TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

A Locavore's Delight

TWELVE DAYS OF CAROLINA FOODIE'S CHRISTMAS

What's a locavore to do when it comes to holiday gift giving and treats?  Turn to local products, I'd say.

So here's my Christmas List, dear Santa . . . .hint, hint.   Or, I'm spoiling what might find its way under my friends' trees.


ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME:  One jar of Outer Banks SeaSalt, hand-harvested from the salty waters of the Atlantic Ocean near Southern Shores by the "accidental saltist," Amy Huggins Gaw, better known as THE OUTER BANKS EPICUREAN.  










ON THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS, HERE'S WHAT MY TRUE LOVE FOUND FOR THIS LOCAVORE:   a 2 ounce jar of Rainbow Trout Caviar from SUNBURST TROUT COMPANY, in Canton, NC.  


ON THE THIRD DAY, MY SANTA GOT ME......WAIT A MINUTE, IS THAT CHOCOLATE BAR MISSING SOME OF ITS 3 OUNCES?????  From Escazu, in Raleigh.  Artisan chocolates, and oh, my!

And, so after a smack, what did my Santa find for me next?  FOUR BOTTLES FROM FOGGY RIDGE CIDER, including my very favorite, Pippin Gold!  After dinner, with cheese, or just chillin' by itself!








ON THE FIFTH DAY OF THIS LOCAVORE'S CHRISTMAS, MY SWEETIE FOUND 5 LBS OF BERTIE COUNTY PEANUTS to roast and eat while watching UNC basketball games!


And on the SIXTH DAY, he brought home a SIX PACK OF ARTISAN BREWS FROM North Carolina, like Asheville's Highland Brew, Kinston's Mother Earth, and Greensboro's Natty Greene.  Ditto to have during the Carolina ballgames, either women's or men's teams!

ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVES ARE . . . . WELL, LEGAL.  . . . MOONSHINE!!!  From NC's very own TROY & SONS  or a fifth of Junior Johnson's MIDNIGHT MOON.    After all, Junior did get his start racing away from the law for stuff like this.

ON THE EIGHTH DAY, sweeten me up with some local honey.  I love BEE BLESSED honey of all sorts of flavors, depending on the season, that I find at the NC State Farmers Market.  Try your regional honey.



On the NINTH DAY, how 'bout pounds and pounds of SHELLED PECANS for stashing in my freezer?  These came from my brother-in-law, Dan Finch, master potter, blueberry plant grower, and the best thing that ever happened to my sister, Amy.







The TENTH DAY?  Promises, promises to explore these ten FARM-TO-TABLE restaurants in my home state, which means ROAD TRIPS that I love!

KNIFE AND FORK, Spruce Pine; CURATE, Asheville; ASHTEN'S in Southern Pines; CROOK'S CORNER in Chapel Hill; LUCKY 32, Greensboro & Cary; PROSCUITO, in Hillsborough;  CHEF AND THE FARMER in Kinston; THE BLUE POINT in Duck; KETCH 55 in Avon; and BASNIGHT'S LONE CEDAR in Nags Head.




And on the ELEVENTH DAY of Christmas, my true love gave me the best ever shrimp, the green-tails that are caught in NC's Pamlico and Core Sounds during the late fall.  Peeled and ready to go, in my freezer.  Oh, shrimp and grits, or maybe grilled or just sauteed with garlic and butter over linguine?

And on the TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, my true love, exhausted, gave me 12-month subscriptions to these very fine, local magazines:  EDIBLE PIEDMONT, WNC, and Raleigh's new WALTER.

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS, Y'ALL!