Provisioning in the mountains of North Carolina is a wonderful day (or more)long scavenger hunt! Yeah, there are seven different grocery stores (which includes Wally World) in Boone—-Food Lion (think Brookshire Brothers)
Publix (Florida chain with outlets all over the south), Ingles (Holiday Foods), Harris Teeters (Kroger’s with an East Coast branding, my card works here, no prob) Lowe’s (H-E-B want to be) 2 Natural Grocers (Whole Foods with limp produce, but some brands of gluten free items I like) and WalMart. There is only one in Blowing Rock-Food Lion...so I shop in Boone. Each of these stores has things that the other does not, so depending on what I might need or want, I make lots of trips to Boone for grocery items.
We have discovered no less than 10 fruit stands(with Vegas, too )-each with their specialities. This is the country, they don’t take credit cards, so bring cash. We go to J & M for peaches, blackberries, tomatoes,corn, ginger apples. While I am there, Eddie likes the Amish bakery store’s dried apples-they remind him of his grandmother’s. His Mamaw would slice apples from their trees in Mississippi, place them between two window screens then put on the tin barn roof to dry in the hot summer sun. I like being able to cut out the work and send Eddie into the shop to get his Apple fix...which is a every 5-6 day thing...so we are good on the Apple a day thing....guess that is why he is yet to develop his traveling upper respiratory thing. Before we leave we stop at the snow ball stand and get a snow cone to share. Wish we could send back some of the Amish outdoor furniture.
Then there is Maw’s. Maw runs the show. She is a little country lady with silver helmet hair, that will take you by the arm and introduce you to her produce, baked goods, freezer goods, 7 types of homemade pimento cheese spread, pickles, jams and jellies, eggs, fresh fish filets (no trout-seafood, go figure). She knows each provider and will share stories of each...you don’t have to pay extra for her uncensored reviews. There is a craft section upstairs-lots of crocheted toilet paper covers, blankets and quilts from the her buddies. Her grandchildren and family are busy boiling peanuts in a crawfish rig, helping customers with a healthy dose of “Yes, Sir and no, sir.” No Tats, piercing or flashing of skin -Maw runs a tight ship. We plan our trips to the far side of Boone for a Thursday, because that when the fresh baked goods and Monrovian ladies chicken pot pies are restocked. Ed loves the small white meat all chicken and pie crust—-Maw’s is closed on Monday, because she goes to the beauty parlor then. She is not there on Sundays, since she is at the church house...but she allows her family members to run the show, as she shared that is one of the busiest days of the week-folks are going back home from their mountain weekend...and all. Like I have said, folks are really friendly here.
When we are headed back and forth to Charlotte or points south there are two places we stop. One has syrup, local honey, crisp apple slices (my favorite), pancake mix, white grits.These are way cheaper than the Amish gals, and Hand made bird house starting a $2.99 each. The other has fresh plums picked off of Buck’s mountain by the fellow that sells them. Guess what the kids will have to set up here in our rustic mountain cabin when they come this week? bird houses...Ask Eddie how many plums in one day are too many...plums are really just undried prunes, right?
We pass by the others, cause we are kinda loyal to our favs. However, the Saturday Watauga County Farmers Market is hands down my favorite stop of the week. It is at the Daniel Boone Native Garden/Horn of the West Re-enactment theatre in Boone. The Saturday market is one of the Largest in the state. This is what a farmers market should be...nestled in the trees, with permanent wooden shelters which serve as booths for craftsmen when the Re enactment part of the park is open in the evenings. Fresh flowers, bushel baskets of fresh apples and peaches, tomatoes, 6 kinds of squash,4 kinds of beans, potatoes, onions, 3 colors of carrots, herbs, baked goods, goat cheese, fresh eggs and meats, salad greens...you name it...all local and you are talking to the farmer...or his wife or momma. We have found the sweet spot is 8:30. The early birds are there for 7:30, as they are leaving the parking is great by 8:30 and everyone is still well stocked. I am forever spoiled to this farm to table spot...even have my Market basket. Going Native.
On the way back from the Farmers Market is a great time to stop at Sticky Boy Bread Kitchen. Sticky Boy is where everyone (including most of the restaurants) gets most of the bread/dessert products...to include their dinner rolls...which you have to get before 9:00 in the morning, as they sell out quickly.
They serve breakfast and lunch, but the bread business is their bread and butter. Now, if they would just do Gluten Free I would have it made.
This little piggy went to market...and in North Carolina there a lot of little piggies. Every menu has at least one pork entree, never mind the bacon, local sausage, livermush (have not gone that local)...every place that serves breakfast or brunch serves Country Ham and Biscuits. Bojangles (“it Bo time”) a local NC fast food chain serves its morning biscuits with country ham and pimento cheese-🤢. The best by far country ham is done by Goodnight Brothers. Less salt, no antibiotics, or chemicals, lean...it is what most restaurants (except Cracker Barrel) serves. As we are Southerners and have purchased many of packages of country ham over the last four decades, we feel that we know a prize hog product when we taste it. Most of the country ham we get in Texas has to be soaked in water before frying it up in the skillet. Soaked to remove some of the salt....my fingers and ankles swell just thinking about it. Not so with the Goodnight Bros. It is only available at Harris Tetters. (Aka Kroger’s) and they only stock the center cut pieces. As we have discovered in our galloping gourmet runs to various restaurants, they make a bacon (BLT with fried green tomatoes) and a prosciutto cut (think arugula, fig, goat cheese with prosciutto flatbread pizza)...but it is not available in less than 24 packages through the home office shipping department. So, on a recent scavenger hunt, I plugged in the home office address to my trusty phone GPS and paid them a visit. They really don’t sell from the corporate office, but after sharing stories and last names...she was “Fickle” (no lie) to my “Pickle”, and me being from Texas and all, she allowed me to purchase four packs of bacon and 4 of the prosciutto packs, providing I share my bread and butter pickle recipe with her. Done. Told you folks are friendly here. I seriously doubt these packages will make it home. However, the packs of center cut...shelf life of 18 months....yeah...country ham, stone ground grits, eggs and biscuits will be on the menu when we return.
With Lauren and fam coming tomorrow, I have been provisioning with more sweets than usual. In our effort to be authentic and all, I am planning a peach cobbler with fresh ice cream for one evening, an apple crumble for another but the kids like cookies. As Lauren and Grace bake really good cookies, from scratch, I determined that I would try and up my game from the typical break and bakes. I could use the antique standing Sunbeam mixer...purchasing all the various ingredients...or could just go to the Appalachia Cookie Company. A store front operation in a off street location right next to the college campus and next to a bar. Location, Location, Location. It gets rave reviews including a top 10 cookie in US from Paula Dean. They have several rotating flavors, and your order is cooked to order when you place it. 15 minutes wait time if you just walk in...3 flavors of gluten free and one Keto...delivery available...pizza box with parchment between the warm cookies. What is not to love and during the college school year is open until 12:30 AM...I am so seeing those freshman 15s delivered hot to your dorm room. There is another option..we could take the kids down the road to a cute little trailer the Blue Deer Cookie and Milk Company...side of road outpost that mixes various cookies with homemade ice cream or with a cold glass of milk, open daily 2-11. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.
I am so sure all of these might exist in my own back yard...but my back yard in Houston is so big! The temperatures in NC begs you to be outside, exploring, the temps at home have me using apps and picking up my order from the comfort of my AC car...or doing a Fast Eddie and shopping for my recliner. So for now, we are are all about shopping local!
No comments:
Post a Comment