Day 14 - Home. Sweet Home

After a looooong plane ride from Chicago, preceded by a much shorter one from Asheville, N.C. at the crack of dawn, we touched ground at home. SUCCESS!

 

Mahalo to EVERYONE who helped make this a most memorable and educational journey!

Day 12 - Sunburst Trout Farm, Hop'n Blueberry, Group Dinner

Our daily coordinator keeping us on schedule for the day...

...and making sure everything is just right.

Passed a paper mill in Canton, NC on the way to our first stop of the day.

Wes from Sunburst Trout Farms gave a great tour of their processing facility, raceways and ponds, and allowed for tasting of their delicious value-added products.  Located below Lake Logan, the trout have all the cold, clean water they need.  Sunburst has found ways to reduce waste by better packing materials and also providing compost to local farmers.

Value-added products we got to taste included (l-r) cold-smoked, hot-smoked, smoked tomato jam, goat cheese spread, trout jerky, and smoked dip. Not shown, my favorite, caviar - which we got to try at dinner!

Chef Charles hired to develop new products, reveals his new creation - trout burgers!

Sunburst provides frequent and reliable delivery of fresh product to area restaurants and supermarkets - my dinner the night before at one of Asheville's fine restaurants!

Our second stop of the day was Hop'n Blueberry Farm in Black Mountain, NC - a seventh generation family sustainable farm specializing in hops, blueberries, butterflies, medicinal herbs, and pollination.  http://www.hopnblueberryfarm.com/.  Our host, Van Burnette tells the group about the DIY ingenuity of his family that first brought electricity to the area.

Van also spoke about his passion for conserving increasingly rare woodland herbs, such as ramps or wild leeks.

Hop'n Blueberry works with organizations such as the Xerxes Society to provide habitat for butterflies and bees.

Van explains how an underground bumblebee hive works - complete with milkweed floss which was prized for its insulating features in naval jackets - better than down and non-allergenic.

And a home for native bees.

Van motions toward the fields of hops while the rest of us keep our hands in warm places.

We were able to warm up a bit during lunch.

The view from Tyler's uncle's house in the mountains above Asheville - a beautiful setting for our group dinner.

Gathering for introductions in the kitchen.

Gary (Tyler's dad) documenting the festivities - no selfies please :)

The spread included local favorites and some of the Commander in Chiefs fav ribs.

Thanks to Tyler and the Jones' for all their help in planning, driving, and warm hospitality. 

At the Western NC Farmers Market

We're lovin' the ag scene in North Carolina!

Day 11 - Asheville

First morning we were treated to 30 degrees F, and frost on the plants.

Inside the Van Wingerden International greenhouse.  They service many garden centers in the Southeast region, namely Homedepot. 

Next up on this bitter, cold morning was McConnell Farms.  They raise over 20 different crops on a 150 acre farm.  They retail right on the farm as well as other outlets.   They have also diversified to include ice cream and fruit juices.

After lunch was the Richmind apple company.  The owner farms 600 acres of apples, but his core business is his ability to cold store nearly a years supply of apples for baby food processing.

Last stop was the Asheville farmers market.  It has been operating for 30 years and even has a garden center.

This is the states ag slogan.  It is very catchy and popular. 

We had a great bluegrass band playing in our hotel that evening.   Asheville was full of wonderful people. 

Day 10 - April 16, 2014 - Research Triangle, Cattle Co., and a winery!

After a super couple of days in Raleigh, today we were off to the Research Triangle to meet with BASF and see this impressive area.

We learned a lot about the many partnerships BASF has formed to provide a broad array of products used worldwide. Their technological advancements and productivity is impressive!

Along the way, Pauline is still smiling after being with us for a week and a half!  What a trooper!

It is beautiful at the BASF facility. 

Stamey Cattle Co. was next with our hosts Pam and Bob Stamey. We learned about international export of cattle around the world and their local dairy.

And what better way to end the day than to visit the Silver Fork Vineyard and Winery. What a beautiful place and interesting to hear which varieties grow well here. 

Now, we are heading to Asheville! Into the mountains we go!