What would a Carolina summer without tomatoes look like? Our B.L.’s — dry — with no T.’s? Our countertops and windowsills — naked — with no cheery red fruits? Dinners out — incomplete — with no ’mater starters (not the green ones, fried, or the heirlooms, sliced and swimming in balsamic vinegar)? Lucky for us, we can have our tomatoes and eat them, too: on sandwiches, in cocktails, atop pasta, and even, for some of us, on barbecue. This month, we pay homage to our favorite fruit-not-vegetable. We don’t have to imagine a summer without tomatoes, because we’ve seen the future of Carolina cuisine, and it looks rosy (and also green and a little orange).
Tomatoes, much like summer, must be cherished, savored, enjoyed for as long as possible.
Sure, the sandwich of summer is wonderful just the way it is — only fresh tomatoes, mayonnaise, and bread. But you’d be surprised what North Carolina ingredients, from sprouts to spreads, will pair well with your next tomato sandwich.
NOFO’s award-winning Bloody Mary is a triumph for its customers, too.
The early roots of 4-H and home demonstration can be traced to tomatoes.
Despite the 5,000 miles between us, our state shares a few things in common with Italy: beautiful beaches; warm, sunny summers; and a profound love of tomatoes.
At the Holden Brothers Farm Market in Shallotte, visitors pick two of our favorite red fruits: Strawberries in the spring and tomatoes in the fall.
In North Carolina, spring brings the scent of fresh-cut grass and memories of helping Dad mow the lawn.
Nostalgic burger joints are like time machines, delivering something extra special that keeps us coming back.
This tiny city block in downtown Greensboro once had a gigantic reputation. Not so much for its charbroiled beef patties — though they, too, were plentiful — but for its colorful characters and their wild shenanigans.
In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
