Farm to Fork: one of the year's don't-miss events

You drive out into the country, to the Breeze Family Farm in Hurdle Mills.  You see signs only just before you have to turn off NC 86.  You go about a mile and a half, and suddenly you're in the middle of one of the tastiest food events of North Carolina's year, Farm to Fork.

This year marked the third time I've attended this delicious festival, and it was the first time that my company, Principled Technologies, was one of the event's sponsors.  The giant picnic takes place in a big field, with white-topped tents ringing a large central area.  Inside the tents are 30 food selections that pair a local restaurant with a farm in the area; 10 beverage providers; and, in a special, extra large tent, 14 local food artisans.  You buy a ticket in advance, and then you spend the three hours (or however long you choose to stay) wandering around and eating whatever you'd like, as much as you'd like.

Each year, I try to sample everything, and each year I fail.  I certainly tasted a good three-quarters of the offerings, but I ran out of steam way before I could eat them all.  My favorites were probably, in no particular order, the pulled pork barbecue and green onion slaw from Pig Whistle and the Green Button Farm; the local mushroom, Providence cheese, and arugula tart from Mandolin and the Goat Lady Dairy; and what may have been the strongest dish, for my taste, of the group, the homemade egg pasta with fresh herb pesto from Crook's Corner and the Bracken Brae Farm.  The Lady Edison extra fancy country ham from The Pig, which cured it and aged it for 1.5 years in Johnston county, was also an amazing treat all on its own, as were the four artisanal cheeses from Box Carr Farms.

At a hundred bucks a pop, this picnic isn't cheap, but in addition to buying you an exceptional afternoon of eating, the money also and more importantly helps fund new farmer training programs at the W.C. Breeze Family Farm and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEPHS) farm in Goldsboro.  So, you can eat well and do good, all at the same time--a most delightful combination.

If you can afford it, I highly recommend Farm to Fork NC.

On the road again: Portland, day 5

I'm home, and I'm quite happy to be here.

The day started at 2:30 a.m. after about two and a half hours in bed.  Unsurprisingly, the drive to the airport at that time of the morning proved to be extremely short and free of traffic.

I did not score any upgrades, so today's flights resembled nothing so much as being packed into sardine cans and thrown through the air; no fun for anyone.  I dozed a bit but mostly worked.

Lunch was a delightful Red Mango parfait in DFW.  I've praised them before, but these creations provide quite a lot of volume, fruit, and granola, along with some tasty frozen yogurt, for a mere 300 calories.

Dinner was a Farm to Fork 2015 event at Duke Gardens.  I was attending because PT this year became a sponsor of Farm to Fork, a cause I've supported now for several years.  I enjoyed the food, the talk of special guest Paul Greenberg, and the chance to hear the chefs speak about their dishes.  If you're not familiar with Farm to Fork, definitely check it out.

And now, to crash.