Bosky Acres Soap Making Class

Yorkmont Farmers Market

August 6, 2012 By Christin M 6 Comments

With the growing popularity of the local foods movement, a variety of farmers markets have sprung up across the region. The largest in the area is what’s called the Yorkmont or Charlotte Regional Farmers Market located near the old Coliseum. The market is comprised of 4 large open-air sheds; 1 for crafts, 1 for various types of greenery (flowers, plants, and shrubs), and 2 for produce as well as different types of food vendors.

Some of my favorite vendors include Great Harvest Bread, The Secret Chocolatier, the Mushroom Man from Clover Organic Mushroom Farm, and Yah’s Best Salsa. There are an increasing number of vendors selling all types of asian produce including many I can’t identify and wouldn’t know what to do with. But boy would I like to know.

The Yorkmont Farmers Market advertises that it opens at 8am, but most vendors set up well in advance and on a typical summer Saturday, the parking lot is at least half full by 8.

Contrary to several of the other Charlotte area farmers markets that have strict rules allowing only the sale of produce grown locally, you will find vendors at Yorkmont selling imported fruits and vegetables. If you came to buy from local producers- read the signs carefully. The local farms do a good job of advertising themselves as being local and if you’re not sure just ask.

The third-party vendors tend to be towards the back of the sheds. Once you start seeing bananas and avocados, you know you’re not dealing with a local farmer.

On a typical Saturday morning in the summer, this place is packed and there are literally dozens and dozens of vendors. It can almost be a little overwhelming. I find myself walking back and forth past all the vendors with wide-eyes, 2 or 3 times before I choose anything to purchase. I stopped to admire the squash blossoms pictured above, but I knew that lacking a plan for them, they would wither and wilt in my refrigerator, only to be tossed in the garbage can next week. I’ve never cooked with squash blossoms before. I’ll get to them eventually.

Maybe the best thing about Saturday mornings at the Yorkmont Farmers Market is the Harvest Moon Grille food truck owned and operated by Grateful Growers Farm. Grateful Growers is one of the vendors at the market and they operate a 10 acre farm in Lincoln County specializing in pork, but they also produce chicken, eggs, and produce.

I ordered the cheddar biscuit with 6 hour braised pork belly and caramelized onion marmalade. Absolute heaven! One of the best things I’ve EVER eaten. The biscuit had a different texture to it with the cheddar and butter dominating over the flour. The pork was the most succulent pork to ever enter my mouth. Each piece had a nice layer of melt in your mouth fat. The pork had a tasty vinegar based sauce, similar to eastern-style NC barbecue sauces, but better. Gave the whole thing a nice tang.

Yorkmont Farmers Market is open every day except Monday. I’ve only been on Saturdays, so I can’t say for sure, but I believe the number of vendors present is greatly reduced on weekdays. And the craft shed is only open Saturdays.

Yorkmont (Charlotte Regional) Farmers Market

1801 Yorkmont Rd

Charlotte, NC 28266

Summer Hours

Tuesdays-Saturdays 8am-6pm

Sundays 12:30-6pm

Open year round but days and times change in the fall/winter.

Other Charlotte Area Farmers Markets

Meeting St Market at Cedar Walk

Filed Under: Local Farms Tagged With: Charlotte farmers markets, the Secret Chocolatier, yah's best salsa

Old Town Market in Rock Hill

July 10, 2012 By Christin M 2 Comments

We have a new member of our family. Her name is Darla, she’s 7 years old, and she is the sweetest, gentlest dog ever. She is adopted from The Humane Society of York County. Take a look at the other beautiful, loving dogs they have available for adoption at www.humanesocietyofyorkcounty.org.

I brought Darla home with me on Thursday and since she enjoyed riding in the car and the weather cooled off a bunch, I decided to take her with me to Old Town Market in Rock Hill Thursday evening. One of my favorite things about Farmer’s Markets, besides having the opportunity to produce local goods straight from the source, is that they tend to be dog friendly places.

Old Town Market is a new Farmer’s Market (I believe it began last year) that features local produce and crafts. It takes place twice a week rain or shine, Thursdays from 5-8pm and Saturdays from 8am to noon. All produce sold at Old Town Market is grown in York, Chester, or Lancaster County. In addition to produce, vendors also sell fresh-cut flowers, plants, grass-fed beef, and a variety of homemade crafts. The Thursday Market includes free children’s activities and live musical entertainment. The evening we were there they had cornhole, hula hoops, and sidewalk chalk set out.

This year Old Town Market is taking place in the parking lot at the corner of Dave Lyle Blvd and East White St, but plans are for the Market to have a new canopy-covered open air space next year between two buildings on Caldwell St. Attendance was light when we were there, most likely because of bad storms rolling through the area. I also noticed that a number of the vendors who were scheduled to be there were not.

Italian Ice

Live Music

My loot from Old Town Market

I roasted the okra and made a wonderful Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette using the tomatoes.

For a complete schedule of events and vendors at upcoming Old Town Markets visit www.onlyinoldtown.com.

Filed Under: Local Farms Tagged With: farmers markets, old town rock hill

Farmer’s Market: Meeting St Market at Cedar Walk

July 8, 2012 By Christin M 2 Comments

Farmer’s Markets have become very fashionable lately. More people have a desire to know where their food comes from, they want their money to stay in the local economy, and they want to form a relationship with the producers of the products they buy.

Meeting St Market at Cedar Walk in South Ballantyne takes place Tuesday Evenings from 4pm to 7:30 pm in the Courtyard of the Cedar Walk and is just a short drive from Fort Mill. It’s goal is to provide a healthy, convenient, and affordable way for community members to purchase their foods after a day at the office.

If you go to the market right at 4pm, which is what I try to do to avoid traffic, it can be brutally hot and there is no shade. I’ve had no trouble finding parking right along the street, although I am a little jealous of those who live in the townhomes and have this fantastic resource literally right in their front yard.

Carrots and Tomatoes

There are several vendors selling fruits and vegetables. This time of year there are loads of tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and corn. There is usually a lady selling home-baked breads, and T & D Farms is at Meeting St Market each week with a selection of 100% all natural grassfed beef, as well as pasture raised pork and chicken.

The first week I went to Meeting St Market, Switchin Kitchens had a tent set up and I purchased a shrimp tomato pasta meal from them that was all prepped and ready to be cooked. All I had to do was cook the pasta, saute the shrimp, and add prechopped garlic, tomatoes, fresh basil and butter and capers into the saute pan. It was lightning quick and a super easy way to prepare a fresh meal because someone had already done the chopping and measuring for me.

It tasted delicious too!

I was disappointed to see that Switchin Kitchens was not at the Market the next time I went. Not sure if they just weren’t there that particular week or they won’t be back.

Shrimp tomato pasta, fresh bread, and tomatoes all from Meeting St Market.

Beamer’s BBQ is a new vendor at Meeting St. In addition to selling sandwiches, they also sell BBQ pork for $10 a pound with a choice between a vinegar based sauce and a western NC style sauce.

The real find at Meeting St Market was another new vendor, The Whole Enchilada, selling authentic homemade Mexican dishes. I bought 2 tubs of chicken in a chipotle tomato sauce with onions for $14 plus some pico de gallo for $3.. The chicken was delicious. Nicely spiced and tender. I served it over a flour tortilla which I browned in a skillet with some oil. Dressed it up with shredded lettuce, avocado, green onion, and sour cream for an easy meal.

Meeting St Market at Cedar Walk

11034 Cedar Walk Lane

(Just off of Ardrey Kell next to Lorenzo’s Pizza)

Charlotte, NC 28277

Open Tuesdays May-November from 4-7:30pm

More Charlotte Area Farmers Markets

Yorkmont Farmers Market

Filed Under: Local Farms Tagged With: Farmer's Markets Fort Mill, Meeting St Market

Peach Season

June 6, 2012 By Christin M Leave a Comment

Peaches are synonymous with South Carolina summers. From late May through September, they inhabit the shelves of roadside stores and farmer’s markets across the state. Most people associate Georgia with peaches, but not only is the peach South Carolina’s state fruit, South Carolina leads Georgia in peach production with over 18,000 acres of peach farms in the state.

Locally, peaches from Springs Farm can be purchased at The Peach Stand. They grow 22 varieties and are located at 1325 Highway 160 West in Fort Mill, SC.

Another popular place to buy peaches in York County is Black’s Peaches located in York, SC. Black’s Peaches has been run by the Black Family since 1923 and they are located at 1800 Black Highway in York. They have a wonderful roadside stand offering all kinds of produce plus they have added a bakery in recent years. Black’s Peaches offers “pick your own” peaches (call for pricing). 803-684-2333. Years ago, when we lived in Charlotte, we drove down to Black’s Peaches in York to pick peaches. We had to stop in town at the Ford Dealership to get directions and I remember sitting in the car, looking at the beautiful old historic homes and thinking what a neat place to live. Not even 2 years later, we were living in one of those historic homes!

Chase picking peaches at Black’s Peaches

Someone’s looking a little surly.

Madison

During our 7 1/2 years of living in York, SC, it was the Peach Tree that we most frequented for peaches. Mostly because it was just a straight shot down the street from our house, but also because it is a wonderful family run business. The Peach Tree offers 20 varieties of peaches grown on 45 acres. They also have a full service ice cream parlor in their roadside stand where you can try some peach ice cream. Don’t know if they still do this, but they used to offer free ice cream for kids on Friday afternoons. The Peach Tree is located at 2077 Filbert Highway (US Hwy 321 North of York). 803-684-9996

Need something to do with all those peaches once you get them? Try some Chipotle Salsa, sweet and spicy at the same time. This salsa is best made a little in advance. Let it sit at least 30 minutes, the flavor gets much better with time.

Chipotle Peach Salsa

5 ripe peaches, peeled and diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice from 1 medium lime
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, but add chipotle peppers in gradually and sample to make sure it’s not too hot for your taste.

Filed Under: Local Farms Tagged With: Peaches

Strawberry Jam Making Class

May 1, 2012 By Christin M 1 Comment

This morning I attended a Canning Class at The Springs Farm Market taught by Beth Vanderwalker. Beth grew up on a farm wherethey grew/raised all their own food and she has a wealth of knowledge. I’ve done all sorts of things in the kitchen, but never canning. Canning is something I’ve been a little hesitant to do on my own, not fully trusting a recipe to guide me through.

Beth walked us through her strawberry jam recipe, giving lots of useful tips throughout the process. She had a variety of foods for us to munch on during the class including fresh bread with strawberry jam, enormous chocolate covered strawberries, and strawberry smoothies.

Let me tell you- Beth’s strawberry jam is better than any I’ve ever had before. Not sure I’ll ever be able to settle for store bought jam again. And she sent us each home with a jar of jam.

One of the ladies at the class shared a useful strawberry tip. For the most concentrated flavor, it’s best to not buy your strawberries after a rain. I did not know that.

Thanks to Beth’s class, I’m ready to start canning away. Beth hopes to offer an evening Canning Class sometime soon. Look for information on The Peach Stand’s website or Facebook Page. This is a class you do not want to miss. Not only will you be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor (no pun intended) all year long, but jams make fabulous teacher gifts and new neighbor gifts. Really when you think about it, everyone appreciates a homemade gift.

On the subject of strawberries, The Strawberry Festival begins tonight with Pick and Flick from 6-9:30 pm on Springfield Parkway across from Nation Ford High School. Donnie Honeycutt will be performing and there will be local food vendors on hand.

Hayrides and a free movie, Happy Feet Too, on the Big Screen starting at dusk. Bring a blanket and be prepared for some family fun. The weather should be perfect.

Old Town Market 2012 in Rock Hill,SC

April 28, 2012 By Christin M Leave a Comment

Rock Hill’s Old Town Market will open for a new season on May 10. The Market, which features local produce, farm products, and arts and crafts, will take place at a new location this year- 190 Dave Lyle Blvd (corner of Dave Lyle and E White ST). Old Town Market will take place rain or shine every Thursday from 5-8pm and every Saturday from 8am-noon until September. Thursday evenings will include musical entertainment and free kids activities.

Opening night on May 10 will include music by The Perfect Melancholies, Pickles Da Clown and Rapunzel with balloon sculpting and face painting, Woodturning demo by Pops Woodturning, door prizes, and bakery items for sale from Periwinkle Cafe and Bakery.

Related Posts

Old Town Market in Rock Hill

Filed Under: Local Farms Tagged With: farmers markets