All across North Carolina there are some hidden art gems on the walls of old post office buildings.

Post office mural of First Flight in Williamston, NC

Here in eastern North Carolina, in this small town of Williamston, we have a real art jewel.  The First Flight mural was painted in 1940 on the wall of the post office on Main Street, and it is still there for all of us to see.

The artist was Phillip Von Saltza. He entered a contest with 1, 475 other entrants and won the commission.  He was paid $725 to paint this oil-on-canvas mural. That was a sizable sum during the Depression. Read more about WPA Post Office murals

I grow blueberries and blackberries here on the farm and I love to use them any way I can.

Easy Blueberry Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Spread  I remember picking wild blueberries when I was a child; we called them huckleberries. If you are lucky enough to find these they work great in this bread. They just seem to have more taste!

Print Recipe

Homemade Blueberry Bread with Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread

Fresh blueberries are wonderful in this quick bread. It freezes well.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blackberry cream cheese spread, blueberry bread, blueberry bread recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 588kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup corn or vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh mashed blueberries (about 4 ounces whole blueberries)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons blueberry or seedless blackberry jam
• 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut plus 1 Tablespoon for sprinkling on top of loaves
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

To Make the Blueberry or Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread:

• 4 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons blueberry or seedless blackberry jam

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two mini bread pans using cooking spray with flour like Baker’s Secret.
• Whisk egg in large mixing bowl. Stir in oil and sugar.
• Wash blueberries and drain. Mash and chop the berries until some juice is released. Some of the blueberries will still be whole and this is just fine. You need ½ cup mashed berries. Add blueberries to the oil egg and oil.
• Stir in the jam and coconut.
• In medium-size mixing bowl stir together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Add the dry mixture to the blueberry mixture.
• Pour into loaf pans, filling about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the tops with the reserved coconut – the SECRET ingredient
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned or until a straw inserted into the center comes out clean. With moist breads like this Blueberry Bread, it is difficult to know when they are done. The straw or small knife inserted into the bread technique is the best way to know. You can’t just go by the time. Be careful you don’t overcook.
• 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. The recipe can be doubled.

TO MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE SPREAD:

• Add the softened cream cheese and 2 Tablespoons of Blackberry Jam. Stir until totally mixed. Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

* Note: I often use half blueberries and half blackberries for this bread. If you are using frozen berries, drain off some of the liquid.

Yield: 2 small mini loaves and ½ cup blackberry spread

Nutrition

Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 790IU | Vitamin C: 3.3mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1mg

Read more about Chloe’s Blueberry bread

Bodie Island Lighthouse – a Beacon for Seamen since 1848

Picture perfect Bodie Island Lighthouse, NC Outer Banks

Bodie Island Lighthouse was constructed in 1848 on North Carolina’s Outer Banks near Oregon Inlet – but it had to be abandoned in 1859 because the foundation was shifting.

And for those who don’t know – it is pronounced body, like all the bodies that wash up on the shore. That really is an old yarn, but folks still tell it. Read more about Bodie Island Lighthouse

I love old hardware and farm stores but they are fast-disappearing lost treasures 

Martin Supply has been in Williamston, NC for as long as I can remember. It is one of those old-time feed stores that’s disappearing all across the U.S.A.

When you walk in the front door you know you have entered a time past. One of the first things you see is all the camouflage and hunting gear.  There are rifles, shotguns, hunting bows, deer stands and things I just don’t know what they are.  The ammo is behind the counter. You can still buy long underwear with the back flap that drops down. Read more about Martin Supply Old time store

Canning Jam for Dummies – Step-by-Step How To Make Strawberry Jam

How to make strawberry jam – start to finish: Of course, fresh berries are better for the jam, but you can use frozen berries.

Tasty Strawberry Jam Recipe is delicious!

Spring is berry pickin’ time, so get ready to make Strawberry Jam.

My father taught me how to raise a garden and how to cultivate an orchard; my mother taught me how to can this home-grown produce and to make jam. [continue reading…]

For Civil War buffs, April belongs to Plymouth, a small town on the Roanoke River in eastern North Carolina.

On April 18 & 19, you can be a part of Living History in Motion “Odyssey of an Ironclad – The Incredible Journey of the CSS Albemarle.” This 2-day trip on the Roanoke River retraces the route taken by the Ram Albemarle Ironclad Confederate warship from Scotland Neck, NC to Plymouth, NC. I have some fascinating facts to share with you too. Keep reading … [continue reading…]

Did you know that Grits are made from corn? And stone ground grits are the best.

Atkinson Milling Company in Selma, NC produces some of the best grits.  I’ve tried many kinds and theirs are the best.

I was looking for local stone-ground North Carolina grits to serve at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast and I found them at Atkinson Mill in Selma, NC.  Joseph Wheeler,  whose grandfather owns the mill, gave us the grand tour of this fascinating and quite extensive mill.  You could just tell that Joseph loves this business and he loves the mill and its history.

Wandering around in the mill there is a yellowish haze everywhere. We had corn dust all over us!  [continue reading…]

Lynda Oden and her family have been running Oden’s Store since 1904

Oden’s Store and Antiques is chock full of treasures: depression glass, old tools, furniture from the turn of the last century, old doors, some junk, but all of it is interesting. It is the kind of place where you have to poke around in all the corners; if you don’t, you might miss something. If you are lucky, some of Lynda’s buddies will be there around the pot-bellied stove talking in that wonderful down-east brogue. [continue reading…]

Pull Candy Recipe – Old Time Stewed Sugar 

Old Fashioned Pull Candy is still the best!

My mother called this wonderful confection pull candy or stewed sugar. Some folks call it taffy. When she described a child’s pretty blond hair she would say it was the color of stewed sugar — a gorgeous translucent white color with a faint golden tint.

Making this recipe during the holidays or in the New Year seems appropriate for me – it brings back memories of winter on the farm in the kitchen with my mother who was also named Chloe. She told me that when she was growing up, folks in the neighborhood would have a Candy Pulling party and they had so much fun. Click to read more about Pull Candy