October is cotton-picking time in eastern North Carolina Some things change, but fall is still harvest time on the farm. I woke up today, and the big tractor was outside my window picking cotton. In the fall after the cotton is picked, rye or wheat is sown in the field. In the spring, the rye… Read more about growing cotton
On the Farm
These honey roasted pecans are crispy, sweet, and a bit salty – perfect for snacking and parties. And this recipe is so easy! 3 cups pecans (whole, shelled )3 tbs honey1/2 teaspoon salt (Plus more) Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet. Set oven to 250°F. Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.Toast pecans… Read more
My faithful purple martins have left the farm. Where did you go? The silence is awful – their chatter was so soothing. Now they are gone. They have started their long journey south. They don’t head straight to South America. They “hole up” for several weeks in places just south of here like Mann’s… Click to follow the Purple Martins
We try to keep up with all the tech changes – it keeps us busy. I was on the waiting list for Starlink for 15 months, so when they wrote and said, “Yea or Nay?” I said “YES!” So far, so good. For those of you asking, “What is Starlink?” it is Elon Musk’s Satellite… Click to see how fun the Starlink is on the Farm
All Good Southern Cooks Have a Sweet Pickle Relish Recipe We don’t buy the relish, we make it ourselves from old family recipes. Each family has its own recipe; some add peppers and onions. I like the simple one. Often we just chop up last year’s sweet cucumber pickles. Sweet Pickle Relish is a main… You just can’t make southern chicken salad without Sweet Pickle Relish. This recipe is the best!
Every farm and definitely every farm girl needs an old red truck. Somebody must agree because photos of old red trucks are everywhere – on fancy dishes, Christmas decorations, everywhere you look. One Christmas I parked my Old Red Truck in front of the Pack House and decorated it with a Christmas tree and wreath… Click here to see all olf Old Red Truck’s portraits
When you see that beautiful full moon in May – know that it is a Flower Moon. It occurs at the time in spring when flowers pop up everywhere. David Grann writes on page one in his book Killers of the Flower Moon, “In April, millions of tiny flowers spread over the blackjack hills and… click to read about the Flower Killing Moon in eastern North Carolina
Picking peanuts reminds me of growing up in eastern North Carolina. My nephew Barney and I loved to play hide-and-seek in the peanut fields. Back then, the peanuts were dug and stacked on poles to dry. There is a certain earthy smell that is everywhere. We loved to hide behind these stacks and to climb… Click to see video of Peanuts being Picked
Young, just-dug peanuts are called green peanuts. Here in the South, we boil these peanuts in the shell with a lot of salt. In late August or early September, you can find these green or boiled peanuts at farm stands and some grocery stores like Piggly Wiggly. As the Georgia bumper sticker says, “It is… Click to learn more about Boiled Peanuts
Calling all watermelon lovers!! This Watermelon Salad is a beauty. I adapted this recipe from one in the June, 2017 issue of “Our State Magazine,” the same magazine that did a wonderful story about Big Mill in their August issue. Summer Watermelon Salad 6 cups seedless watermelon (cut into cubes)1 sweet yellow bell pepper cut… Click here to read more …
