Wake Forest

Foraging in the “Forest”

We are not suggesting that you seek and hunt your dinner in the woods. We are suggesting that sourcing food regionally makes more sense. We live near Wake Forest, NC, and prefer to forage at the Wake Forest Farmer’s Market.

About Wake Forest

Home to approximately 50,000 people and growing, this busy suburb of Raleigh, NC receives many accolades as one of the best places to live. Its gorgeous parks and recreational facilities are fantastic along with a thriving downtown community.

The History of The Name

According to the Town of Wake Forest, Wake County was created in 1771 from parts of Johnston, Cumberland, and Orange counties, and was named in honor of Margaret Wake Tryon, the wife of the then royal governor, William Tryon. In 1805 this area was designated as the Forest District, largely for the widespread forest in the area north of the Neuse River. Mostly hardwoods but some softwoods including longleaf pine. The area was also sometimes referred to as the Forest of Wake.

The Wake Forest Farmers Market

The Wake Forest Farmer’s Market is an undiscovered treasure for many of its 50,000 (approx.) residents. It is a non-profit association dedicated to educating the community about the value of local farms and the importance of local food systems. The market operates year-round, regardless of the weather. They are open 8-noon April Through October and 10 till noon November-March

The non-profit bylaws state that in order to participate the vendors must be within 75 miles of Wake Forest. The current vendors own, operate, and fund the market. Part of the appeal for many of the vendors is that they do not have to travel too far each Saturday morning to bring their goods to market. Many of the participating farms are situated in the small neighboring towns boarding Wake Forest.

Watch A Quick Tour Through The Wake Forest Farmers Market

Vendors such as Bob and Ginger Sykes who own Turtle Mist Farm. in nearby Franklinton. According to a paper written by NCSU, they purchased the land which used to be an agricultural amusement park called Arkland, “

We recently stumbled upon a local Facebook group called Franklinton NC- Reminiscing. A member’s post described that when the property was Arkland you could take out paddle boats on the lake and other fun types of agricultural amusements. The biggest surprise from this post was to learn lots of famous entertainers performed there over the years. Some of those entertainers were Conway Twitty, Ricky Scags, Mickey Gilly, and Charlie Daniels to name a few. Years later the property also hosted bull riding rodeos.

Photo Courtesy of Judy Fergerson
Photo Courtesy of Judy Fergerson

Today Bob and Ginger use the farm to share their love of nature with others and to teach children where their food comes from. They raise several varieties of sheep and chickens, along with geese, turkeys, pheasants, quail, and pigs. They offer a guest house for rent and have the facilities to host events for parties, company picnics, or even wedding receptions.

Not all of the farms are structured for entertainment. Some of the other farmers who participate in the market prefer to lead a much simpler life. The owners of Gabie’s Garden Vegetables, a small family-owned produce farm told us they do not own a computer or a cell phone. All of their produce is grown without synthetic pesticides or herbicides.

Farming is a family business, meaning that the children participate in the work on the farm from a young age. Since colonial times children tended animals and weeded gardens. The young ones at Many Hands Farm in Louisburg, NC perform farm chores to contribute to the family business. We have been enjoying their carrots, and microgreens made from sunflowers and radishes.

The selection at the Wake Forest farmers market is phenomenal. We prefer it for many reasons; it is local, we can get everything we need, and try something new. We also like to shop here because it is not a huge market. We can walk through in less than an hour and still have the rest of our Saturday. Due to the smaller footprint, we can take the time to visit the vendors without being overwhelmed. It is a friendly and welcoming market.

Participation at the Wake Forest Farmer’s Market can be as a member or as a guest. If you are a seasonal vendor like the Kalawi Farm who grows peaches on their farm, being a guest offers them an opportunity to participate to sell their wonderful peaches and peach ice cream. We had some the day of our visit and it was yummy!

Speaking of Yummy. There is a Farmer’s Market member whose business is called Yummies. She has won awards for her jams at the North Carolina State Fair. The day we went our friend Kathleen enjoyed her chocolate chip cookie.

If sweets are not your thing, don’t worry there is a vendor who sells items that are more savory in nature. Woody and earthy mushrooms. Yes, this is an artsy mushroom company called Shrooms 2 Grow. At their booth, you can find exotic mushrooms, fun tie-dyed tee shirts as well as painted gourds.

If you fancy the taste of sweet and savory then you need to look no further than at the folks at Jammin All Day Long, A newer addition to the Market. The husband and wife team Kelsey and Teresa make sweet treats, jams, and spice rubs. He competes in local barbecue competitions using his spice rubs. We had the opportunity to try his Caribbean jerk spice on some chicken wings and it was fantastic.

When it comes to husband and wife teams at the Wake Forest Farmers Market there is not a sweeter couple than this one, Robert and Michelle. The owners of Lee’s Hill Top Farm in Oxford, NC. Just stopping by their booth you feel the love. They sell fresh produce and meat. Their meats are all-natural and pasture-raised. We have been buying their ground pork for our egg roll stir fry recipe and it is the best!

If you like all natural products for your skin then The Moon Dance Soap and Sundry booth has got you covered. Since trying their soap, I have given up on store made soaps.

The Wake Forest Farmers Market is a gem! You can listen to some amazing music being played as you shop. Musicians like Loos Change, Cheryl Cleveland, Alice Osborn, and Mister Felix have all entertained here.

We highly recommend taking an hour out of your busy Saturday to enjoy all that The Wake Forest Farmer’s Market has to offer. Located at 235 South Taylor Street in Wake Forest, NC.

Sunflower arrangement with fan and wine glass

A Dinner in The Meadow

Sunflower arrangement with fan and wine glass

 

 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to dine on exquisite cuisine, prepared by expert chefs from your local area, in the middle of a meadow, on a farm, out in the country just as the sun sets? I used to imagine what this magical experience would be like and recently I was fortunate enough to be able to experience it for real.

My foodie friends, Allyson and Richard, invited us to attend this event with them. We had to purchase tickets in advance as this fun evening sells out quickly every year. I now understand why.

Friends gathered at a table at event

As we pulled up on the grassy field to park our car we could see the big white tents set up strung with thousands of little lights. I knew it would look even more gorgeous once the sun finally set.

I was giddy with country-girl delight when I saw that the tables were draped in checkered tablecloths. In the middle of each table sat centerpieces made from local blooming sunflowers and zinnia. These are two of my favorite flowers, followed by various daisy varieties. Laid out on the table was also a flyer with all the information about the evening, what we could expect, and the menu of the foods that we would soon be enjoying. A printed bamboo fan sat spread out on my plate to use until the hot southern, August sun would drop below the tall pine trees off in a distance.

 

Tents opt

LThe sounds of bluegrass and country music as well as a compilation of fresh foods prepared by some of the areas best local chefs were the highlights of our late summer evening. There was more, a silent auction followed by a live auction event with one of the best bid callers rattling off items and calling bids faster and with more vibrato than I have ever heard.  

My eyes widened as I saw the heaping pile of freshly-harvested steamed shrimp over ice, being fanned by the waitstaff to keep it cool and ward away any pesky insects from landing. That shrimp would be my first stop as I loaded my little appetizer plate with delights such as local goat, sheep, and cow cheeses. My favorite was a creamy textured Humboldt fog with an ash rind. Artisan pieces of bread in several forms were piled high on top of the artisanal cheese on my little plate.

After the appetizers and the small talk with our guests at the table was complete, I became impatient to know what else was going on. I made my way around through the silent auction items. I stopped to thank the staff who were dedicated to fanning the shrimp even though they themselves were hot from the steam swirling about them in the August air.  I looked over at the other end of the tent and I could see the chefs finalizing their stations.

Men at outside table pulling pork for bbq

The venue was not yet officially serving the dinner but there was no harm in walking through just to look right? As I slowly strolled past the first few tables, I quickly realized it was a rare opportunity to chat with the chefs who would soon be busy spooning and plating. The chefs were proud of their food and eager to have someone taste it so I obliged their requests. I took photos in between bites and learned about their various cooking techniques.

One of the stations had a very large leg of beef. I got the first taste of it, of course. And since it was the first cut, it had all the seared, peppery, crusty seasoning on it. Yum!  I made my way by all the stations to take in all the well-prepared cuisine, fresh from the farm in all styles French, Asian, Latin, Southern American and more.

Before and after of a cooked leg of beef

 

There were dishes made from farm-raised goat, beef, pork, lamb and served multiple ways. Large serving plates adorned freshly picked vegetables of beets, summer squashes, sweet potatoes and some of the best-roasted pumpkin I have ever had. Deserts were abundant too, from peach cobbler, chocolate chip cookies, pecan pie, and homemade ice cream.

Toward the end of the evening, I swung by the station that had the big leg of beef as I was curious to see what kind of dent we had all made into that giant carcass. I took an after photo so you can see I was not alone in thinking it was fantastic. Apparently we all gave that beef station it’s justice.

With our bellies full, the action over, the sun was setting, and the live country music was taking us all further into a food coma so we knew it was time to make our way out of the meadow and down the long windy country road back to reality. It was a fun food event and I look forward to attending again next year.