Local Attractions

In spring we celebrate the beautiful Sage plant. Bertie County and the surrounding counties in eastern North Carolina grow 15,000 acres of Clary Sage. This sage is in the Salvia family; I remember my mother calling the red salvia that is so popular “scarlet sage.” Clary Sage is a beautiful plant that grows upright and… Click to learn more about growning and using Clary Sage

The mighty Roanoke River is heaven for the Rock Fish Fisherman Check for dates for when the Roanoke River basin is open for Rock Fish fishing or Stripers with some rules, of course. The minimum limit is 18 inches and only one river bass above 27 inches can be kept, in the creel, as they… Click to get Rock Fish Stew Recipe

The Message of Easter – a free outdoor drama near Williamston, NC 2024 is the 45th year that the folks of Piney Grove Baptist Church in the Farm Life Community near Williamston, NC, have been performing  this 90-minute outdoor drama of the life and death of Jesus Christ. We love outdoor dramas here in North Carolina. … Click to read about the Message of Easter Outdoor Drama in easatern NC

You can smell the vinegar & red pepper before you enter the door of the Skylight Inn in Ayden, North Carolina Since 1947, Pete Jones and family have been serving this tasty eastern North Carolina style barbecue (always pork) to locals and folks who are willing to travel long distances. They cook whole hogs, over… Read more

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

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… Read more

Martin Supply in eastern North Carolina is just as it has always been. And they buy and sell pecans. Farmsteads throughout the south have pecan groves. And all the southern cooks like Paula Deen have great pecan recipes, and Bourbon Pecan Pie is on everyone’s list.  Every year a company from Georgia comes to Martin Supply… Read more

Cracklins:  Pork fat and skins that are deep fried in rendered lard until they are crunchy. (From the Eastern North Carolina lingo dictionary) Cooking Up Cracklins Cracklins used to be common fare on southern tables. Sometimes you have to go back to your roots and eat the food of your heritage. My folks and the neighboring… Read more

It’s berry picking time in Eastern North Carolina …and all the Big Mill Bed & Breakfast guests can be certain they will feast on “just picked” strawberries in the months of April, May and June. We have two U-Pick Strawberry fields here in Martin County and our local produce is the best. Folks say berries from… Read more