Earth Roast Dinner on Nov. 7

Smith Angus Farm invites you to the Alamance County Cattlemen's Association 19th Annual Earth Roast Dinner on November 7, 4:00-7:00 pm at Southern Alamance High School. The roast beef is cooked in the "Earth" all night Friday. On Saturday, the roast beef is served with a baked potato, salad and tea. Advance tickets ($8.50/plate) are recommended. You can eat in or take out, and there's a bake sale too for your sweet tooth! See the Smith's at their tent for tickets and information.

Panther Creek's "Moona Lisa" Wins in Green State Fair Contest

Congratulations to Panther Creek High School for its third place win in the North Carolina State Fair's Farm Animal Frenzy contest! Panther Creek was among 15 schools that competed to create the most "artfully fantastic farm animal" they could using a minimum of 80% recycled materials.

Panther Creek's "Moona Lisa" cow made of plastic milk containers took third place and a $500 cash prize for the school. All the animals were displayed throughout the fair grounds for the 10-day fair. Way to go, Catamounts! You can see all the animals here.

Growing Power's Will Allen to Discuss Urban Farming

Hear Will Allen of Growing Power, Inc. at the agricultural lecture "Steps to Successful Urban Farming" on Nov. 9, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in Raleigh. Allen, who was featured in the film FRESH, is a pioneer in the area of sustainable, community-focused agriculture to benefit all peoplpe in the community.

This event is free and open to the public, but seating will be limited. Reserved seating is available to Friends of Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) members. More information is available at CEFS online.

Learning, Working and Eating on the Farm

Ben and Noah of Fickle Creek Farm rewarded their WWFM customers last Sunday with a tour of their farm, a little fall farm work and a great local lunch. Lunch was prepared by Bryan, who is at the Fickle Creek tent each week, and incidentally, is a trained chef!

A group of about 20 market shoppers ventured out to the 74-acre farm, which is home to cows, sheep, pigs, chickens (both broilers and layers) and a couple of great dogs. They also grow pesticide-free seasonal produce at Fickle Creek. Some members of the group stayed on to help harvest sweet potatoes and plant garlic cloves, which will be ready for market next June.

The reward was a delicious lunch featuring three different frittatas, a gorgeous green salad, sweet potato pie and flan. Bryan, who prepared most of the feast, used ingredients almost entirely from the farm.

Visiting local farms really allows you to see how hard these farmers are working--from caring for livestock in a humane, sustainable way, to growing produce that is healthy, fresh and above all, will not harm you. There's a lot of expense and back-breaking work involved on these farms. This weekend at market, thank your farmers for all that they do!

Herons Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut & Malt Recipe

Thanks to Herons Chef Scott Crawford for braving a chilly morning at the market on Oct. 17 to share samples of his delicious Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut & Malt and the recipe with shoppers. If you missed it, here's how you can make it at home.

• 1 large locally grown butternut squash
• 2 6-oz cans coconut milk
• 1 TBS sugar
• 2 TBS malted milk powder
• 2 TBS butter
• 1 TBS maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Pinch fresh nutmeg
• Kosher salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half and remove seeds. Melt 1 TBS of butter and brush the butternut with butter using a pastry brush. Season the squash with salt and place on a baking sheet. Roast the squash for 45 minutes or until squash is soft and flesh is bright orange in color. Remove from oven and allow squash to cool for 10 minutes. Scoop the squash away from the skin with a spoon and place in a blender.

In a small sauce pan, gently heat the coconut milk, malted milk powder, vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Remove from heat and allow mixture to steep for 5 minutes. Turn on blender and add liquid mixture to butternut squash a little at a time until you achieve the desired consistency (You do not have to use all of the liquid). Add the remaining butter and sugar while blending. Season with salt to taste.

Serves 4.

Market Scenes: Cary Mayor Weinbrecht Tours Market

There was a chill in the air at the market Saturday morning, but it was a great day nonetheless! Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht toured the market and talked with vendors, market organizers and volunteers, and a group of kids from the WestPark neighborhood’s EcoKids Club. Market shopper Kirsten Lechner formed the EcoKids Club, which has grown to about 50 families in the last two years, as a fun way for kids and their families to learn about the small things each of us can do to help protect our planet. "Today the kids tasted the pastries and fresh apples, talked with the local farmers, danced to the live music, and got their faces painted. We always have fun at the market!" Kirsten said.

Herons Executive Chef Scott Crawford shared delicious samples of his Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut & Malt to warm folks up, and musician Michael George Gonzalez shared his beautiful sounds with shoppers! (If you missed him, he’ll return to the market on Nov. 21.) Kids’ favorite LynneSue Fischer was also there with her fun face painting for all the young shoppers.

A special word of thanks goes to Mayor Weinbrecht for joining us at the market and taking the time to learn more about the importance of the market to our community and to the farmers and artisans who sell their local foods and products here.

If you're on FaceBook, become a "fan" of the market to see additional photos from the day!

A Whole Lotta Fun and Some Green Too

The N.C. State Fair, which opens Thursday, is not so much about healthy food. It’s 10 days of fun, deep-fried Ho Hos, cotton candy and even chocolate-covered bacon. But there is a whole agricultural component to the fair worth checking out, and this year, the fair has gone green.

You can tour an interactive Green NC home, garage and farm to learn how your house, your car and the food you eat affect the world we live in. The goal is to provide you with some ideas about how you can live “greener” every day. Green topics include sustainable food, eco-friendly living, water conservation, recycling, energy and alternative fuels, and travel. You can also learn about how the fair itself is trying to become greener. Take the Green Pledge Scavenger Hunt!

Be sure to visit the Got to Be NC Agriculture exhibit for local foods to taste and purchase, and take the kids to the fun-filled Field of Dreams exhibit. Here kids can pick crops at a miniature farm, learn how they become other things (such as peanut butter and cereal), then sell them at the exhibit’s farmers’ market. With their income, they can “shop” in the Field of Dreams grocery store. It’s a great way for kids (even adults) to learn more about the connection between local farms and what’s on our dinner plates. Field of Dreams also features a greenhouse this year, storytelling and a coloring contest for kids.

Check out the fair’s exhibits page for more information on all the agricultural exhibits, schedules and more. For fun updates, check out Deep-Fried, the fair’s blog. They’ll e-mail you updates, or even tweet their news on Twitter.

Gardening and Canning Expert Shares Canned Apple Butter

Many thanks to Cary resident Ginger Zucchino for joining us in the Education Tent on Oct. 10 with her delicious apple butter that she made and canned! Ginger teaches classes on raised bed, organic gardening as well as preserving foods by canning them. She has a passion for educating people about growing fresh, healthy food in a sustainable way. Ginger is currently offering workshops on winter gardening and preservation. Yes, in Cary and Morrisville, you can garden year-round! Check out her web site, The Gardener's Kitchen, for workshop details and additional information.

Community Comes Out for Fresh Food Ideas at FRESH Screening

Over 40 people gathered together Oct. 8 at Yes! Solar Solutions in Stone Creek Village to view a free screening of the independent film Fresh and learn about how several entrepreneurs are working to change the way we grow food and share food in local communities.

Many thanks to Kathy and Stew Miller of Yes! Solar Solutions, a WWFM market sponsor, for hosting the event, to Whole Foods Market of Cary for providing local, healthful snacks and to Carolina Heritage Winery for sharing its organic wine. Thanks also to all those who came out for the screening and brought non-perishable food items for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, which picks up donations from the Western Wake Farmers’ Market at the end of each market.

Fresh is not in theaters, but hundreds of groups and individuals have organized screenings like this one as part of a grassroots effort to help grow “fresh” food and move sustainable farming beyond a niche market. Fresh celebrates the farmers and other Americans who are re-inventing our food system. They have seen the transformation of agriculture into an industrial model, and the harmful effects of that change. Now they are forging healthier, sustainable alternatives to farming.