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. 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… Read more
In the Garden
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… Read more
Ah, figs … a wonderful way to welcome Indian Summer to the South. There was a time when everyone’s grandmother had a fig tree at the home place. I am lucky to live and work at Big Mill B&B – it is my home place. We have the old orchard, but the fig trees are… Read more
Our hummingbirds arrive at Big Mill B&B sometime around Easter – and it is with a flourish and a big show, chattering and demanding food. And since we are a designated Bird and Breakfast Bird-Friendly Business, we willingly obliged. Guy’s outstanding photo, taken here at Big Mill B&B, earned him 1st place in the 2010 Beaufort County Arts… Read more
Did you know that bees are responsible for every third bite of food that we eat? Bees are fascinating little creatures and they are in trouble. The Great Sunflower Project was begun in 2008 by the biology department at San Francisco State University to study the wild bee population. In 2009, lots of us were… Read more
Oh, there is absolutely nothing quite so tasty as that first homegrown tomato… … and a tomato sandwich is even better! There are many versions of this classic sandwich, but the down-home plain and simple sandwich made with white bread and Duke’s mayonnaise is the award winner. Chloe's Farmhouse Tomato Sandwich Oh, there is absolutely nothing quite so… Read more
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… Read more
There is a difference between a sweet potato and a yam. They aren’t even related yet sweet potatoes are often mistakenly referred to as yams. Sweet potatoes are actually the root of a morning glory vine. A yam is the tuber of a vine grown in Central and South America. Yams are quite toxic if eaten raw… Read more
Growing up on the farm in North Carolina, we loved picking berries right off the bushes. We picked blueberries that we called huckleberries or blackberries that we called briar-berries. I only grew up in the summer – there are no fun stories about winter. My nephew Barney and I would get on our bicycles and… click to get Innkeeper Chloe Tuttle’s Southern Blueberry jam Recipe
To me, summers at Big Mill are about the night. The air is soft. Sitting in a wicker swing, for a few moments all is quiet. Then the sounds come. Bullfrogs show off with their throaty noises and then you can hear kaplop as they swim away. I am always amazed to see how big… Read more
