Put ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. With a flexible spatula, remove strata to
[caption id="attachment_199333" align="alignnone" width="1140"] Across the state, the NC Forest Service helps North Carolinians understand the ecological and practical importance of trees. Clemmons alone welcomes thousands of students each year.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_199333" align="alignnone" width="1140"] Across the state, the NC Forest Service helps North Carolinians understand the ecological and practical importance of trees. Clemmons alone welcomes thousands of students each year.[/caption]
Did you know, forestlands blanket 61 percent of our state? Beginning with Clemmons in 1976, the NC Forest Service created a series of educational forests to teach North Carolinians about the management and practical importance of trees.
Across the state, the NC Forest Service helps North Carolinians understand the ecological and practical importance of trees. Clemmons alone welcomes thousands of students each year. photograph by Charles Harris
Clemmons Educational State Forest Clayton
An 826-acre forest between Johnston and Wake counties, Clemmons Educational State Forest routinely welcomes grade school students to immerse themselves in the surrounding woodland. Rangers share the importance of the forest’s functions with young visitors through activities like processing trees into paper, measuring the water quality in pond water, and learning about how the graphite could become their next pencil. To read our story full story about this all-natural classroom, click here.
Search the forest floor for wildflowers but don’t forget to look up in Holmes Educational State Forest. photograph by Tim Robison
Holmes Educational State Forest Hendersonville
In our educational forests, the trees talk — sort of. Holmes’s half-mile Talking Tree Trail gives visitors a chance to hear seven recordings about the towering residents. There’s much more to see in this woodland classroom: Its forest floor is dotted with native wildflowers, and other trails invite hikers to admire wetlands, an old Forest Service helicopter, and the view from a mountain overlook.
This woodland retreat is located less than an hour’s drive from any major city in the Triangle. Hikers can experience the wetlands or learn about wildlife like flying squirrels, songbirds, and beavers. Bring a swimsuit and some sunscreen: Jordan Lake is just a short walk away.
Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest Elizabethtown
Our state tree is the star of this Bladen County forest. Hikers can wander among the pines, walk along Turnbull Creek, and learn how naval stores were harvested in 18th- and 19th-century North Carolina. Visitors can even learn from the land itself: The forest is located amid Carolina bays, a type of oval depression in the earth that’s found in our Coastal Plain.
Partially open to the public as it recovers from Hurricane Helene, Tuttle Forest is tucked in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Its short trails wind along creeks and through dappled shade from the trees overhead, perfect for exploring with young hikers on warm summer days. Points of interest include historical stops, like the one-room Lingle School from 1867, and views of Grandfather, Grandmother, and Brown mountains.
The information shared at Mountain Island and other educational state forests helps ensure the longevity of North Carolina’s vast wooded areas. Photography courtesy of N.C. Forest Service
Mountain Island Educational State Forest Stanley
Our newest educational forest, set to open in the near future, is located along Mountain Island Lake, the source of water for one in every 12 North Carolinians. Visitors to the forest, which is a short drive from Lake Norman, will learn about water quality and conservation on trails, and groups of 10 or more can schedule ranger-led classes. If you want to visit Mountain Island Lake before it opens, stop by the lake’s various access areas to see its wildlife or canoe on its waters.
In 1968, a couple of potters built a kiln hut and studio in an old tobacco field in Creedmoor. Today, their daughter — guided by the spirit of her late father — leads the community of artisans they crafted.
When two childhood friends travel to High Hampton Resort for a weekend of relaxation and memory-making, they revive their happy camper spirit amid grown-up luxury.
