Tomato guru Craig LeHoullier’s first book, Epic Tomatoes, celebrates some 250 varieties of our favorite summer garden staple. His decades of devotion to heirloom seeds have paid off — for all of us. Come BLT season, farmers markets throughout the state are bursting with tomatoes of every hue and shape. But don’t miss these six picks.
Lake Norman is the big one. Our “inland sea.” The anchor for a region. Its 520-mile shoreline is a thread that knits together the surrounding communities — so much so that many visitors think of the area as a whole, one town flowing into the next. But we can see what makes each one special.
Slice ’em! Stack ’em! Eat ’em like an apple! North Carolina’s quintessential tomato is the pick of the season.
A marriage proposal in a sprawling meadow. Mating warblers in the brush. Orphaned boots on the Appalachian Trail. We are drawn to the majesty of Max Patch — a gorgeous bald in Madison County, 4,600 feet above sea level, where forest ends and 350 acres of open land begin — to gather life-changing memories.
When a beachgoer on the Crystal Coast loses a beloved bauble to the sea — say, a class ring or an heirloom necklace — one local comes to the rescue.
Relax. Sandy toes, salty hair, and big appetites are welcome here. Whether you’re looking for a shrimpburger, a fish taco, or a double-scoop ice cream cone, these restaurants know that a beach vacation should never stray too far from the sea.
Following family lore to the wilds of an unihabited island, a brother and sister find plenty of local residents hiding in plain sight.
A bottom fisherman will fish with anything — even a yardstick. But a fly fisherman requires more precision from his equipment, especially when casting from a kayak off Masonboro Island. Either way, a successful trip isn’t measured by what you catch.
Finding local seafood at a coastal restaurant isn’t always easy. Two fishermen (and one unlucky flounder) explain why eating hook-to-fork is harder than it looks.
