A friendship entwined with tomatoes continues to bloom and grow, even in unexpected gardens.
Bertie County’s Secret Dish: Tomato Pudding
Call it a pudding if you like, but it’s more like a cobbler. Though neither word quite describes the sweet-and-savory tomato recipe that has long been a local specialty.
The Must-Eat ’Maters
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: Town-Hopping by the Water
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.
Ode to a German Johnson
Slice ’em! Stack ’em! Eat ’em like an apple! North Carolina’s quintessential tomato is the pick of the season.
Making Blue Ridge Memories on Max Patch
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.
Treasured Hunter
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.
Island Eats: 12 Flip-Flop-Friendly Restaurants
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.
High Tide on the Rocks
Following family lore to the wilds of an unihabited island, a brother and sister find plenty of local residents hiding in plain sight.
