OrganicGal's Profile
Got to Be NC Festival in Raleigh
Where does Old Ken Cole's generally set up? I've met Ken and Marilyn, and have visited their farm just south of Asheville. I knew they did the travelling ice cream gig in the summers, but haven't had our paths cross so I could try it! I'd love to be able to stop by to say hello, and try his ice cream!
Best pig pickin' caterer / hog purveyor in the Triangle?
I had a pig pickin' for my wedding reception, purchased the hog from Mae Farm Meats (www.maefarmmeats.com). You can order directly from them at the Raleigh State Farmer's Market, that's what we did.
For the cooking, a neighbor of ours, Carl, has cooked barbecue nigh on to forever, and has his own rig. He knew OrganicGuy since birth pretty much, and his wedding gift to us was cooking the hog (what a gift!). Unfortunately, he's had some heart trouble over the past year, so he's not cooking any more. For years, he also cooked for a local Ruritan club; if you have a Ruritan in your area that does barbecue for fund raisers, they might have an idea of someone pretty close who can do this for you. Of course, you'll also want to try their 'cue first. They're often great about just cooking the hog and not caring about someone else doing the sides; this is what we did too. Carl cooked, we made all the sides ourselves. Much easier (and cost effective!)
If you're cooking, and your wedding is outdoors, and you're cooking where you're getting married...word of advice...keep upwind! It's hard to concentrate when something smells that good, and having you stomach growl while saying vows is embarassing!
Road Trip Across North Dakota and beyond ...
Jamestown is home to the Buffalo City Grillw (www.buffalocitygrille.com). It's downtown; most hotels are by the interstate, but it's definitely worth the drive into the city just to eat there. I work for a company that has their headquarters about 30 minutes west of Jamestown (a wide spot in the road called Medina...and no, I don't recommend anything there. My co-workers are great cooks, but I doubt you could get a home invite on short notice!). Whenever I have to travel to Medina, I make it a point to stop at Buffalo City Grille. Upscale in the middle of the prairie. Yes, they serve a variety of bison dishes, I've tried the bison stew and the bison bleu cheese fettucini, both were excellent. The broiled walleye is also quite good. The sweet potato fries are light and crispy, the sweet glazed corn and the wild rice . The wine selection isn't bad, certainly more than I expected in east-central ND. You'll definitely be able to have your martini here, the bartenders aren't necessarily creative, experimental mixologists, but they do a nice job with classic cocktails. Honestly, I've eaten a few places in Bismarck, and Buffalo City Grille was better than any of them, for food, drinks and ambiance. Hands down. I'd go on to Jamestown and spend my dollars at Buffalo City rather than stopping in Bismarck.
I need to buy a pig (whole) -- triangle area -- recommend a source?
I'll second that on MAE farm. I had a pig pickin' for my wedding reception earlier this summer, and a neighbor that's been cooking pigs for 30+ years said it was the best pig he's had for a pig picking in about 10 years. Nicely marbled, nice size. And Mike from MAE is great; he'll work with you on size estimates, and only needed about a month lead time. Just a wonderful overall experience for a stressed-out bride. I talked to him about size, dates that sorta thing, picked up the pig the afternoon before the wedding (kept on ice overnight), helped OrganicGuy and Carl the pig cookin' guy wrangle it onto the cooker about 7 AM, and by 6 that night, I was hitched and eating the best eastern NC style BBQ I'd ever had.
application error while trying to browse profiles
Also can't access my CHOW at all. Been trying for three days now, and constant application errors. I know I don't have my full profile filled out, but some is, and I do have people listed in people I'm reading. I'm a bit older, been a member for 2+ years (since before the BIG CHANGE), so it's not just restricted to newer profiles.
Sunday Dinner in Durham
HELP! I just found out today that I am tasked with finding a place to take 8 people for dinner tonight! The group is mostly older (50-85), basic steak, potatoes, and/or seafood people. But not necessarily just fried seafood. However, there are three of us that look for a bit more than Outback Steakhouse (some of the group would be perfectly happy that, I am NOT!) In looking at various postings and websites, I'm finding that many, many places are open for brunch only, but I'm needing a spot for a supper, about 6 or 7 pm.
The group is staying at the Red Roof Inn near Duke Medical Center (I think it's just off 85 and Guess Rd.). I'm much, much more familiar with Raleigh, and know very little about the Durham/Chapel Hill/Carrboro choices. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good Sunday night supper? Thanks so much for helping!
Bj's Finds
Agree with stacylyn, depending on location (I'm in Raleigh NC), the meat selection is surprisingly good. I've gotten excellent london broils there, and with a bit of marinating, they're as tender as a pricer cut. They also have these snack thing, Mrs. May's, they're little nut/seed/dried fruit things, that Organic Kid loves to have for snacks or packed in lunch for school. I've seen them at Harris Teeter for about twice as much, so finding them at BJ's was great. They're starting to stock organic milk and butter, YEA!
RIBS! in NC
That might be a tough order to fill in NC. And what you're calling "Southern Ribs" sounds like Memphis-style barbecue. Definitely not NC-style. We're a whole hog, cooked low and slow over fire. No rubs. No sauces (okay, maybe a little vinegar-pepper sauce, or with a splash of tomato for Lexington style). But not Memphis-style or Kansas City-style ribs.
I've had decent ribs (but not great, and nothing I'd write about otherwise) at Stephenson's in McGees Crossroads (south of Raleigh on Hwy. 50), but they were a special for that night, and not something they have all the time. For what it's worth, it was a Saturday, perhaps you could try to contact them to see if they have ribs every Saturday?
But I really don't think you're going to find ribs like you're talking about at too many local barbecue places. The Pit might be one place that has ribs regularly that isn't a chain. I think you can find them at the Q Shack in Durham, but I haven't been there. Anyone know if they're good? Good luck with your search!
Boone NC and Surrounding Area
I'll be in the NC High Country next week for work. I'll arrive around supper time on Monday, and heading home Friday afternoon. I'll be spending the entire week throughout Watauga and Ashe counties, with some time in the Jefferson/West Jeff/Lansing area, and some in the Grassy Creek/Piney Creek/Sparta area (okay, so Alleghany county, too). My hotel is in Boone, but I'm willing to head anywhere for good food! I need ideas for both lunches and suppers in this area. I like places that support locally grown foods, and all kinds of cuisines. Oh, and I work for the state, so I'm on a somewhat restricted price point, $20 or less for entrees. I don't get the hundrand dollar meals in Italy like our esteemed first lady, I'm more along the RC Cola and a moon pie lines like her state trooper escort!
What's the matter with chicken today?
In Chicago, you might be able to find Smart Chicken. It's air-chilled (I believe one of the first in the US, they've been air-chilling for at least 4 or 5 years), and processed in eastern Nebraska, so not too far from Chicago. I know I've seen Smart Chicken in stores in North Carolina recently, so I'm pretty sure you'll find it at any decent grocery in Chicago.
Dinner in Asheville
Anyone know how late Bouchon is open? Might be nice to end the evening with some moules frites and a glass of wine. I've always had good food there, and I love the bistro feel of it.
Boone NC late meal
I will be in Boone, NC late next week for work, and have a presentation from 6 until 8 PM on a Thursday night. I won't be able to eat before the presentation, so I'm wondering what will be available for supper after 8. I know that's not terribly late, but I am not at all familiar with Boone, and don't know which restaurants turn into drinking spots for ASU, or what areas of town tend to close early, or really anything. I'm guessing that late I wouldn't be able to drive out to Blowing Rock, either. Type of cuisine doesn't matter, I like pretty much everything. Looking at about $15-$20 price range. Thanks for your help!
Buying Organic?
Uhh.....and why exactly is it impossible to grow corn organically? Literally thousands of organic farmers who do not use any herbicides, pesticides, or nutrient inputs in NE, SD, ND, IA, MN, WI, KS, and MO would be quite startled at this statement, and wonder how they've been doing it all these years (including one I know personally in central NE that has been doing this since about 1970).
They are able to manage nutrient load, pest control, and disease control through 8 to 10 year crop rotations, and manage weeds with equipment. I'm not saying that IPM is a bad thing, in conventional agriculture, I think it's what everyone should strive for to reduce pesticide use! If anyone asks me about going "sorta organic" because they don't want to give up this or that input, I point them to IPM as a starting point. But to say corn can't be grown organically, now that's just silly...
Buying Organic?
Actually, it's not too hard to provide a full list of what's allowed (which is also available at the National Organic Program website, www.ams.usda.gov/nop).
Ammonium carbonate (used as bait only, no contact with soil or crops allowed)
Boric Acid (structural control only, no contact with soil or crops)
Copper sulfate (tadpole and shrimp control in aquatic rice production only)
Elemental sulfur
Lime sulfur,
Narrow range horticultural oils (dormant, summer, and suffocating oil)
Insecticidal soaps (most commonly used is Safer's insecticidal soap, you can find this product at any Target or Wal-mart for use in the home to control spider mites, aphids, and the like)
Sticky Traps (which aren't applied to the plant, but are near the plant to trap pests).
Naturally occuring plant products, such as neem oil (this is from a tree native to the Indian subcontinent) or pyrethum products (extracted from chrysanthemum seed, and must not include synergists such as piperonyl butoxide)
naturally occurring plant oils such as wintergreen, rosemary, mint, or clove.
Diatomaceous earth (a powdery, chalky product that contains diatoms, fossilized hard-shelled algae)
Naturally produced (non-genetically modified) bacillus thuringiensis (this is a naturally occurring bacteria, one that is gene-spliced into some crops, such as corn and cotton, as a genetically modified plant that would not be allowed in organic production).
Quick edit...I forgot to mention garlic products, and mechanical controls (some folks hang strips of mylar balloons in trees so the flashing scares away birds and deer, or uses those things I call "blow up people" that you see sometimes at used car lots, they are set to blow up randomly and wave in the wind, again, scaring off birds and deer. And I know one guy that kept his radio on all the time in his chicken house, tuned to some sort of talk radio to scare of foxes...worked until one night the station changed over to easy listening music!)
Additionally, three naturally occuring pest control materials that are allowed in conventional farming that are not allowed in organic farming are:
arsenic
strychnine
tobacco (nicotine) dust
So, really, there aren't many allowed materials; most organic farmers don't use any products and rely on rotation, soil health, and establishment of habitat for beneficial insects. For example, I don't use any products on the tomatoes I grow to control pests, and haven't had a single tomato horn-worm for several years. About 6 years ago, I was having a problem with them, released parasitic wasps, let them parasitize the worms, built up habitat for their over-wintering along my garden edge, the next year there was a significant decrease, and the third year forward, none. These materials, yes, are allowed. Most good organic farmers never use any of them, though.
So, there you go...that's the list. Pretty brief.
Buying Organic?
Yes, there are very detailed regulations for organic certification in the United States. To read the regulation, I'm trying to attach a link to the USDA website. When you go to the link, there's another link at the top of the page to go directly to the regulation. In order for a product to be labeled as organic in the US, if it's a processed product, it has to be certifed by an agency accredited by the US Department of Ag, and has to contain at minimum 95% organic ingredients. If it is labeled as "Made with Organic" it must be at least 70% organic ingredients, and must specify the organic ingredients it is "made with." If a farm is making over $5000 gross income on organic products sold directly to the consumer they must be certifed by an accredited certifier; if they are selling into the food production stream, they must be certified regardless of income.
The EU has a regulation that product sold as organic in the EU must meet (EEC 2092/91), Japan does as well (JAS Organic Agricultural Standard). Canada is in the process of completing their federal organic law; Quebec has had a mandatory regulation in place for several years.
Here's that link to the US law:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/standards.html
Buying Organic?
I am an organic inspector, and can say specifically that under the National Organic Program, chlorine is NOT allowed as a pesticide at any time in organic production. Chlorine products are limited to use as a disinfectant or sanitizer, and must not exceed the maximum residual disinfectant level under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Yes, some pest control materials are allowed. But, before they can be used, the producer MUST utilize crop rotation, sanitation (removal of pest habitat, for example), development of habitat for natural enemies (beneficial insects, establishment of bat boxes and the like), and use nonsynthetic lures (pheromones) prior to using any of the allowed materials for pest control. Additionally, many of the allowed materials may not come in contact with plants, and can only be used in perimeter applications. Your statement regarding how long a product can come into contact with a plant or waiting after application are absolutely incorrect. Allowed pest control materials are either allowed for use in compliance with their labelling restrictions, are allowed for use but may not come into direct contact with foods or plants, or are prohibited. There's no such thing as "a little bit allowed."
I have to disagree with your reading of the regulation. I have worked with 7 CFR Part 205 (the National Organic Program Final Rule) since it was enacted 6 years ago, and prior to that I was heavily involved in commenting on the drafts of the Final Rule, was part of the 60,000+ commenters that opposed the initially proposed rule, and caused that iteration to be scrapped. This could potentially have been what you read, it was not nearly as restrictive as the Final Rule is). I have worked as an organic inspector or in the regulatory aspect of organic foods for private certifiers prior to the NOP for 10 years. Yes, you could argue that I have a biased point of view here, and perhaps I do. I've been an organic foods consumer since 1986 (my sophomore year of college). But as someone who works in the chemical industry, you have a bias as well. And the "information" you have provided above is, at minimum, incorrect, and at worst, blatantly misleading to consumers. Please do your research before making these claims.
Marriage proposal at restaurants... [moved from SF Bay]
A pig pickin' is a variety of a North Carolina Barbecue...the hog is cooked low and slow over logs for many, many hours. Some folks periodically mop the meat with a vinegary, peppery thin sauce (NO tomato products, though, that's verboten!). When it's ready, folks come up to the smoker and peel off whatever they want to eat. Literally, pickin' the pig. VERY traditional North Carolina stuff.
Polka is a traditional eastern European style of music that has a fast, almost skipping dance with it. Look for a song with the lines "in Heaven, there is no beer, that's why we drink it here..." and you've got polka music. Tuba and accordian are important...some folks would simply call it oom-pah music. Many of the original settlers of Nebraska were Czech or Polish, and brought this music and dancing with them (along with names that don't have nearly enough vowels, like Tvrdy or Znemenecek or Brzinski). In Nebraska, you don't have a wedding reception if you don't have at least one or two polkas.
So, we're bringing these two traditions together! Eating wonderful food, and dancing the night to the lovely strains of "I don't want her, you can have her, she's to fat for me, HEY!" (and I now apologize to everyone who knows polka, and has one of these songs stuck in their head the rest of the day!)
Marriage proposal at restaurants... [moved from SF Bay]
At one point in time, I would have said not a good idea, what if she says she needs to think about it, what about the restaurant going out of business, and pretty much everything else that has been said. BUT...over dinner at Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn in Wilmington, NC, while I was dripping guac and sour cream from my massive Fajitarito down my chin and creating a big green glob on my white t-shirt, my Organic Guy said "I can't imagine my life without you. Marry me." Yep, he proposed at a burrito joint, one that calls extra meat a "double wide," has tattoo tuesdays, where you can get a discount for showing off your body art, and their motto is "Flaming Amy's, Hot, Fast, Cheap and Easy". However, it was totally unplanned, completely spontaneous, and I think he was as surprised that he said it as I was. So, it can be done, and done in a way that is utterly romantic. But I think the key was that it was exactly what he was feeling in that time, at that moment. And it was perfect. And yes, I cried at Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn.
Of course, he's a North Carolinian, and I'm a Nebraskan, so the wedding will be the first ever Polka Pig Pickin' in the world, but after the proposal, I suppose it fits!
What does the green foods logo mean? [moved from China board]
Maybe I can help a bit. China has federally mandated regulations for what qualifies as organic, much as the U.S. does (ours is the National Organic Program, adminstered by the USDA, commonly referred to as the NOP).
OFDC is an organic certification agent that is given authority by the Chinese government to certify to the Chinese regulation. OFDC, additionally, is accredited by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) and as a program verifying compliance with those standards (probably one of the strictest organic standards internationally, but entirely voluntary, and not officially recognized by any government). OFDC also administers certification to the USDA NOP for growers and processors who are exporting to the United States. That is done through a partnership with a US-based, USDA-accredited certifier, OCIA. OFDC has a very rigorous program, and is very dedicated to ensuring organic product in China would "pass muster" for any organic regulation internationally. In the interest of full disclosure, I worked for OCIA until 2005, and audited OFDC for them in 2004 (Shanghai, if you are inspected by You Wenpeng, or Tai Chongmai, or speak at all with Xingji Xiao, those are some wonderful people, and I miss working with them!).
So, yes, there are in a way, competing standards, but that may depend on the markets that the organic entity is planning on selling to. They may just need the Chinese standard, if all the production stays in China, or they may want to work with some of the international standards, so that they can open doors for exporting.
Hope this helps!
Greg Cox N&O-reviews and ratings [Moved from South board]
There are reviews of The Pit on the South board, and it's getting pretty good reviews on CH as well. But, it's Ed Mitchell of Mitchell's in Wilson. Cox is probably going to give it a great review, but it's probably going to be well-deserved. Mitchell has always made great Q.
Asheville - Chocolate Lounge!!
Maybe they can talk to the guys brewing organic beer at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain, and come to some sort of arrangement!
Asheville - Chocolate Lounge!!
Thanks for the post, I've been waiting for this, too! And I'll be coming to visit from Raleigh. For all the negativity on the CT site, I know Dan and Jael somewhat, and actually have been at their restaurant in Costa Rica. I was there before they moved from CR to Asheville, and before I met them. I'm pretty confident they have the business savvy that the Lounge will be a successful venture. For goodness sake, they successfully ran a restaurant in a sleepy costal surf-town in Costa Rica before starting this project. And Puerto Viejo, where they were, is NOT in the trendy-vacation-Costa Rican areas. It's on the Caribbean coast, and mostly surfers and back-packing Europeans. Most cabinas don't have air conditioning, phones were just getting hooked up about 5 years ago, the town didn't even have an ATM until 2005! And with all that, Dan and Jael succeeded. I'm pretty sure the French Broad Chocolate Lounge will be a stellar venture!
BBQ in North Carolina mountains, with hogs from local, sustainable farms?
Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the mountains of NC aren't barbecue country. You have to come down to the Piedmont and points east to get good barbecue. There's 12 Bones in Asheville, but they're a rib place, not traditional NC style barbecue (eastern or western style). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying 12 Bones is bad, it's actually pretty good. But it isn't NC style. If you want to head further east, just search this board for barbecue, and you'll find more suggestions that you'll know what to do with. Also, don't take this to mean you won't find good food on your trip. Again, you will, often, some of the most creative cooking using locally produced, sustainable foods is being done in the mountains. Just not barbecue.
Finally, if you want information about NC farmers using sustainable management for raising hogs, check www.ncchoices.com. This is a group of producers that are working with the Center for Environmental Farming Systems setting up pasture raised pork systems. There are a few farms out in the mountains that are members, perhaps you could contact them to see what restaurants they sell to.
French Broad Chocolates!!!
I've worked with Dan and Jael of French Broad Chocolates and their organic certification. You're spot-on, this is AMAZING stuff! I just purchased 2 boxes from Greenlife to take to family in Nebraska for Christmas. Some of these Nebraskans will be visiting NC in May, and now want to make sure they pad their trip enough to get to Asheville to visit the French Broad Chocolate Lounge when they get here. Last I heard, the goal for opening the Lounge was January, but that was just before Christmas, so that may have been pushed back to February, I suppose. To be really specific, the lounge will be a 10 S. Lexington, just south of Patton.
And I really, really recommend either the fresh raspberry truffle (the raspberries are also grown locally in Asheville!), or the french lavendar. Both are amazing!
Great Food in Rock Port
I totally understand your question about stopping so early! We had planned to leave the Big O at about 8 am, but what with this, that and the other, didn't until about 11 AM. And boy, was it worth it!
Great Food in Rock Port
I found a great place to stop for lunch on I-29 in Rock Port MO. Trail's End is a little truck stop cafe just off the interstate, I believe it was right next to the Super 8 hotel. We (myself, OrganicGuy and OrganicKid) checked out the buffet, which looked pretty good, so that's what we had. And an excellent choice it was! Fried chicken, crispy and juicy and tender without being greasy. Barbecued ribs, falling off the bone, with not so much sauce that the flavor of the meat was masked. OrganicGuy believes he ate about 20 dollars worth, and he's a devotee of great ribs. Meat loaf received a "pretty good" from OrganicGuy (he was the only one who tried it), but a bit dry. The mashed potatoes were good, but it was the country style gravy that was a relevation! Creamy and peppery, and made me wish for a chicken fried steak to pour it over (heck, I though about just putting it in a soup bowl, but that would've been a bit much). I'd recommend skipping the salad bar, iceburg lettuce that tasted like it had been laced with fruit fresh or something. There was an apple cobbler for dessert, and I ate about two bites before OrganicKid declared it hers, and proceeded to devour the whole thing! And, best of all, the whole thing cost a grand total of $8.99 each!
I really know nothing about the restaurant or area of Rock Port at all; we just found it driving between Omaha NE and Raleigh NC. But OrganicKid insisted I let the Chow World know about this hidden gem.
Moe's Southwest Grill
Wow, how did they forget the meat? At Moe's, you watch them assemble the burrito, and at each stage, they ask what options you want...Steak or Chicken, Black or Pinto Beans, what toppings do you want? Did you tell them which meat you wanted? The addition of whatever item is pretty immediate, so I wonder if you simply missed them asking what you wanted, and the prep guy assumed you didn't want any meat. Either that, or you responded and immediately turned away, and they forgot in that very short time, which seems somewhat unlikely.
Dinner for 60 in Raleigh
I'm helping to plan a dinner for approximately 60-80 people in Raleigh or Cary in January. We're looking for a place that would have a banquet room that could hold that many people, that's primarily a steak and seafood place. We went to Prime Only last January, and want to branch out. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance for any help!
Thoroughly fed up with Whole Foods in Raleigh
Uhhh....perhaps this isn't the proper place to post this (being chowhound and all), but I think that's the LAST thing we need. I am SICK AND TIRED of all the relocated yankees trying to make the triangle New York Lite. Has it occurred to you that the NC natives really don't need or want a Wegman's and that we're perfectly happy with Harris Teeter, Kroeger's, Lowes Food, the Weaver Street Coop, or whereever else we're already shopping. If you need Wegman's that much, then go back north of the Mason-Dixon.
One night in Wilmington
Muscadine wine, as Ando references, is made with red/purple grapes, there's also a white, that's made with another variety of muscadine, called a Scuppernong; you may have heard someone refer to Scuppernong wine. One of the best vineyards making muscadine and scuppernong wines is actually quite close to Wilmington, in a small town called Rose Hill. The vineyard is called Duplin Winery, and is only about a 1/2 hour-45 minutes outside Wilmington. All their wines are made with different varieties of muscadines. You can generally find their wines at any grocery or wine shop anywhere in North Carolina.
www.duplinwinery.com
