or fall. Tobacco is a beautiful, stately plant with sticky, pink flowers. Click to read more about growing tobacco then and now

In a June, 2000 USA Today article Jimmy Buffett names Ten of his  Favorite Watering Holes in the world. Two of these are in the Florida Keys: Louie’s Backyard Restaurant and Lounge in Key West and Alabama Jack’s in Key Largo. Speaking of Alabama Jack’s, Buffett commented that many of the characters looked like they crawled right out of the Everglades.

Alabama Jacks on a Sunday Afternoon

It is a favorite of bikers and Joy, who knows the owner Phyllis says of Alabama Jack’s, “Most of the bikers who show up at Alabama Jack’s are attorneys from Miami who ride their Harleys on Sundays and don’t drink alcohol, but they gather and eat superbly-cooked conch fritters and Key lime pie.”

Cloggers strut their stuff every Sunday at Alabama Jacks in Key Largo

And on Sundays you might be lucky and see cloggers on the dance floor. Betty clowned for us and gave us a clogging flip (left).

They advertise “Best Conch Fritters in the Keys.” The whole family can enjoy this Keys watering hole.

The Caribbean Club in Key Largo has a long and vivid history. In 1935 Carl Graham FIsher, famed Florida developer built the club as a “poor man’s retreat;” this was his last venture. (Below: The view from the bar of the Caribbean Club includes Patrick.)

Caribbean Club has been around for so many years

Publicity hype touts the Caribbean Club as being part of the 1947 movie “Key Largo” that starred Humphry Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Memorabilia of the film is still seen on the walls of this fun watering hole. Bogey (below) is joined by Patrick and Shane, the bartender.

Friend Patrick Pugsley never saw a stranger

A fire in 1955 changed the tenor of the club, but don’t fret-it is still up and running better than ever. (Below Chloe, Big Mill B&B Innkeeper, enjoys the views and characters at the Caribbean Club.)

Caribbean Club has typical Keysy Decor

Built in 1937 just after the devastating hurricane of 1935, Papa Joe’s Bar and Marina has been around a long time. The bar seems to come and go but hopefully it can make it. This is a great place to catch a sunset. (2013 update: Papa Joe’s is gone, a victim of hurricanes and trends.)

And for real Keys characters you can’t miss the Paradise Pub in Key Largo. Great food and open late at night.

Yep, that is Chloe the Innkeeper (below) shooting a game of Eight Ball at the Paradise Pub, a real Shark in Paradise.

Paradise Pub is an upper Keys hangout

“Frankly, Scallop, I don’t give a clam.” Great sign at the Mandalay in Key Largo. The Mandalay was once a favorite hangout of locals, who stopped by after work to grab a brew. It is totally gentrified now; nice, but you won’t see many Conchs here.

Mandalay in Key Largo is a bit gentrified these days. @BigMill | www.chloesblog.bigmill.com/keysy-bars-of-the-florida-keys-part-two

This Keys blog story is dedicated to some of my favorite Keys characters: George and Louise Scott and old Mr. Ed, who has seen his last sunset and has moved on to a better houseboat somewhere out there.

George & Louise like living in Paradise

George and Louise clean up so well that I had to search to find a Keys character photo of them. Mr. Ed was always in his Keys persona, no matter where he was. We miss him, cantankerous character that he was.

Thanks to Florida Keys historian Jerry Wilkinson for sharing his knowledge of these historic places, characters, bars and watering holes. His information about the colorful history of the Caribbean Club would be a great Chloe’s blog entry all on its own.

I take some time off from running Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, NC 252-792-8787 every October . I go to visit George and Louise and Joy in the Florida Keys. I know why they love it so much.

You can step right off your boat and sit at the tables with the cute umbrellas…the view of the Atlantic is breathtaking.  Once Ed and I ordered a glass of wine and it was so bad we dared not throw it overboard…that would be polluting and an environmentally serious Innkeeper couldn’t do that.  Luckily the wine list has improved.

Chloe with one of the Keys Characters Ed at Snake Creek, now called the Island Grill

Chloe in front of the No Name Pub

The standout winner for the Big Mill B&B award for the best Keysy Bar is No Name Pub in Big Pine Key. Decorated with thousands of old dollar bills, this is the real thing. It has been around since 1935 and it rather looks like it. Yes, that is a tree that fell on the building…don’t worry, it was still open for business.

“A nice place if you can find it.”

That is very true. Heading south you turn right in Big Pine Key and wander around for quite awhile in residential neighborhoods. Then just before you head over the bridge to No Name Key up pops the No Name Pub.

The first time that Joy, Patrick and I went to No Name Pub several of the chairs only had three legs. Patrick tried to drink all of the Killian’s Red so he didn’t care about the chairs. Now he is the designated driver. Funny what age does to us, eh?

 Chloe and Joy inside the No Name Pub

The Pizza is actually quite good. I hope this place with all its history will be here for a long time. Do NOT miss The No Name Pub-it is one of a kind. I am sure Jimmy Buffett approves.

It is obvious that there are just too many great watering holes in the Keys.

 Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787

(The Innkeeper has taken time away from eastern North Carolina to join dear friends Patrick and Joy at friends George and Louise’s house in the Florida Keys.)

Hurricanes bring out the spirit of hunkering down and staying put, so when Hurricane Hanna blew through eastern North Carolina, those of us here at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast hunkered down. After the wind stopped several of us wandered out to check out the damage.

In the orchard we found bushels of pears lying on the ground.

I really don’t like to waste anything, so I admitted that I knew how to make pear preserves. That was when Nurse Nancy, Paul and I decided to make Hurricane Hannah Pear Preserves…and pear butter…and pear brandy… and finally dehydrated pears. We trashed the kitchen but that was fun; and luckily we only lost electricity once.

We did have a rule for these pear projects — we had to use what we already had on hand-no trotting to the store for anything. And also trotting to the store during a hurricane is a bad idea.

Award-Winning Recipe — Our Big Mill Pear Preserves won a  Blue Ribbon at the Martin County Farm Heritage Fair. We belong to the North Carolina Agritourism Association as a Farm Homestead Bed and Breakfast lodging. Our jams and preserves are for sale here at the Inn.

Print Recipe

Pear Brandy Preserves

These Homemade Pear Preserves are a House Specialty at Big Mill Inn. 

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: American

Keyword: homemade preserves, pear brandy preserves, pear brandy preserves recipe, pear jam

Servings: 80 servings

Calories: 114kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 10-12 pounds hard canning pears like Kieffer  (this is about 16 cups of cut up pears)
• 8 cups sugar yes, these preserves are sweet
• 3 lemons
• 1/2 cup brandy We used Apricot Brandy because we had it.

Instructions

• Wash and sterilize the jars. This can be easily done in a dish washer.
• Wash, peel and core the pears. Cut into 2-ince pieces. As you peel the pears, place the cut pieces in a large pan filled with water and some Fruit Fresh, lemon or lime juice. This will prevent the fruit from discoloring.
• Wash the lemons. Slice into thin pieces, removing seeds. Discard/compost the end pieces.
• In a large cooking pot, layer the pears, lemon slices and sugar. Continue until all the pears, lemon and sugar are used. Allow to sit four hours. This will draw the juice out of the pears. There will be plenty of liquid without having to add water.
• Stir gently and bring to a slow boil. Lower heat and continue to boil gently for an hour. Add the brandy and cook 1-2 hours more or until the pears are tender and golden and translucent. If you overcook them they will be a dark color. They still taste good, they just aren't as pretty.
• Using a slotted spoon, ladle the pears and a lemon slice into the jars. Fill with pear syrup. You might have some syrup left over but this is good on ice cream or pancakes.
• Process according to the canning instructions.

Notes

Yield: 8-10 half pints

Nutrition

Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 4.6mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.1mg

* Kieffer Pears are heirloom pears that are often seen in old, country orchards and thriving on abandoned homesteads in the south. They are grainy and hard and they ripen in September in Coastal North Carolina.

My father planted my Kieffer pear tree for me in 1971 and it survives with very little attention. Every year it breaks its limbs with an over abundance of fruit. This old variety of pear has stood the test of time.

  Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787