I love growing okra – it reminds me of late summer on the farm

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.

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Okra, Corn and Tomatoes – A Southern Recipe

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 of fresh mature corn
• • 1 teaspoon sea salt or regular salt
• • Pepper if desired
• • ½ 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.
• 
  Yield: 7-8 one-cup servings

Click to read more about this Southern Recipe …

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 May 31 and June 1, 2024

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

Increasingly, we are beginning to see bears here in eastern North Carolina. They are mostly in the mountains and 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. 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.”

Click to read more about Black Bears and the Black Bear Festival in eastern NC

When I was growing up we had mules: Big Red, Little Red, Rock, Kit and Mary. There were other mules before my time, but I don’t remember their names.

The living room in the Mule Room Suite has great views of the lakes

We have spiffed up our mule Mary’s quarters and we call her home the Mule Room Suite. Much discussion went into what to call it. A good friend wanted me to call it a shed, but on this farm sheds only have 3 sides. Click to read more about the Mule Room — past and present …

The Hen and The Hog Restaurant in Halifax, NC, is a wonderful surprise.

I love to explore local gems and this one is perfect. The restaurant is located in an old hardware store and the old floors remain – no trendy marble tiles here. But don’t be fooled – this is an upscale place; it just retains its local character. Read more about Hen & Hog

Hot, Spicy Apple Cider Warms the Heart

A great way to welcome fall and the chill in the air is to make up some hot, spicy cider. If you live where apples are grown, then you can use fresh-pressed cider.

The rest of us can pick up some great cider in the store and create our own brewing spices. North Carolina apples are the best – I see a road trip coming!  Click to read more about Chloe’s Mulled Apple Cider recipe!

The most easterly Barn Quilt on North Carolina’s Quilt Trail is on the Pack House barn at Big Mill B&B in Williamston, NC. I just love it!

Barn Quilt in eastern NC at Big Mill B&B in Williamston

I used to go to Quilting Bees with my mother when I was a child. I would play under the quilt all by myself. There were no other children.

The ladies made such beautiful works of art. Mother would sew the pieces of fabric together and let me help. When it was all pieced together, we put it in the frame along with the backing and the batting. Then Mother’s friends would come for several days until the quilt was quilted. My father used to make cotton and wool batts for his mother to quilt. I wish I had gotten him to show me how.

In 1976, everyone had caught Bicentennial Fever and felt patriotic so Mother (also named Chloe) made a quilt of red, white and blue. Click to read more about Barn Quilts and Miss Chloe’s LaMoyne Star …

Figs are so special – they are a real delicacy. 

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Fig Jam with Less Sugar

Fig Jam is oh so southern and such a treat!  This fig jam recipe actually uses less sugar than you’ll typically find, so that is good for every body.

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fig jam with less sugar, lower sugar fig jam, lower sugar fig jam recipe

Servings: 42 servings

Calories: 121kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 pounds ripe figs* 4 cups prepared figs
• 5 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 lemon
• Zest from one lemon
• 1 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 pouch liquid pectin 1 ½ ounces use Certo NOT Ball)

Instructions

• Sterilize the jars - you can do this in a dishwasher. Place jar lids in a metal bowl or pot and pour boiling water over them. Set aside.
• Start heating the water in the canner.
• Wash and drain the figs, handling very carefully. Remove the stem end from each fig and cut them in half. Mash the figs- I use a potato masher. You will need 4 cups of mashed figs.
• Measure 6 cups of sugar into a large mixing bowl. Wash the lemons and grate the peel from two of the lemons. You need about 2 Tablespoons of zest.
• Squeeze the lemons to get a ¼ cup juice. Remove any lemon seeds.
• Check the expiration date on the pectin, making sure that it is not out of date.
• Place figs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter in a large stainless steel cooking pot. Stir to combine the ingredients.
• Bring this mixture to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring often.
• Add the liquid pectin and return to a boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring often. I count, "one-one thousand, two-one thousand" until I reach sixty. Then remove from heat.
• Ladle the jam into sterilized jars, wipe the tops to remove any jam. Place sterilized lids on the jars. Screw on the jar bands and hand tighten.
• Process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. Remove from the canner and place in a draft-free space. Do not move for 24 hours. Some of the jars will have sealed but others will continue to pop. I love that sound! If you see that a jar is not sealed, store this one in the refrigerator and eat it first.
• After you eat the preserves, be sure to save the jars and rings, they can be reused. The flat lids can only be used once to seal a jar.

Notes

Yield: 6-7 half-pint jars plus some for tasting.

* You will have to buy the figs at a farmer's market, grow them or if you are lucky a friend will share. I have never seen figs that were affordable in the grocery store. The last ones I saw in a Florida grocery store were $5 for just a few figs. Plant a tree!

Nutrition

Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Click to get the Recipe for my Fig Jam with Less Sugar and some great photos too …

Refreshing Summer Punch is Perfect for Those Lazy Summer Days 

Ah, the Halcyon days of summer come to an end each year and that saddens me. When the green leaves turn to gold and then fall away, you can hear the whine of the train and the lonesome whippoorwill. There are fewer whippoorwills than in my youth; that too is sad. That really is a country song.

So on these last balmy nights of summer, grab a cool glass of Summer Punch, hang out in the hammock and listen to the sounds of the changing season. You can hear the quiet except for the cicadas.

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Summer Citrus Punch

This refreshing punch is perfect for those hot summer days.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Course: beverage

Cuisine: American southern

Keyword: apricot punch, citrus punch, pineapple punch, summer punch

Servings: 24

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 1 quart fresh tea unsweetened
• 1 46-ounce can pineapple juice, unsweetened
• 1/2 gallon orange juice
• 1 can 11.3 ounces apricot nectar often found in the Hispanic section of the grocery store
• 1 liter ginger ale
• 1 lemon sliced
• 1 orange sliced
• 1 ice ring optional
• mint sprigs

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients and chill.  For parties, I make an ice ring of ginger ale to keep the punch chilled. Float lemon and orange slices in the bowl. Serve with mint sprigs.

This was one of the first recipes I ever published. I wanted to make this great punch and when I looked at the article I realized that it needed a bit of updating. The Punch is as good as ever and I will make more!

Big Mill Bed and Breakfast 252-792-8787

Bill’s Hot Dogs in Washington, NC is an institution

Bill’s Hot Dogs in Little Washington, NC

It doesn’t matter if you like hot dogs or not — you just have to eat a Bill’s hot dog if you are in Washington, North Carolina. Bill’s has been open as a hot dog “stand” since 1928 and it hasn’t changed much; not that I can see.

Located on Gladden Street in “Little” Washington, NC, it is just a short distance from the Pamlico River. Bill’s is an institution for most everyone who has ever lived in Washington or eastern North Carolina. For the locals, this is Road Food at its best. Click to read More about Bill’s Hot Dogs in Washington, NC