Steer wrestling, a practice credited to legendary cowboy and rodeo star Bill Pickett, usually involves leaping onto a steer from the back of a specially trained horse. At the Madison
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
The greenhouse feels futuristic. Rows of bright green plants sit stacked on top of one another, sprouting out of white pipes that zigzag across the narrow building. Spaceship aesthetics aside,
The greenhouse feels futuristic. Rows of bright green plants sit stacked on top of one another, sprouting out of white pipes that zigzag across the narrow building. Spaceship aesthetics aside,
The greenhouse feels futuristic. Rows of bright green plants sit stacked on top of one another, sprouting out of white pipes that zigzag across the narrow building. Spaceship aesthetics aside,
The greenhouse feels futuristic. Rows of bright green plants sit stacked on top of one another, sprouting out of white pipes that zigzag across the narrow building. Spaceship aesthetics aside, hydroponic farming is very much an innovation of the present: no soil necessary, just a seed planted into a sterile foam cube. Sunshine and a steady stream of nutrient-rich water do the rest.
Roderick McMillan, the 27-year-old creator of MG3 Farms in Prospect, says the plants never want for anything. The results are beautiful: Glossy strawberry leaves float over the aisles, and curly oakleaf lettuce blooms in bunches as soft as suede. McMillan comes from a family of traditional farmers going back four generations. He’s always enjoyed working in agriculture, but he wanted to try something new.
He was drawn to the cleanliness and efficiency of hydroponics, which create a difference in quality that people can really taste, McMillan says. So he converted an old tobacco transplant greenhouse into a hydroponic greenhouse by watching YouTube videos and enlisting aid from his family.
Today, going on its third year, the greenhouse cuts a distinctive figure amid the fields of corn, wheat, and soybeans on the McMillan family farmland in Robeson County. Heated in the winter and cooled in the summer, the greenhouse grows lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, strawberries, and cabbage year-round, producing fresh and flavorful greens even when the ground outside is dusted with snow.
Western North Carolina is at its most stunning when autumn arrives and the leaves burst into color. Before you head out leaf-peeping this fall, check in weekly to see what colors our experts are seeing at 22 of our favorite mountain spots.
We’ve picked a bushel of North Carolina apples in every form — from pies to pottery to cider — to enjoy from the first perfect, blue-sky day of October through chilly Halloween. That’s one for each day of the month!
