Hi all, Charlotte Fresh back in town to find that everything’s abuzz with holiday preparations. From your holiday roast to your gifts large and small, go local. There’s no excuse not to find it – our local farmers’ markets are open tomorrow. There are candles, soap bars, cakes, pies, ornaments and an assortment of other local foods and crafts to be found. Don’t forget to check the new 7th Street Public Market that Hubby just blogged about.
Here are some of the items my family and friends will be enjoying this year:
A very lovely rib roast from Baucom's Best
Harvest Moon Grille coffee locally roasted by Boquete Mountain Coffee
And Monk's coffee from Atherton
Bacon Peanut Brittle from Harvest Moon Grille
Cheval Farmstead Dairy goat cheese - find it at the new 7th Street Public Market
Cookies made with sorghum molasses - see recipe below (You can buy this molasses at HMG's stand outside the restaurant)
And the very unusual locally grown kiwi (who knew?) from Clyde Valley Farms in Morganton, SC (get it at HMG over the next couple of weeks):
Local kiwi from Clyde Valley Farms
Little sis will be getting this cutie (don’t tell) – check out more of Karen’s wares at Sleepy Poet Antique Mall or for a limited time at HMG’s stand:
Handcrafted tree by Karen at Carolina Backyard Farm
Tomorrow, Hubby and I will be picking up more local food to add to our meal and more treats for everyone. We wish you a happy holiday and a bright new year! To celebrate, here’s an easy recipe from CF to you: my sis-in-law M.E.’s Doughboy Cookies.
Fresh Recipe: M.E.’s Doughboy Cookies
M.E.'s Doughboy Cookies
- 1/2 C oil
- 1 C sugar
- 1/4 C molasses (Use local sorghum molasses; the cookies will be awesome!)
- 1 egg
- 2 C flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- sugar or crushed candied ginger (see below) for dipping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix items in order. Form 1-inch balls and dip tops in sugar. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 min. Let cool on a rack. Yum.
Note: For candied ginger, use Windcrest Farms baby ginger and slice thinly. Make a simple syrup of 1:1 ratio of water to sugar. About 2 lbs of ginger needs 2.5 C water & sugar. Mix water and sugar; dissolve over medium heat and bring the syrup to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer the ginger, stirring occasionally, for about an hour or until the ginger is softened and the sugar is absorbed. Lay out on a parchment covered baking sheet and dry in the oven at 250 degrees for 2 hours or until the ginger is dry and a little tacky. Let cool. Peel the ginger from the paper and save the excess crushed ginger flavored sugar crystals that come off the parchment for use in other recipes like the Doughboys.
Candied Windcrest Farms baby ginger
Gingered sugar
