Peach Blackberry Crisp

Recipe provided by Kevin Gordon

Topping:
1/4 c. honey
1.5 c. chopped almonds or pecans
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick real butter cut into small pieces

Chop all ingredients except honey in a food processor. Add honey and continue to chop until ingredients are mixed. If you chop too much and end up with a paste, still use it, as it looks and tastes great.

Filling:
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1.25 c. fresh blackberries, rinsed
1.5 pounds peaches, peeled and diced
4 TBSP real butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Saute filling ingredients in butter for 10-15 minutes
3. Sprinkle filling with topping
4. Bake 10-15 minutes or until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbly
5. Enjoy, preferably with a side of homemade ice cream!

Peach Pound Cake

Celebrate July 4th with a fresh, local dessert to take to your family picnic. Try North Carolina Peach Pound Cake, recipe courtesy of Madison Whitley:

Ingredients:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons of butter and dust with 1/4 cup of sugar; set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream together remaining butter and sugar. Continue beating and add eggs one at a time. Once fully incorporated, gradually add 2 3/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt to mixture, beating until fully incorporated.
Dredge peaches with remaining 1/4 cup flour and fold into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

The ABC's of Beef: Grass-Fed, Grain-Fed, Know Your Farmer

Written by Madison Whitley

If you are anything like me, you can’t help but stop and stare as you pass a pasture full of beautiful white and black spotted cows on the side of the road. I bet you also think that beef is beef is beef… right? So did I. Well, think again! Just as everything from growing produce to making clothes to raising children has multiple ways to plant, sew and discipline, there are various ways to feed a cow. And just as different planting, sewing and disciplining techniques result in varying quality of produce, clothes or children, different types of feed will alter the final outcome of the beef. The main types of feeding of a cow are grass-fed or grain-fed. Hopefully the following will shed a bit of light on the difference between grass-fed and grain-fed beef and make it easier for you to decide which to purchase and consume based on your personal preferences, your budget, your values and the objective information presented.

Our Farmers' Market on WRAL

Read Destination: Western Wake Farmers Market by Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Slow Cooked Lamb Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw

Market vendor, Bruce Roberts of Little River Ranch, prepared these tasty sliders for Cabbage Day.

Kimchi and Sauerkraut

Alice Loyd, senior gardener, food preserver and market educator extraordinaire, shared samples of Kimchi and Sauerkraut in honor of Cabbage Day. She uses Sally Fallon's recipe from Nourishing Traditions. Makes 2 quarts

Better Cauliflower Casserole

I found some amazing cauliflower from Red Bud Farms last Saturday and did not want to make the standard gratin dish or just steam it. This recipe was delicious and the fresh dill sets it off perfectly. Enjoy.

1 head cauliflower, with the bottom cut flat

4 tablespoons softened butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

Mix together the butter and seasonings. Rub all over the cauliflower.

Bake in a covered casserole dish at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.