North Hills Buzz

North Hills Farmers’ Market Visit and List of Vendors

Today I decided to walk over to the Farmers’ Market here at North Hills to see what was going on. Every saturday from 8am-12pm on the Commons, trucks and tents from local NC farms and shops arrive with fresh veggies, fruits, herbs and miscellaneous goodies. This started in April and happens every Saturday through October. There was music on the lawn today, which was an added bonus.

I didn’t actually buy anything today, but I wanted to see who was selling things and where they were from. There were representatives from farms in Nash county, Pittsboro, Eli Whitney, and Garner, just to name a few.

I’m not sure if the same farmers come each week, but here’s who was at the North Hills Farmers’ Market today. If I missed someone, just leave a note in the comments and I’ll add them to the list.

• Jackson Farm
• Just Desserts
• Blue Dragonfly Cut Flower Farm
• Bluebird Hill Farm
• Edible Earthscape Farm
• Handmade True Soap
• Celebrity Dairy
• Smith’s Nursery, Inc.
• Lyons Farms
• Double T Farm
• Sofia’s Farm
• Spain Farm
• Cedar Rock Farm

Please see below for a few pictures from the market today. Click on the thumbnails to see bigger versions (click through twice to see the largest size).

What do you think about the Farmers’ Market here? Have you been satisfied with the variety and types of produce?

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Papa Spud’s Interview

Papa Spud’s Organics is a great organic food services company that serves customers in Raleigh. If you missed our first post about Papa Spud’s Organics, go check it out. For this post, we were able ask Rob Meyer (co-owner, along with Ben Stone), some questions about the company. Please see below for the interview.

*Why did you start Papa Spuds?

The idea behind Papa Spud’s Organics is quite simple - MAKE FOOD-SHOPPING FUN! Most people would love to eat more fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, but don’t have time to waste sorting through Supermarket produce or waiting in busy checkout lanes. At Papa Spud’s we want to change that. We want to make it easy for Triangle residents to eat high-quality organic foods everyday, and transform the entire experience into an enjoyable one, not a painful chore.

*Organic food delivery-sounds great, but how much does it cost?

It actually doesn’t cost anymore than a trip to the grocery store. By working directly with farmers and eliminating overhead costs, we offer fresher, higher-quality produce, for comparable or even cheaper rates than the Supermarket - plus we deliver it to your door at no additional cost.

*What are the benefits of eating organic food?

The biggest benefit to eating organic is the benefit to the environment. Organic farms do not rely on pesticides or synthetic fertilizers that pollute the environment and give nothing back to the land. Instead, organic farmers utilize ecological balance to create a farm that naturally limits pests and restores soil quality. Unfortunately, conventional farming does the opposite. Conventional farming creates food at the expense of the environment, and does so in a way that is entirely unsustainable. By eating organic you are supporting an environmentally friendly way of life.

*What exactly makes a certain fruit or vegetable “organic”?

While there are a few different levels of “organic”, the most commonly referred to is “certified-organic”. “Certified-organic” means crops grown on land that hasn’t been treated with chemicals, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers for a minimum of three years.

*What do you offer that people can’t find in the grocery store?

Above all, I think we offer an experience. For example, just this week we began offering a Weekly Sampler Box where customers can sign up to have an assortment of fruits and vegetables (all North Carolina grown starting in mid-April) delivered to their door every Wednesday morning (Papa Spud’s Weekly Sampler). Every Papa Spud’s Box comes with information about the products in your order, recipes, tips, interesting facts, and information about sustainable agriculture. Like I said before, we want to make food-shopping fun.

*Where do you get all this delicious food from?

Unlike supermarkets, we really pay attention to where our crops come from and emphasize locally-grown organics. Locally-grown organics are fresher, better cared for, and don’t flood our atmosphere with carbon emissions from having been shipped around the world. We do maintain a full stock of out-of-season and more exotic selections from our sunny neighbors to the South and West, but we always try to get it from as close to home as possible.

*What would you say to someone that claims they can’t tell a difference in taste between organic and non-organic food?

Most people actually tend to prefer the taste of organic foods to conventionally grown foods. A Washington State University study confirmed this fact in 2001. There is even a push among many gourmet chefs toward fresh, locally-grown, organic foods for their superior flavor.

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Papa Spud’s Organics

North Hills Buzz would like to welcome its newest advertiser - Papa Spud’s Organics.

Papa Spud’s Organics delivers certified organic fruits and vegetables straight to your door. They work directly with farmers to give you prices that are often lower than what you’d get in a grocery store. For organic food lovers in Raleigh, it doesn’t get much better–fresh produce, low prices and free delivery. Papa Spud’s is a great option for purchasing organic food in the North Hills area.

We received a box of fruit from Papa Spud’s today and wanted to share our thoughts. The package came with fresh blueberries, a navel orange, two granny smith apples, a mango, and two plums.

I was impressed to see that the fruit came in a custom-made, paper-bag box, which was made of recycled paper bags you can find at Triangle grocery stores. Very cool.

Every Papa Spud’s package also comes with a complimentary gift and a personalized issue of “The Daily Spud,” which is a four-page brochure with information about the produce you ordered (where it’s from, interesting facts, etc) and an interesting article about organic food. Our gift was a box of yellow pansies (which my “Daily Spud” informed me were edible, along with a few other flowers).

So to get to the good stuff—the fruit. While crops aren’t yet ready to be harvested here in NC, that didn’t stop Papa Spud’s from delivering some great quality fruit. I ate a few blueberries (which came from Chile and were very sweet) and used a few more to make a fruit smoothie with some juice from the orange I received and some strawberries I already had. You can see the entire stash of fruit in the picture below:

Papa Spud’s accepts orders online. You can pick your fruit and veggies and customize your order however you’d like. See below for the delivery schedule.

Papa Spud’s is a great solution for organic food seekers in the North Hills area. Stay tuned for an interview with Papa Spud himself, who will talk about how and why he started delivering organic food.

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