The Latest Happenings at Beta Verde

Hello everyone,

As you all know, we are always game to collaborate with talented folks who would like to share their gifts- be it music, film, literature or art with our ever interested community. We have had the pleasure of hosting retreats and think tanks, educators and their students, filmmakers, songwriters and of course, food folks, who bring us all to the table! 

Coming up at BV next Tuesday, October 20th is a preview of the Unheard Voices Project. In early 2016 (exact dates TBA), we look forward to hosting Beth McKee and Jeffrey Dean Foster. These two immensely talented and beloved artists of music seem to have an extra dimension when they get together. Stay tuned for a very special house concert! 

(Note: Lynn Book, performer extraordinaire and BV concert 'alum', will be debuting her new concert project – PLOT –  in Chicago, Oct 22, 8 pm, Logan Performing Arts Center, University of Chicago)

Tuesday, October 20th, 6:00pm - 7:30pm. Screening preview at 6:30pm

The Unheard Voices Project will preview their documentary film, UNION TIME at BV. Please join Cornelia and Matt Barr as they share the back story of their film which tells the story of a successful campaign by and for the union workers at the Smithfield plant in Tar Heel, NC. We are pleased to provide a few nibbles to go along with this. 

BV Kitchen:

Where is the jam, the pickles??? We have been making some new jams and of course Green Martini Maters, limited editions plus a few favorites which we will roll out later this fall at the Cobblestone Farmers Market's Holiday Pop Up on December 5th and a few other places which we will announce soon.  For sure count on Apple Chili Ginger, Mountain Cherry and Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper plus Black Currant and Gooseberry! 

Also, sharing the BV kitchen is Village Juice, THE delicious cold pressed juices and almond milks you are seeing around town, at Cobblestone, Krankies Airstream, and events at Bailey Park in the Innovation Quarter are JUICING in the BV kitchen! What a great crew led by VJ owner and creator, Lonnie Atkinson!

Please feel free to share this email with friends and family. Wishing you all the very best of FALL and hope to see you at BV and around  town or beyond!

Margaret and Salem

Southern Heirloom Apple Tree Planting Project

The 20th Conference on Restoring Southern Gardens & Landscapes was especially wonderful in remembering Flora Ann Bynum and all she meant to landscape restoration in Old Salem. Her mission was the whole landscape, including gardens, meadows, fields, historic fencing styles, native trees and shrubs and, of course, fruit trees.

At this year's conference, the Southern Heir- loom Apple Tree Planting Project was featured. This initiative of Beta Verde (Margaret Norfleet Neff and Salem Neff -- the creators of the Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market) was inspired by C. Lee Calhoun, author of Old Southern Apples, and Slow Food's Ark of Taste. Through the project, Beta Verde seeks to revive cultural heritage and regional diversity by en- couraging the growing of heirloom apple trees on public and private land, such as colleges and universities, organizations, neighborhoods, and farms.

The inaugural planting was in Reynolda Gardens last year, with the second planting (photo above) two weeks ago in Old Salem during the conference. Two trees sourced from Horne Creek Farm were planted by conference atten- dees on the Reuter/Vogler lot at the corner of West and Salt Streets: the Magnum Bonum apple tree originated in 1828 in Davidson County and is sometimes called the "king of all fall apples," and the Aunt Rachel is a little known tree from Chatham County, North Caro- lina, that Mr. Calhoun has promoted as a fast growing, disease resistant tree producing a delicious summer apple.

A third tree will be dug from Century Farm Orchards in Rockingham County for a Novem- ber planting to complete the addition of fruit trees to the lot!

—Contributed by Martha Hartley 

The Longrifle

A Newsletter for staff and residents at Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Beta Verde has a New Look

Beta Verde is looking spiffy for the Summer, thanks to new signs made by Kirk Fry, art director/designer at The Mill! Driving down Milhaven Road, you won't miss the eye-catching sign at the end of the driveway, so stop by and visit us!

SECCA Launches the 'Floating World'

On April 25, 2015, artist Mary Mattingly partnered with Beta Verde, local students, and community members to create what will become a living biosphere floating on the lake at SECCA in Winston-Salem. Potted plants were attached to a geodesic dome structure, which will float on the SECCA lake for six months.

Click here to see the original article by Camel City Dispatch

The biosphere is bursting with green at SECCA!

Members from the community are transforming Mary Mattingly's geodesic dome into a biosphere! Some of the seeds used for the planting and growing were donated by RAFI USA, SOW TRUE SEEDS, and the Old Salem Museums and Gardens Horticulture Department.

The biosphere will be at SECCA as a part of the Collective Actions exhibit until March 22, 2015 and THEN, off to the lake! Check out SECCA's website for more information on when to visit!

Beta Verde at SECCA

Beta Verde is thrilled to be a community partner for SECCA's Collective Actions exhibit this March! Working closely with innovative artist, Mary Mattingly and the SECCA staff, BV Founder Margaret Norfleet Neff will be on hand to help make a living biosphere on a geodesic dome.

Members of the community are invited to come out and plant seeds in reusable plastic containers to cover the dome, which will float on the SECCA lake for a period of six months. During this time, the biosphere will become a living island and will serve as an inspiration for a more sustainable future.

Check out this article by Kim Underwood with the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools regarding a few classroom visits to SECCA and planting with Mary Mattingly!

Good Food Awards Finalist!

Beta Verde's Green Martini Maters are 2014 Finalists in the Good Food Awards! We are thrilled to be included in such esteemed company of fellow American "food crafters committed to the values of the Good Food Movement, using sustainable ingredients and supporting their local economies".
We invite you to try these pickled green cherry tomatoes- the perfect addition to a martini or paired with charcuterie.

Follow us on Facebook!

This market season is coming to a close and we will miss seeing your faces at the markets every week. If you are interested in following what Beta Verde is up to over the fall and winter, visit our Facebook page for the most recent updates!

Market Season Starts this Saturday!

The Cobblestone Farmers Market opens for the season on Saturdays and Tuesdays in Winston-Salem starting on April 13th!

Saturdays from 9am-12pm, April 13th-November 23rd
The Saturday market will begin at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts and then move to its regular location in Old Salem on May 18th for the rest of the season.

Tuesdays from 10am-1pm, April 16th-November 26th
For the 2013 season, CFM Downtown will be held at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts.

If you missed the Pop Up Markets this winter, here's a refresher on the Milton Rhodes Center location:

Where is the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts?
The MRCA is located at 251 N. Spruce Street, one block from Fourth Street. The market is set up in front of the building around the semi-circular drive.

Where do I park for the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts?

Parking on Saturdays is free downtown and $1 in the lot across the streets. Parking on Tuesdays is $1 in the lot, some free parking on the street, and metered parking elsewhere.

What forms of payment are accepted at the market?

Cash is the primary form of payment. Some vendors accept checks and credit card using the Square. EBT and WIC FMNP are also accepted. if using EBT or WIC FMNP vouchers, visit the information tent.

Where is the closest ATM to the MRCA?

There is an ATM one block north at Fourth and Spruce inside the Community Arts Cafe and one block south at the BB&T branch.

Do I bring my own shopping bag?

Some vendors will have small plastic bags for items but bringing your own reusable bags, baskets and rolling carts is always a great idea and it helps the environment!

Shop Beta Verde!

Shop Beta Verde products this Holiday season! Check out our Products and Events page for local opportunities to purchase and be sure to e-mail or call us to make an order for delivery or shipping.

Current Price List:

Green Martini Maters: $8
Strawberry-Rosemary Syrup: $8
Jams (8oz): $9
   Choose from: Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper, Strawberry Lemon Balm, Thyme-ly Strawberry, Blackberry Mint Whiskey, Pear Rosemary, Peach Ginger, Sweet Cherry, Arkansas Black Apple, Ginger, and Chili, Plum Vanilla, Frankly Fab Fig, Blueberry Jalapeno

Tax and Shipping Apply. Product Availability subject to change.

Slow Food Piedmont Seed Swap in Garden and Gun

Slow Food Piedmont's annual Seed Swap is in the upcoming Garden and Gun Magazine (Dec/Jan 2013)! This past year, the Seed Swap was hosted by Old Salem Museum and Gardens and the historical setting and partnership with the Horticulture Department exceeded our expectations. With over 400 people in attendance last year for the swap and potluck, it was a tradition in the making! We are so happy to continue that partnership this year.

This year's Slow Food Piedmont Seed Swap will be Saturday, January 19th, and we look forward to seeing you there with seeds to swap, stories to share, and camaraderie all around! In the meantime, check out the link to Garden and Gun's new issue or pick up your own copy while available!

Slow Food USA Q&A with Margaret and Salem Neff

Slow Food USA has begun a monthly blog series featuring Slow Food members and their projects, and we were chosen as the September feature!

We encourage you to check out the blog and become a member of this stellar organization, and here's a sneak peek at the interview by Slow Food staff member, Emily Walsh:

"Symbiosis between a mother and child begins at infancy when the child still depends upon them for survival and it usually starts to taper off as the child becomes more self-sufficient.  But by the time the child reaches adulthood, they and their mother, while still close, are often living separate lives that are independent of one another in many ways. 

I wanted to preface the following transcript with this idea because I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Margaret Norfleet-Neff and Salem Neff, and they truly have one of the most special parent-child relationships I’ve ever encountered.  In addition to sharing the same life passion—enjoying and connecting others with Good, Clean and Fair food—they work together.  And while we all know working with family has a reputation for being a bad idea, this mother-daughter duo seems to know the secret.  Always ready to jump in and help the other finish their sentences, they are seemingly as comfortable challenging the other to think about things differently. 
In addition to their work with the local Slow Food chapter (Slow Food Piedmont Triad), Margaret and Salem own Beta Verde, a local food project that plays a variety of roles in Winston-Salem’s (North Carolina) food and farming community.  From planning farm-to-table events, to partnering on research and the development of new food and agricultural initiatives, to specializing in preservation of the season’s harvest, the project promotes Slow Food and makes more people more aware of the story behind their food.  They’re also market managers for the Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market, which U.S. News and World Report recently voted one of America’s 11 best farmers markets."

TWO BETA VERDE RECIPES ARE INCLUDED AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW, AS WELL AS OUR "TEN WAYS TO USE BETA VERDE JAM". Here are our "TEN WAYS" but there are so many more! Comments welcome on how YOU use BV jams!

TOP 10 WAYS TO USE YOUR BETA VERDE JAM:

1. TOAST/BISCUITS: slather it on with abandon!
2. GRILLED CHEESE: spread it on one side or both of your bread before adding cheese. Blueberry Jalapeno and sharp cheddar is our favorite combination!
3. YOGURT: add a spoonful to your plain yogurt and granola and stir
4. MEATS: add a spoonful to your marinade for pork, beef, or chicken to exert sweetness from the meat or plop it in top of your grilled meat to finish it off
5. SALAD DRESSING: add a spoonful to your basic dressing to create a unique dressing. Strawberry, Balsamic, Black Pepper Jam with a strawberry, walnut, goat cheese salad is delicious!
6. ICE CREAM: Add to your homemade ice cream or top it off at the end
7. GOAT CHEESE/ CREAM CHEESE LOG: Pour on top of the log for a quick appetizer!
8. THUMBPRINT OR LINZER COOKIES: A perfect tea time companion
9. SCONES/MUFFINS: Make your own? Spoon it in your recipe.
10. TRIFLE: mix your jam with fruit and chocolate into this multi-layered delight

US News and World Report votes Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market One of America's Best

Wow! We are so humbled. US News and World Report just voted our 2 month old market one of the 11 BEST farmers markets in America!
It was based on reputation, versatility, online user reviews, and overall atmosphere.


Here is what was written about the market AND BETA VERDE:

Winston-Salem, N.C.

With the tantalizing aroma of freshly picked strawberries and ginger cookies wafting through the air, Cobblestone Market's colorful venue is a treat for the senses. Held at the Old Salem Museum & Gardens in Winston-Salem, N.C., the market boasts a lush setting, backed by ancient Moravian gardens. The gorgeous surroundings not only provide shoppers with a lovely ambience, but also a peek into centuries-old organic gardening practices. Every Saturday from May through November, more than 20 vendors gather in Old Salem to sell their fair-trade products. Health-conscious shoppers will be happy to note the market contains only "pesticide-free" produce.

Don't Miss: Sampling the unique offerings of Beta Verde (a dynamic mother-daughter duo that manages the market). Seasonal favorites include Totally Apricot jam and Summer Solstice Cherry preserves.

For the rest of article, click HERE.

Edible Response to Paperless: Join us on July 26 and July 28

Join us for two Food & Art experiences rarely seen in Winston-Salem. In collaboration with SECCA and Whole Artist, we will be creating the edible responses for the Cocktail at the hidden greenhouse on the grounds of SECCA and an Intimate Dining Experience at Beta Verde with performative responses by artists throughout.

Food & Art Greenhouse Cocktail: In response to Paperless, Whole Artist, Site Specific, cocktail hour features architect Brandon Pass & response fare by Beta Verde

Thursday, July 26 @ 5:30 pm

$35 per person

Join us in the casual company of local architect, Brandon Pass where his practice and his interests in what creates Site Specificity will be explored.  Experience a cohesive studio visit with Pass and mother/daughter duo chefs of Beta Verde, who will present bite-sized fare along with cooling tailor-made cocktail mixers, made especially for YOU.

Where else should we cool our heels and consider forms that make up dwellings, days of paper trails gone past and notions of the digital future, but SECCA’s hidden treasure, the private ghostly green house structure.  This space once housed fashionable cocktails parties that now live on, not on paper, but by word of mouth.  Let’s make new history as we celebrate Pass’ notions of how a site can make for infinite location and possibility.

Cocktail Mixer Teaser: A shrub or a shrub... we have both at Beta Verde, some outside and some percolating inside! Mason jars filled with blackberries and a variety of vinegars, are fermenting in anticipation. The old fashioned 'pick me up' is going rogue as the centerpiece cocktail response to SECCA's paperless exhibit. A shrub is an acidulated beverage made of fruit juice, sugar, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention of refrigeration, a shrub syrup was a means of preserving fruit long past its picking.

Food & Art Dinner Experience: Vicki Fowler’s Whole Artist, “In Consideration of Eating the Tree: An Intimate Dining Experience”

Saturday, July 28 @ 7pm

$75 per person

SECCA invites you to participate in Vicki Fowler’s Whole Artist celebratory eulogy in honor of the Tree’s offspring, PAPER. This intimate performative dining experience includes a five course menu with performative response by arists/ artisans in celebration of SECCA’s current exhibit paperless. Menu provided by Beta Verde.


Our response sans the surprise edibles: We think of the way the tree improves the food that we eat, the plants themselves or the animal’s diet. The tree goes through seasonal changes, from providing pollen to honey bees, to fruiting, to shading more sensitive lettuces or flowers, to the shedding of its leaves to prepare for the next year. The tree- fruit bearing, nut bearing- casts its delicacies downward for our benefit and forest fed swine. The tree- maple- replenishes its inner juices. The tree- poplar- is harvested and implanted for mushrooms and the tree- cedar- protects the mushroom logs from inclement weather and decay. 

We respond strongly to the shadow and metaphor of paper - its beauty in every form and its hand to hand connection, the carrier of words with nature.

Tickets for the Cocktail are available through SECCA (Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art) and the dinner through Whole Artist.

The Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market

Come visit us at the Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9am-12pm! We are vendors and the market managers and our Saturdays have never been so fulfilling and fun!


This independent market is the first Saturday morning producer's only market in Winston-Salem. All of our farmers grow pesticide free and all of the meat vendors are Animal Welfare Approved. Krankies Coffee sells iced coffee and pour-over coffee and Winston-Salem's first food truck, Joaquin's Curb Cuisine makes locally sourced breakfast items. As the second Cobblestone Farmers Market after the Tuesday Cobblestone Farmers Market, the term "Cobblestone" is officially branded as Winston-Salem's independent producer's only markets where you KNOW you will be buying from the producer and there will be no resale.

Locally Grown News wrote a wonderful article on how the market brings Old Salem full circle since Old Salem had been the center of trade once upon a time.

The Opening Day of the market on May 12th featured a 10-piece Moravian band and the blowing of the conch shell, a Moravian tradition, to announce that the market had opened. Even without the Moravian music, the generous feeling of being in a historic setting in a contemporary yet basic way is ever present. Not to mention that that beautiful, cool and sunny day is fondly remembered now in the early July heat.

Farmers Market season returns!

This year, we are excited to be available every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday morning through the season around town and at your service! We will be part of three farmers markets in Winston-Salem. They are all producers-only and host the best of the best growers and artisans around the area. No resale is allowed and that is key to maintaining quality control.

Starting this week, we will return to two of these markets and then on May 12th, a new market will be opening: the Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market. We will be managing this market, as well as vending. More on that in a later post...


Find us starting tomorrow at:

Cobblestone Farmers Market Downtown
Third Street and Patterson Ave, Winston-Salem, NC
Every Tuesday from 10am-1pm from April 17th, 2012 to November 20th, 2012


and starting this Friday:

Reynolda Village Farmer's Market
Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem, NC
Every Friday from 9am-1pm from April 20th, 2012


and starting Saturday, May 12th:

Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market

In Old Salem behind T. Bagge Merchant, at the corner of West St. and Salt St.

Every Saturday from 9am-12pm from May 12th, 2012 to November 17th, 2012

An Educational and Adventurous Saturday in November

  On Saturday, Mom, Eric, Uncle Kirk, and I loaded up to drive to Century Farm Orchards, about an hour's drive northeast from Winston-Salem. 

  A picturesque fall day with the leaves at their peak- we were headed to the Old Southern apple specialists, the Vernon family who has been running the farm for over a hundred years. Because many of them are teachers, their hours are limited and are only open Saturdays in November to see the orchard and purchase trees!

  We had explored the catalog of apples, pears and figs beforehand and had pre-ordered a few to add to the pack, but once we stepped up to the massive table of apples, we knew we were in for a delicious education. Off the bat, the Goldrush apple made a very sweet impression. It had three times the intensity of others of its size and color and description. Not all are eating apples, of course. Some are best for cooking or for hard cider. A hearty fan of hard cider, I made sure the Hewe's Crab apple- described as making the finest cider- would be coming home with us. 

  In the end, we brought home 15 new trees, including a Goldrush apple, a Hewe's crab apple, a Magnum Bonum apple, 2 Royal Limbertwig apples, two Seckel Pears, 2 Black Violette figs, 2 Brown Turkey figs, 2 Celeste figs, and 2 Italian Golden Honey Fig!!!! Along the way, we listened to bluegrass music in the old tobacco barn, watched a demo of how to plant the trees, and wandered the hills of the orchard.

  Fully satisfied with our planned adventure, we nonetheless couldn't help stopping at the Perkins Ostrich Farm to purchase ostrich meat. The farm is owned by Jake, Jake the Snake, an 88-year old man who WILL live to one hundred and quite the charmer. He schooled us in ostrich as we googly-eyed the birds whose flexible necks bobbed around us, their strong jaws without teeth still intimidating. Ostriches can live up to 80 years, weigh 600 lbs. and are fascinating. The babies resembled giraffe dinosaurs, truly. 

   If you want Old Southern apples, there is no better than Century Farm Orchards and with the gorgeous road trip on 158, bluegrass music in an old tobacco barn at the orchard, and a stop at the ostrich farm, this was a perfect November excursion.

The Reserve of the Preserves

This coming Tuesday, November 1st, we are pulling out our beta verde limited stock jams and preserves. 
These include:
- earlier in the season choices: including Strawberry-Rosemary Syrup, Pickled Blueberries, Apricot Jam, and more...
- in-season options: including recently added Muscadine Grape Preserves and Arkansas Black Apple, Ginger, Chili Preserves
-ones you've NEVER SEEN! Some we have only made one or two batches.



This is the only week we will have ALL of it out at Cobblestone and so think about stocking up for yourself and your family. These are perfect holiday and hostess gifts, too! No pre-orders before Tuesday but after Tuesday, all is fair game.

With the end of market approaching, it is time to roll out THE RESERVE OF THE PRESERVES. Don't you think?

Chaos Cooking at Beta Verde in Winston-Salem Journal

Photograph by David Rolfe

   Michael Hastings, the food editor at the Winston-Salem Journal, visited Beta Verde on Sunday for Chaos Cooking's Brunch Through Lunch event. We knew he was going to write an article on Chaos but had no idea there would be two (article 1 and article 2)! As one of the organizers, it was such a thrill to see Chaos recognized so thoroughly!
 
   Chaos Cooking had their initial event over a year ago at Beta Verde and since then the baton has passed to a slew of other hosts, offering their kitchens or farms. A community-building event through the process of cooking one dish each all together in the same kitchen... it's a blast! It also hits home for what Beta Verde is about at its core: fostering community resources and memories through local food and eating together.

   Please feel free to "like" the Facebook group for Chaos Cooking Winston-Salem and join wherever it is next time!

Antioxidants, Pickles and Pickled Antioxidants

As the summer heats up, so does our market selection! Antioxidant level at Beta Verde is HIGH! We have had at market so far our Blueberry Mint Preserves, Blueberry Basil Preserves and Blueberry Primer Preserves mmmmmmmm and this week, we are stepping up the variety even more.

Check us out at Cobblestone Market tomorrow for Blueberry Jalapeno Preserves, zested with lime and Whole Pickled Blueberries (AMAZING with cookies and creme ice cream... or anything for that matter).

Another item to hit the underside of the tent this week is our Green Mater Martini Pickles. Premiered at Single Brothers in the Beta Verde Martini, they are now available for you to take home! Delicious for snacking or as the perfect topping to that dirty martini, these maters pack a punch when they burst.

Green cherry tomatoes pre-brine

Our garlic harvest out of the ground
and headed to be cured