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