CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/17354
HOMEGROWN GOODNESS Carolina Grown delivers foods from North Carolina farmers right to your door By Kelly Twedell E ven city slickers can have eggs from the farm, grass-fed beef free of hormones, fresh milk and locally-grown organic fruits and veggies. One Lillington couple has launched a farm cooperative to provide just that. Deliveries cover a swath of southeastern North Carolina from as far south as Hope Mills to Wake Forest and Durham. Joe and Vicki Allen, along with partner Chris Lewis, launched their dream business two years ago from their garage. Since then, Carolina Grown has increased to 550 customers, working closely with eight North Carolina farms and up to 15 for seasonal items. Food comes packaged in sturdy, ice-packed Styrofoam shipping coolers to ensure freshness en route or to be left on a front porch and picked up during the next delivery cycle. On a recent Saturday morning, there were 55 stops on the Fayetteville route. “The toughest challenge of the business has been teaching local people to eat local, seasonal food,” Joe Allen said. “Before I started the business, I was a steak and baked potato type of guy, and I could eat that every night of the week. Since starting the business, I have learned to love foods I never had heard of before like kohlrabi, purple Cherokee tomatoes and fresh herbs. It has really opened my eyes to a new world of food.” Indeed, eating fresh has never been easier. Carolina Grown introduces a new menu each week based on seasonal availability and the size container customers choose: small, medium or large. A small order recently included eggs, chocolate milk in an old-fashioned glass jar, savory blueberry jam, local honey, sweet pickled baby beets, jalapeno pepper sausage, ham, oversized North Carolina peaches, hearty farm-grown tomatoes in reds and yellows and a watermelon redder than any spotted recently at the grocery store. Allen says farmers must complete a rigorous selection process. “After picking a farmer with good credentials, we set up an initial fact-exchanging session,” he said. “We also try their meat or produce. Touring the farm is also a necessary step in selecting farmers for our service. Our ranchers all go through USDA-certified butchers, and the USDA also tours the farms to be sure that they are abiding by humane handling practices.” West Produce is one of Carolina Grown’s regular suppliers. Owner Tommy West has been in the business 58 years; he and his wife, Jean, say their passion is running the third-generation farm. The couple is in the process of qualifying as a Century Farm, the only one in Harnett County. West Produce prides itself on high standards and qualifies as a certified grower for its ratings in safety, quality of food, presentation and work CityViewNC.com | 43 Farm Fresh | Carolina Grown offers everything from organic green beans to grain-fed beef. Want to know more? Visit Carolina Grown at www.carolinagrown.org for menus and prices.