The spring issue of Edible Charlotte magazine hit stands on March 1st. Find out where to pick up your copy here, or come out and raise a glass (on us!) to the new issue at NODA Brewing Company today from 4-7 pm. Grab a pint of the new Jam Session Pale Ale or, one of my favorites, the Midnight Madness Black IPA.
This issue may have been the most fun for me yet. I had the pleasure of meeting Dave Krabbe and Kathryn Spann of Prodigal Farms in Rougemont, NC. They operate a goat-centric, Animal Welfare Approved dairy, creating a variety of goats milk cheeses, chevre cakes and breads made from the milk’s whey. After spending the afternoon touring their beautiful 97-acre farm and learning how happy goats are the foundation of their business, I was delighted to be sent home with one of their goat’s milk blueberry cheesecakes and, let me tell you, it was divine!
My visit to the local muscadine winery, Treehouse Vineyards, in Monroe tapped into memories from my childhood, where I spent my earliest summers chasing my grandparent’s Saint Bernards, Ben and Buck, through my Grandaddy’s 350+ acres of grapevines in York, SC–careful to avoid the piles of boulders that my grandmother swore were rife with snakes. One sip of Treehouse’s Sweet Union during the tasting took me right back to sitting in the shade of the vines, bringing the thick flesh of a scuppernong to my lips, squeezing the freckled fruit gently with both hands, and releasing the sweet and juicy deliciousness into my mouth. Heaven–if in heaven I am wearing a terrycloth jumper.
Then I had the pleasure of working with my sweet hubby, Mark, for the piece on Southend’s own, Lenny Boy Brewing. Not another beer brewery, although I would be the last to complain if it was, Lenny Boy’s Townes Mozer is the proud producer of Raw Kombucha Tea. Although I consider myself to be a consistent purveyor of healthy eats, I had never tried Kombucha before, or “Booch” as it is often referred to by its regular consumers. It was like nothing I had ever tasted and I was hooked from the first sip. It is an effervescent, fermented tea, chock full of beneficial probiotics and B vitamins. Townes offers a variety of flavors in the taproom, open Sundays, or you can pick up a bottle at any of these local spots.
Finally, I met Ron Morgan of One Hundred Gardens who, along with his partners Sam Fleming and Charlie Oliphant, is working to connect the Charlotte community to struggling communities in Haiti through the establishment of aquaponic gardens–66 educational gardens built in the Charlotte area and 33 high yield systems sent to Haiti that can each provide nourishment for over 3 dozen people a day. As an avid home gardener, I knew this assignment was right in my wheelhouse. After spending the morning with Ron, one of the most charming, passionate and inspiring people I have met in a long time, I left feeling, as my dear friend Jillian would say, as if I could have sopped him up with a biscuit.
So come on down to NODA Brewing Company this afternoon and grab your copy. Cheers!
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