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Farm inspection

This week our farm inspection takes us to @gsmfarm in Louisburg. Owner Donia Jabbour grows a stunning assortment of mushrooms which she not only brings to our market, but also supplies to some of Raleigh’s most acclaimed restaurants, including @stanburyraleigh , @figulina.raleigh , @poolesdiner , and @tamashanc . It’s always interesting to see how different mushroom farming is from row farming. As we’ve discussed at so many of our inspections this year, a lot of a farm’s success is a at the mercy of the weather. Mushroom farming is different. It is done indoors and all about creating a precise, controlled environment for the fungi to thrive. Each variety of mushroom has their own unique growing conditions - some warmer, some cooler, and all with varying humidity levels. From pink oyster to coral tooth, they all require their own specific care. One subject that always comes up on our farm inspections is that mushrooms are one of those farmers market items that don’t get the love they deserve. For some folks, they have an idea set in their head based only on eating standard button mushrooms. Some have a texture aversion based on how they’ve had them prepared before. And others are just intimidated or unsure of how to use them. The truth is, different varieties of mushrooms have completely different tastes, textures, and ways in which they can be cooked. Don’t let a negative past experience ruin a great ingredient! If you want to try them but just don’t know how to prepare them, let our great local chefs guide you. Next time you’re at one of the restaurants listed above and you see a dish with oyster, or lions mane, or chestnut mushrooms, order it! This goes for any produce you’re uncomfortable with btw. A chefs job is to make great tasting food that keeps customers coming back, so let them do the hard work of figuring that out and then take those lessons home with you to your kitchen. Of course, you can always stop by the info booth and chat with us as well. Mitch, Brett, and Tootie are always happy to help share recipes and techniques. Ready to try them out? Find Gill & Spore at our market every Saturday from 8am-12pm.

Last week, we made our way down to Revolution Farms is Carthage. With the car thermometer reading 102, it was a hot one, but worth the trip. Kelly and Matt McCaskill bought their property years ago with hopes of turning it into a family farm. There was one problem - it was an actual junk yard when they bought it. But they could see through all those rusty cars and parts into the natural beauty of the land and took the leap to transform it into their vision. Once all the cars were gone, they realized all the topsoil was completely eradicated. That’s when the rebuilding process began. Through Kelly’s former career as a N.C. Extension Livestock Agent and Matt’s as an Arborist, they knew the power of regenerative livestock farming - using the animals raised on the farm to improve the ecosystem, rather than degrade it. By using mobile structures, they move their chickens daily. This gives the chickens new, clean ground to forage from and leaves their waste to fertilize the land behind them. This slow process has turned acres of their land from hard dirt to thick pasture. Their pigs also help the land. They help clean up the area they are in, which allows Kelly and Matt to seed different cover crops to build the soil back up (although the extreme heat and draught has delayed that this year). They also fertilize the land and add organic matter to the soil when they smash and roll out their hay. Side note - if you’ve ever wondered why pigs love mud so much, it’s because pigs don’t have sweat glands. They actually use pools of water to cool off and mud to protect their skin from sunburn. The result of Revolution’s intentional focus on the soil health via their animals is inspiring to witness. The once decimated land is lush with green, the animals are able to roam on healthy land, and the quality of life of both the McCaskill family and their animals is very good. Kelly and Matt are living proof that one man’s junk can literally be turned into everyone’s treasure. Find them every weekend at the market selling pork, chicken, and eggs.

This week’s farm inspection takes us to the home orchard of Ann Marie & David Thornton, owners of @jamescreekciderhouse . Last year we visited their larger orchard and cider making facility, but this year we had a chance to see the orchard at their home property where the James Creek started and where they still grow a variety of fruits that they use to make their ciders. David served in the Air Force, before going on to medical school at Georgetown, where he became a doctor specializing in pulmonology. Ann Marie had her own career as a professor of English. So how did they end up starting a cider company? Well, David's love for fruit is a lifelong passion as he grew up in a family that owned a wholesale fruit business in Cincinnati. And while studying abroad in London, Ann Marie fell in love with cider. So when they purchased their farm, they decided they needed an orchard. They were inspired by the work of Lee Calhoun Jr. and his work to preserve the heirloom apple varieties of North Carolina, many of which are used for making cider. Today, they grow nearly 100 varieties of apples between their two properties, along with about 25 varieties of pears, over 20 varieties of peaches, as well as permissions and blueberries. Although they do sell some of that fruit fresh at the market, the vast majority goes directly to making their wonderful selection ciders. They have everything from classic traditional dry ciders made in the European style, to modern American ciders that are aged in bourbon barrels or include other local produce like LB’s Farm hibiscus. It’s always a joy to be able to spend time with Ann Marie in their orchards. Her wealth of knowledge about heirloom fruit, cider making, and the history behind all of it is awe inspiring. Although she technically doesn’t teach anymore, she’s still finding a way to educate so many of us about the history (and the future) of cider. Find James Creek Cider House at the market this weekend (7/11)

For the last couple years, our visit to Chappell Peaches has always included long discussions with owner, Ken Chappell. We love his crazy breadth of knowledge on all things peaches, but as they approach the farm’s 100th birthday next year, we thought we’d take some time to visit with the future of Chappell Peaches. Evan and Margaret are Ken’s children and the next generation of Chappell Peaches. Since they were kids, they have worked just about every summer in the orchard or at their farm stand in Eagle Springs. Margaret was even the Peach Queen in high school (see pic). Margaret went to college at UNC and actually worked as a middle school teacher right here in Cary for 8 years. Even during all those years, she would still come help on the farm during summers. In 2020, she felt a calling to go back home and returned to the farm helping run the stand and organizing all the farmer’s markets. Evan went to study Agri-business at NC State, returning to the farm right after graduating. Since then, he’s been helping his dad run the orchard and absorbing as much of Ken’s multi-generational knowledge as he can. And although Evan may not have ever been a Peach Queen, he does now serve as the President of the NC Peach Growers Society that crowns that Queen each year. Ken is still running the show and very active, but Margaret and Evan are taking on more each year and have played a big part in expanding the farms reach. Along with their roadside farm stand, you can now find Chappell Peaches at 4 farmers markets where they sell over 30 varieties of peaches and apples. Farming is a hard business. And there aren’t exactly a ton of young folk pounding down the door to take on long, physical, unstable work for almost no money. Which is why seeing so many young farmers stepping up in our visits this year has left us inspired. In a world full of people using AI to reduce their workload, farmers are rolling up their sleeves and showing us there’s no replacement for hard work. Make sure to grab your fresh Chappell Peaches this weekend during our Peach Daze event!

This week’s inspection took us to Celebrity Dairy in Siler City. For nearly 40 years, Celebrity Dairy has been raising goats to make award-winning varieties of cheese ranging from fresh Chevre to aged bloomy rinds, along with skyr, gelato, and fudge. Our farm guide during our visit was Lena, who you may recognize from running the Celebrity booth at our market. Lena is the assistant operations manager, which means she does just about every task the farm has to offer. From delivering babies, to milking goats, to making cheese, to working farmers markets, she plays a role in all of it. At only 19, it may seem like a lot of responsibility, but Lena has been at Celebrity for over 4 years now. Her grandma saw an ad that Celebrity was giving away free kittens, and when she went to pick one up, she fell in love with the farm and asked to volunteer there. She kept coming back and before she knew it, she was an official employee. As we walked through the pastures with the goats, her connection to the animals on the farm was palpable. They flocked to her like she was their mama, nudging their noses against her legs, bleating for her attention. Given she was the first person many of them saw coming into this world and also the person who bottle fed many of them as babies, their love for her makes a lot of sense. It was also clear that love is reciprocal. If the quality of an animals life correlates to the quality of the product they produce, it’s no wonder why Celebrity’s cheese is so good. Although it’s a pattern as old as time, we hear a lot of folks from older generations complain about the lack of work ethic in “kids these days”. One of the most inspiring parts of these inspections is watching this next generation of farmers prove them wrong. Whether it’s the children of generational farmers, the enthusiastic college students working to make agriculture more sustainable, or a 19 year-old helping run a goat farm, we see a generation willing to put in the hard work. The problem isn’t them. It’s that if we don’t find a way to reduce the barriers to entry and make farming a financially sustainable career, they won’t ever get the chance to prove it.

PART 2: The Wei family applied to the US through a refugee resettlement program, which was a long and arduous process, but were finally accepted and relocated to South Carolina in 2006. Due to a lack of job stability, they moved to Chapel Hill only 7 months later, where Lion was able to a secure permanent position working as a janitor at UNC. In 2009, they heard about an organization called Transplanting Traditions Community Farm that was helping Karen refugees adjust and deal with food insecurity within their community. They started talking and became members of the organization. Over the years, Transplanting Traditions expanded their role in the Karen community and began offering other programming, including adapting the farming skills of their members to the very different climate of North Carolina. They learned how to adjust their practices to grow some of their staple asian crops, as well as how to grow classic southern american crops that have been bred for our climate and soil conditions. In 2011, Zar Ree and Lion started Ternawtheri Family Farm. They had a mere 2 CSA members. Over the last 15 years, with the help of Transplanting Traditions, they have grown to over 50 CSA subscribers and sell at 4 farmers markets throughout the triangle. They did so while raising 6 children. One of those children, Ree Ree, is who you will likely see every week at the Cary Farmers Market. In addition to her role on the farm, she is now the Executive Director of Transplanting Traditions. The Wei family story is what America was built on. People who left a distant land due to terrible circumstances, worked incredibly hard once they arrived, contributed to improving their community, all to give their family a better life. That has been the American tale since our founding...in reality, even before that. Their harrowing story is a clear reminder that although many immigrant stories can start from a place of desperation and mourning, when given the opportunity, they become stories of resilience, community, and success for all involved...especially those lucky enough to eat their food.

PART 1: This week’s farm inspection takes us to Ternawtheri Family Farm in Chapel Hill. A huge part of these inspections is getting to know our farmers more and hear their backstories, and holy moly, the Wei family’s story is not one we can fit into just one post. Zar Ree and Lion Wei grew up in a small village along the Ternawtheri river in Burma. Zar Ree is a 5th generation farmer. Together, they raised fruit, vegetables, and animals on their land and would fill their canoes and paddle to the larger village each day to sell. In 1997, that all changed when civil war found its way to their region of Burma. The conflict forced over 100k Karen people (the ethnic group they belong to) to flee the country. Zar Ree, Lion, and their two oldest daughters were forced to flee their family land and spent two months navigating through thick jungle, hiding in mountain caves, and evading execution squads. They finally arrived in bordering Thailand with only the items they had on their backs. Unfortunately, the mass migration of the Karen people into these bordering regions was a contentious subject in Thailand and made for a very complex life. The international humanitarian aid they received only gave them 8 bamboo poles and a plastic tarp for their housing. The Wei family spent the next 9 years living in a refugee camp in Thailand as stateless and undocumented people. They were unable to obtain ID’s, work legally, or apply for citizenship in the county. Even their three children who were born in the camp were unable to receive Thai citizenship. Lion worked odd jobs for money. He would leave before dawn and come back after dusk so that he could escape the camp without being spotted and turned into authorities (there was a state sponsored system that paid people who turned in refugees). They worked with an NGO who provided a small plot of land near the camp to teach other refugees how to grow food, as well as raise their own so they could survive. After almost a decade of living as stateless refugees, they were finally granted asylum in the US in 2006. Continued in Part 2...

This week’s farm inspection takes us to @bullcityfarm . Scott and Sam met while working together at a roadside zoo in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. They were both students at Virginia Tech at the time. Sam had plans on continuing that work and focusing on education and animal welfare, but when she learned more about the horrendous conditions animals were facing in the industrial meat industry, she decided to pivot to farming animals in a way where people could know the animals they were eating had been given loving, humane treatment during their time on the farm. They moved back to North Carolina and started Bull City Farm in 1992. At first, they focused primarily on raising cows and hosting summer camps on the farm. Scott worked full-time at a nearby nursery while Sam focused on building the farm. They expanded to chickens, pigs, sheep, turkeys, and geese - some for meat, some as pets, and some as protectors from predators. Scott eventually left the nursery and Sam began working for the Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT), where she is now the Humane Farming Program Director and works with farmers all over the country focusing on humane animal agriculture and the policies that influence their care. Bull City and its 38 acres serve as a working example of what that looks like. Large chicken coops are built directly onto trailers, allowing the chickens to be constantly moved and rotated to new pasture while also giving them refuge from heat or predators. Pigs happily rotate between the shady hay beds of their pen and big mud baths in the summer sun. A flock of sheep wander in one field, while cattle slowly graze another. They even found a safe and natural way to protect their animals against insects by bringing in a colony of Purple Martin birds that continually fly around and pick off pesky flies mid air. There is no way of getting around the fact that eating meat means an animal has given its life. But for Sam and Scott, making sure that animal has had a caring, enjoyable, humane environment is their ultimate goal. It’d be a lot cheaper and easier if they did it the conventional way, but for them, no amount of money is worth giving up their values.

This week’s inspection takes us to LB’s Farm. Lee & Linda have been with us for years now and each time we go back for an inspection, their garden seems to get bigger and bigger. For two people who chose this as their post-military retirement, it’s clear they don’t know what to do without hard work in their life. The physical labor of farming is challenging enough, but add in the variables of weather, pests, and plant disease, and the work can feel endless. Especially if you choose to farm focused entirely on sustainability. LB’s Farm is Certified Naturally Grown. They use crop rotation and cover crops to allow the soil to recover and stay healthy. And they don’t use ANY sprays or chemical fertilizers. This means when they have bugs, they have to find solutions that aren’t spraying…like walking through the rows using a hand vacuum to suck up potato beetles. It takes a lot more time and effort. It also means a lower crop yield. Only about 60% of what they grow makes it to market at sellable produce. It’s not ideal, which is why the majority of farms in America don’t grow this way. But for Lee & Linda, knowing their food is free of any chemicals and their soil is full of life is worth the trade off. Here’s the uncomfortable truth though. Losing 40% of your crops means most of the time you aren’t going to be able to charge the same price as conventional farms losing 10-20%. It costs more to grow sustainably, and if we want farms that do it, we have to be willing to pay for it and support them. Just like independent restaurants or local coffee shops, the items they sell aren’t overpriced; they’re a reflection of the real cost of running a business without subsidies or mass wholesale buying power. What we get in exchange is the chance to know the people behind our food, a quality product grown with care, and to keep the dollars we spend in our local economy. Whether it was the time they spent serving their country, the days they dedicate to educating aspiring farmers, or the food they grow for our market, Lee & Linda rarely choose the easy path. But they always choose the one that aligns with who they are - genuine, intentional, kind people.

Our inspection this week takes us to @goodnessgrovefarm , located in southeast Raleigh. One thing we can always count on with our visits to Goodness Grove is a conversation that opens ours minds a bit wider. Whether that’s talking about some new farming method Rhylon has read about, learning about their wild pre-farming past, or digging into how their journey across the globe shows up on Dain’s art. Rhylon and Dain moved to the US from Korea a few years back. They traded their late night lives working in the bustling music and club world for the early morning solitude of farm life. It was a drastic transition that took some time to adjust to. As we walked through their budding fig trees with @dain_art , we asked her how that transition has shown up in her art. She explained that many of her pieces feature birds, a representation of her regular migration over the years. Whether that be to England for university, touring around Asia, or ultimately settling here in the US. After hearing that, it brought a new perspective to her art. It made us look harder and notice that those birds are almost always contrasted with flowers or trees…perhaps a representation of the roots they have planted (both figuratively and actually) in their work as farmers? Over the last three seasons, those roots have grown deeper. The trees they’ve planted are bearing fruit. The soil they’ve nurtured is full of life. And the regular needs of the farm have grounded these seasonal migrators longer than they’re used to. The trade off is a farm that has grown tremendously in a very short period. Fields of lush green lettuce, vibrant garlic stalks shooting tall, and a brand new high tunnel filled with tomatoes plants preparing to climb the just-hung trellising. As we ask if the high tunnel means we’ll see them in the fall months, one thing is clear - even if they can now grow in the colder months, these birds will always need at least a little time to fly south for winter…It’s just in their nature.

BIG NEWS!!! We’re less than a month away from our annual Farmers Fall Festival! Here is the lineup of vendors that will make up this year’s festival. We’re so excited to host all these wonderful local businesses. Just like our farmers market, all our vendors at the festival must make their products and be located within 100 miles of Cary, so you can know you’re truly buying local! We’ll be announcing some other important details about the festival over the next few weeks, but until then, save the date in your calendar. We’ll see you 9/19/26 from 11am-4pm at the @downtowncarypark .

Our friends at @blyesbees emailed us this week with some pretty exciting news. One of their hives had produced purple honey! This extremely rare occurrence is one of the great mysteries of the honey world. Why? Because no one really knows exactly what variable or combination of variables cause the change to occur, meaning it cannot be intentionally produced. You could have 50 colonies in the same region, pollinating the same area, and it only show up in one hive. It’s dark purple in the jar, but when held to the light has glowing tones of ruby and violet (see pics). It’s sweet, smooth, and lingers on the tongue with a floral finish. It is almost exclusively produced by bees in the Carolinas, so it’s a truly rare local treat that is coveted by honey lovers all over the world. Jim and Cindy will have very limited quantities of 3 oz jars at this week’s market before they list it on their website for wider sale across the country. Curious? Stop by and chat with them. Having the beekeeper himself to buy from is one of the many benefits of shopping at your local farmers market.

Every so often, we’ll be chatting with a customer at the info booth and they will tell us in a quiet, almost shameful tone that they “shopped at another farmers market😬”. They say it as if they’ve broken some unspoken covenant. The truth is, we love our fellow farmers markets! In fact, we meet up for coffee, forward each other vendors, and share tips with each other to improve our markets. A rising tide lifts all boats! Our goals are largely focused on building community and improving the lives of farmers and small business owners. We do that better when we work together. Of course, we love to be your go-to source for all things local, but we always support the choice to shop local…even if it’s not with us. A huge thank you to the wonderful teams at @carrborofarmersmarket , @durhamfarmersmarket , @midtownfarmers , @theblackfarmersmarketnc , @wwfarmersmkt , and @sanfordfarmersmarketnc for taking the time to help us share this message. And a special thanks to the @ncfarmersmarketnetwork for keeping us all connected! Happy Farmers Market Week!

Mark your calendar, cause Peach Daze is back! Join us at the Cary Farmers Market on June 27th to celebrate all things peaches! From fresh peaches, to peach salsa, to peach baked goods, we’ll have plenty of delicious options to make your summer a little sweeter. Look for more details next week!

It’s finally here! This Saturday (9/19) is The Farmers Fall Festival! Check out our final lineup, which includes both regular farmers market vendors, as well as a ton of special event vendors! Another huge thank you to all lovely sponsors who give us the support to make this happen, and the amazing folks at the @downtowncarypark who provide an absolutely stunning background for the festival!

The Farmers Fall Festival isn’t just a fun event, it’s also the largest fundraiser for our Farmers Market, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. And a big portion of that fundraising comes from our amazing sponsors. We don’t just accept anyone who wants to give us money. They aren’t just names on a sign. We only partner with people who care about our community and the work we do. They aren’t just sponsors, they are our friends and neighbors. So if you love coming to the festival each year or the farmers market each week, please make sure you stop by their booths and say thank you. This event couldn’t happen without them. We appreciate you: @cashleymanndds @neighborupnc @atlanticunionbank @meridiancary @meridianeastchatham @onceinabluemoonbakery @thewalkerapts @thedouglasrealtygroup @mosasparesort

This Saturday is our 3rd annual Peach Daze event! Besides lots of fresh NC peaches from @chappellpeachesnc , our other vendors will have a plethora of peach themed goodies. Here are some of what you’ll find: *Peach Cinnamon Rolls, Upside Down Peach Cornmeal Cake, Peach Cheesecake Cups, Peach & Raspebrry Danish, and Peach Cobbler Buns from @bebakery.llc *Peach Salsa from @mamassalsa *Peach and Organic Coconut & Ginger, Peach, and Chicken Empanadas from @empa_nadas_nc *Sparkling Peach Matcha Lemonade & Peach Honey Cinnamon Latte from @botanistbean *Summer Breeze Shave Ice (Watermelon, Peach, and Strawberry) from @tropicalsno919 *Peach Snap Cold Pressed Juice (Apple, Peach, Lemon, Ginger, Basil) from @therefreshery *Peach Kefir from @carthage_fresh *Peach Tree Cultivars (Contender, Red Haven and China Pearl) from @nbngrowers *Bourbon Barrel-Aged Peach Cider from @jamescreekciderhouse

Don’t let the rain scare you away. We’re open and have lots of beautiful local food!

VENDOR APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!!! The Farmers Fall Festival is back for our 9th year on September 19th! We will have farmers, food, crafts, kids’ activities, live music, our famous pie eating contest, and more. With thousands of attendees each year, this annual event serves as the main fundraiser for the Cary Farmers Market, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and gives us the funding to continue to operate our weekly market year-round. It’s also a way to spotlight way more local artists, crafters, musicians, and food makers than we can fit in our regular weekly market space. Interested in becoming a vendor or sponsor? Check out the link below to learn more. The deadline to apply is June 1st, so make sure to get your application in before then. See link to application page on our profile page in the bio section. NOTE: None of our staff will ever comment or DM you regarding open space. Ignore scammers attempting to do so. Do not send them any money or info. See less

On top of over 100 booths of farmers, bakers, and craftsfolk spread throughout the @downtowncarypark , the Farmers Fall Festival will also have a killer lineup food trucks offering a variety of tasty lunch options. What truck are you looking forward to???

We’ve got a new guest vendor joining the market this week! @soulcocinatriangle , a plant-based meal delivery service specializing in Latin-inspired dishes made without gluten ingredients. Their menu features scratch-made items like burrito bowls and enchiladas using local, seasonal ingredients. The meals are refrigerated & freezer friendly, fully cooked and ready to heat and serve. They also offer favorites like frozen tamales and pupusas to make lunch or dinner time a breeze! During the market they will have refreshing aguas frescas made with fresh fruit and warm, ready-to-eat pasteles de yuca and tamales to enjoy while you shop. Make sure to stop by and welcome them to the market this Saturday!

It’s almost here! The Farmers Fall Festival is our biggest event of the year and largest fundraiser for the Cary Farmer Market, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Join on us September 19th, from 11am-4pm for live music by @gracielu.luvsu & @purebredmuttsband , our famous pie eating contest, face painting & fairy hair, Santa & Mrs. Claus to get those holiday card pics taken care of early, food trucks, and over 100 vendor booths! All taking place in the beautiful @downtowncarypark ! We can’t wait to see you there!!!

In this week’s Ask A Farmer segment, we’re talking about Lettuce! What’s your favorite way to use your farm fresh lettuce?

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In this week’s Ask A Farmer segment, we’re talking about Lettuce!