When Jan Williams was growing up, her mother made peach ice cream every Sunday when the fruits were in season. Now, this third-generation peach farmer offers homemade peach ice cream and other flavors — including 10 named for each of her grandchildren — at Ben’s Ice Cream at Kalawi Farm. At her produce stand next door, she sells 43 varieties of peaches, plus preserves and other produce. Williams, who was a teacher for 10 years before making the farm her full-time job, says that the business is in her blood. “It just gives me a thrill,” she says. “I love farming and growing peaches.”
Read more about North Carolina peaches — and other homegrown fruits — here.
Split-rail fences don’t shout “keep out.” They lean, they shift, they invite. And in western North Carolina, they remind us that some lines are meant to hold, not harden.
Each May, spring climbs nearly 3,000 feet to the seat of Alleghany County. Here, as the rhododendrons blush, a beloved mountain town welcomes visitors with its food, art, and flourish of color and creativity.
Brief but delicious, soft-shell crab season is cherished by diners as well as the folks who work around the clock to put these native pinchers on our plates.
When it comes to poultry, the best is raised close to home.
