July 4th 2015

 From my home to yours….





 

Enjoy the weekend everyone and our Freedom!

 

For the past 3 years Red Gold has supplied me with their tomato products to create new recipes with.

It’s Red Gold Summer Grilling Giveaway again and this year they are hosting with Laura’s Lean Beef. Starting June 24th through July 22, 2015 on Red Gold Facebook Page. You can find recipes and share your own.



Chapel Hill, North Carolina

University Mall – 201 S. Estes Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Call our store: (877) 929-7133
Monday – Thursday: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sun 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.




 

2015

It was a beautiful morning to take a walk in the fresh snow that fell overnight. It was crisp and quite in the woods until Mr. Redhead started searching for some breakfast in the bark of a tree.

Winter February 5 2015

What a beautiful Woodpecker…I was able to watch him for 2-3 minutes before the dogs took notice and scared him away…I believe he is happy here, I’m sure to see him again.

The Red-headed Woodpecker is one of only four North American woodpeckers known to store food, and it is the only one known to cover the stored food with wood or bark. It hides insects and seeds in cracks in wood, under bark, in fenceposts, and under roof shingles. Grasshoppers are regularly stored alive, but wedged into crevices so tightly that they cannot escape.

• Red-headed Woodpeckers are fierce defenders of their territory. They may remove the eggs of other species from nests and nest boxes, destroy other birds’ nests, and even enter duck nest boxes and puncture the duck eggs.
• The Red-headed Woodpecker benefited from the chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease outbreaks of the twentieth century. Though these diseases devastated trees they provided many nest sites and foraging opportunities for the woodpeckers.
• The striking Red-headed Woodpecker has earned a place in human culture. Cherokee Indians used the species as a war symbol, and it makes an appearance in Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha, telling how a grateful Hiawatha gave the bird its red head in thanks for its service.
• The Red-headed Woodpecker has many nicknames, including half-a-shirt, shirt-tail bird, jellycoat, flag bird, and the flying checker-board.
• Pleistocene-age fossils of Red-headed Woodpeckers—up to 2 million years old—have been unearthed in Florida, Virginia, and Illinois.
• The Red-headed Woodpecker was the “spark bird” (the bird that starts a person’s interest in birds) of legendary ornithologist Alexander Wilson in the 1700s.
• The oldest Red-headed Woodpecker on record was banded in 1926 in Michigan and lived to be at least 9 years, 11 months old.

 

Ohio’s Own: Farmhouse Chili

 December 24, 2014 10:53 am

Chili season has arrived.

And while buying chicken noodle soup off the shelves of a grocery store has been an agreeable option, the ready-made chili-in-a-can has always seemed sorta suspect; like cat food or something.

Still, it took zero seconds of hesitation to give a big old container of Farmhouse Chili a whirl. First, because it’s sold in a glass jar. You can see the insides through the glass, and they look safe and tomatoey. Second, the label is cute. Third, it’s made in Ohio by something called The Gourmet Farm Girl. It seems like a safe bet that a gourmet farm person would not sell cat food labeled as chili.

Right out of the jar, it’s great. The chili has a vaguely smoky aromatic accent and a nice thick melange of beans and tomatoes. After a bite or two, you start to notice: wait, there’s no meat in there. Indeed, the label lists a series of items, including: tomatoes, pinto and kidney beans, onion, chili powder, pepper, smoked paprika and garlic. None of those things are animals.

Although vegans might be satisfied, as-is, the Farm Girl does suggest the possible addition of cooked ground meat. So, back to the lab with two pounds of ground turkey. The experiment with that addition (and salt) was successful. It’s a good chili and more complex and interesting than one I can typically make.

The chili comes in several other versions: Midwest Sweet Corn Chili, Garden Harvest Chili (with a variety of vegetables) and Spicy Bean. A 32 ounce contain of the chili will set you back about eight bucks.

The Gourmet Farm Girl brand expands well beyond chili. It also offers olive oils, balsamic vinegar, seasoning blends and soup mixes. You can find Gourmet Farm Girl products at local gourmet grocers such as Lucky’s, Weiland’s and The Hills.

For more information, visit www.thegourmetfarmgirl.com.

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