There was so much interest in sustainable energy solutions when Yes! Solar Solutions of the Triangle joined us in the Education Tent last week, that we decided to talk with Kathy Miller, Vice President of the Cary company, to learn more.

Yes! Solar Solutions has shifted its focus in the last year to a more holistic look at sources of energy use and how you can conserve, Kathy said. So Yes! offers a range of energy assessment tools, where an energy specialist will walk through your home to advise you on simple ways to cut back on your spending and conserve energy. For instance, he may suggest adding a hot water heater blanket, sealing ducts, adding weather stripping to windows, or installing remote control turn-offs for your home electronics. These changes can mean real savings.

The company also can talk with you about how photovoltaic solar panels and solar thermal hot water can help you save some green while you go green. “When people want to re-landscape their whole yard, but don't want to spend a ton of money at once on it, they have a landscape architect come in and provide them with a plan they can put to use over time,” Kathy said. “That's similar to our goal. Let's see what we can do to help you be more efficient and put a plan together to make it happen.”

Rebates, Tax Credits and Cutting Energy Bills

Kathy said that there are rebates out there for all sorts of efficiencies. For instance, new windows, improved heating and air conditioning, or insulation. Yes! Solar Solutions keeps track of rebates to help its customers defray the cost of sustainable energy by cashing in on these rebates.

Kathy also pointed out that there is a 30% federal tax credit for solar energy, in addition to a 35% tax credit for North Carolina residents. “Say you spend $10,000 on a solar system; you can take $3,000 off your federal tax bill, plus 35% off your state tax bill. So a $10,000 system may end of costing you only about $3,500,” Kathy said.

In terms of return on your monthly utility bill, it depends on your home and your energy usage, Kathy said. Yes! Solar Solutions has a customer renting a 108-year-old home in downtown Cary. “The first eight months they lived there, the electric bills were so high,” Kathy said. “But now their bills are almost half of what they were, just since they installed the solar thermal hot water heater.”

Savings in a newer home, by comparison, will vary depending on the home and usage pattern. Kathy also noted that additional savings come when you are paid by the utility for the electricity you produce with solar power. Wow--a utility will pay me? Now that's intriguing... Kathy said that the company receives several hundred dollars each month for the electricity produced at its warehouse, which has the photovoltaic solar panels on the roof.

Solar Schooling

Yes! Solar Solutions offers free educational seminars at its store, with the next one on August 21. It is a layman's overview of the technology behind solar energy, as well as installation--a great way to get schooled on solar energy. While it's free, Yes! does ask that people sign up in advance because space is limited.

Kathy and her husband Stew, who is president of the company, feel that what they are doing at Yes! is important for the next generation. “This a big piece to the puzzle of solving our fossil fuel problem. Using fossil fuels the way we are now is just not going to be sustainable for the next 100 years.” Check out the web site or stop by the store to learn more about how you can improve energy efficiency in your home and harness the power of sunny North Carolina skies.

This past Saturday, I got a bag of peaches from Andy at Clayton Orchard. An overflowing bag-full, I gave a few to my mom and shared one with my sister Saturday after the market. This morning, I still had 7 perfect peaches on my counter and was contemplating what to do with them.

Of course, a perfectly delicious option is to simply eat and enjoy them whole, as is, but I had the itch to “make something.” Crepes came to mind. My daughter is returning from a visit with grandma in Asheville this afternoon, and she loves crepes. They are a simple, tasty snack and kind of a blank slate to which you can add anything you like. Similar to a pancake but in my mind, more versatile. With a greater proportion of egg in the mixture, crepes are more pliable than pancakes and can be used like a tortilla — breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. And you can put just about anything you like inside, wrap it up and enjoy!

So I whipped up a batch, then prepared one for myself, thinking I would add my fresh sliced peaches and a drizzle of maple syrup. But then I opened the fridge and saw the basil from Ben's Produce. On top of the peaches went chopped basil. And some goat cheese from Hillsborough Cheese Co. A last-minute decision was the drizzle of local honey instead of maple syrup. Mmmmm. The dish was light, fresh, sweet but not too sweet, and so easy! I ate two, and there are plenty left for my daughter.

So, whip up a batch at home and add your favorite local ingredients for an easy, delicious dish - anytime. The photo isn't the clearest, but it gives you an idea of how my crepe creation came together.

Crepes

Yield: Eight 8-inch crepes

• 1 cup flour
• 1½ cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 TBS oil

Whisk all ingredients together. Let batter sit for 30 minutes. Into hot skillet, pour batter, ¼ to ⅓ cup at a time. As soon as batter is poured into skillet, move the pan around to spread the mixture, forming a thin circle. Cook for 20-30 seconds on each side or until lightly browned. Layer crepes with waxed paper to prevent sticking to each other.

Submitted by Market Manager Kim Hunter

You have to love the simplicity of the tomato sandwich come summer time. Fresh sliced tomatoes, a little salt and pepper, a touch of mayonnaise, on toast. That's one of my favorite lunches in the summer.

But if you're looking for a recipe that highlights the great flavor of tomatoes, is easy to put together and has a bit of “wow” factor, the Tomato Stack Salad is it!

I made this last summer for myself and a group of friends after reading that it won first place in The Washington Post's Top Tomato contest. Enjoy! (Photo by James M. Thresher for The Washington Post).

We ran this story last summer, but we think it bears repeating! If you have a favorite restaurant serving local foods out of state or across North Carolina, let us know and we'll share it! Write to info@WesternWakeFarmersMarket.org.

A few years ago, Food Network aired a fun series called “Feasting on Asphalt.” Host Alton Brown and his crew rode across the United States on motorcycles in search of great roadside food made by regular people. He talked with restaurant owners and patrons along the way, and his crew made it a point to find local specialties in each area they drove through.

With summer vacations just around the corner, we might all want to think about eating local while "feasting on asphalt." Whether you’re taking a weekend road trip or heading across the country for your vacation, you can find markets and restaurants with fresh, healthy, local ingredients along the way and at your vacation spot.

Through the Eat Well Guide, you can enter a zip code or city/state, and then narrow your search for farmers' markets and restaurants, for instance, and the search engine will return a list of all the markets there or restaurants serving locally grown and crafted foods. It goes beyond this too, with co-ops, butchers, bakers, stores and more that sell local products. There's also a trip planning feature, but it seems to be on vacation itself right now...the site says it will be back soon.

There are other online resources for finding local food too. Check out Local Harvest and enter a zip code or city/state to find local farms, restaurants, grocers and more. You’ll not only eat well on the road, but you’ll be supporting farmers and the local economy wherever you are. Happy travels!

Curious about local cheeses and which wines to pair them with? The May/June issue of North Carolina Wine Press magazine features “North Carolina Cheese Plate,” an article on a variety of local cheesemakers, including market vendor Hillsborough Cheese Co. The article tells the stories of these cheesemakers and also pairs different local wines with the cheeses. Check out the article and a local TV news segment about it.

Ginger Zucchino of The Gardener's Kitchen joined us in the Education Tent on April 24 with samples of two delicious jellies, including her original Lemon Balm Jelly. Ginger holds gardening workshops as well as canning workshops. Contact her to learn how to preserve all those wonderful flavors from the garden and the market.

Lemon Balm Jelly

Copyright © 2009, The Gardener's Kitchen
Makes 3 to 5 pints

• 3 cups water
• 1 lemon thinly sliced
• 2 cups lemon balm leaves, washed and air-dried
• 6 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 bottle liquid pectin
• finely grated peel of lemon

On the night before you plan to make the jelly, slice one lemon thinly and place in 3 cups of water to soak overnight. Next morning, strain the lemon slices from the water, retaining the water.

Bring the lemon water to a boil and add the lemon balm. Steep the lemon balm in lemon water for 10 to 20 minutes. Strain. Bring the lemon balm infusion and sugar to a rolling boil. Add pectin and bring to a boil. Stir for 1 minute. Test for jelly point. Stir in grated lemon peel. Remove from heat, place in jar and seal.

Process the sealed jars in hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Thanks to Herons Executive Chef Scott Crawford and AmyLynn LaFreniere, Chef Tournant (in photo at right) for coming to market earlier this month with his delicious North Carolina Shrimp and Potato Salad for shoppers to taste! Thanks also to him for the recipe below.

NC Shrimp and Potato Salad

Serves 4

• 8 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, cook and dice
• 6 red bliss potatoes, dice and cook
• ¼ cup fresh peas, shucked, blanched
• 1 TBS bacon, small diced and rendered
• 1 shallot, small diced
• 1 TBS capers chopped
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 TBS roasted red pepper puree
• Duke’s mayonnaise, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 TBS fresh herbs, cut (dill, parsley, chives)

1. Once the shrimp have been cooked, place in an ice bath to cool, once cool, small dice and place in a mixing bowl.
2. Small dice the red bliss potatoes, bring to a boil on the stove with water and salt, and reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until tender. Remove from water, then place on sheet pan to cool. Once cool add to the mixing bowl with the shrimp.
3. Once the peas have been shucked, blanched and cooled down, also place with the shrimp in the mixing bowl.
4. In the mixing bowl with the shrimp, add the capers, diced shallots, whole grain mustard, red pepper puree, Duke’s mayonnaise. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together.
5. Once the ingredients are mixed together, put it serving bowl and garnish with bacon and fresh herbs.

Please note: this recipe is better if you mixed the ingredients together the night before. Wait till serving time to garnish.

Leek and Asparagus Quiche
With eggs, leeks and asparagus from the market, you can't go wrong with this dish for breakfast, lunch or even a light dinner. This recipe is from Stacey Snacks, a food blog that has a lot of really tasty recipes--and plenty of pictures to go with them. This recipe calls for gruyere cheese too, but if you want even more local ingredients, check with Hillsborough Cheese Co. on whether they have a substitute they might recommend. (photo by Stacey Snacks)

Beet Tabbouleh with Lemon, Mint and Feta
A lot of people are puzzled about what to do with beets. Thanks to Juliann Zoetmulder for this delicious recipe. Yield: 8 servings (4 cups)

Vinaigrette:
3 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS minced shallots
2 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS walnut oil

Tabbouleh:
2 cups presoaked bulgur (1:1 bulgur/water soak one hour)
1 cup diced cooked beets (boil beets until tender)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped mint leaves
¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Whisk lemon juice, shallots, honey, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Add olive and walnut oils and whisk until blended. Add bulgur, beets, parsley, mint, and walnuts. Toss to coat with vinaigrette.

Garnish salad with feta cheese.

I didn't think a discussion on local food could be so entertaining, but last night's panel discussion following the screening of FRESH at Meredith College was just that. I really enjoyed all the panelists, their views, their experiences, their sense of humor and their suggestions for how to keep moving local, sustainable farming forward.

Joel Salatin, a farmer from Virginia who is featured in FRESH and Food, Inc., expresses himself in a way that is so engaging, thought-provoking and entertaining that you simply want to know more. I left the event feeling like I know him a little bit, and that I would really like to get to know him better. In addition to his opinion that hoop houses, which extend growing seasons, are sexy, here are a few key points he made last night:

• “The fact that I'm considered an activist shows how far our food system has removed itself from normalcy. This is not normal. Young people think it's normal, but this is just a blip in history, and pasture-based multi-pasteurization will return.“
  
• You can't learn anything from reading a food label any more.
  
• A quiet revolution has been going on in farming. A revolution in which technology is making real positive changes for farmers, such as composting, electric fences, better mechanical seed placement, UV stabilized plastic, hoop houses and season extenders. If the same amount of creativity, money and energy had gone into this quiet revolution as has gone into industrial agriculture, we would be producing more food without having destroyed the earth.
  
• If you think something is bad, opt out of it. Just quit. You have control over what you eat.

What Can You Do?

Salatin was joined by a panel of local experts who also shared great information on what is happening in our area and what each of us can to do to keep promote local, sustainable farming. Local farmer Harry LeBlanc of Beausol Gardens, a new vendor at our market, encouraged the roughly 600 people attending to let our elected officials know if we don't want them to get in the way of our eating local food. He was referring to national legislation that is pending right now that could seriously impact small-scale family farms.

Chatham County Agricultural Extension Agent Debbie Roos, who works with local farmers on a daily basis, said that regulations are a major concern for local farmers. They are meeting with FDA officials with the hope that its new regulations will be scale-appropriate so that they don't put these farms out of business. Roos also highlighted local farmers' biggest challenges: the cost of labor, getting health insurance, and access to land and capital.

Nancy Creamer, Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and a member of the new NC Local Food Policy Council, discussed a new statewide “Buy Local“ campaign that will soon kick off. Creamer said that if every person in the state spent 10% of their food dollar on local food, it would mean $3.5 billion for the local economy. Stay tuned for details on that campaign!

Katherine Andrew of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle encouraged attendees to get involved with community gardens as a way to help low-income families who do not have access to healthy foods. The Food Shuttle now has a 3-acre farm in Raleigh and two community gardens, while work will soon begin on two more community gardens. About $2,500 was raised for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle last night through the screening.

See the Food Movies

If you haven't seen FRESH or Food, Inc., check them out. Food, Inc. is on DVD, and FRESH has screenings around the country on different dates (one in Winston-Salem next week). You can even request a copy for your own screening.

Both films provide an overview of the industrialized food system we are now subject to, but they also show how a number of amazing people around the country are making changes, one farm and one garden at a time, so that we have access to food that is safer and healthier for us, the animals and our land. Plus I think you'll get a flavor of what Joel Salatin's all about, and I bet you might want to know him better too.

• Rule No. 10: “Avoid foods that are pretending to be something they are not.”
• Rule No. 13: “Eat only foods that will eventually rot.”
• Rule No. 39: “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself."
• Rule No. 16: “Buy your snacks at the farmers’ market."

For most of the rules, Pollan provides a short explanation. A few of the rules are so basic to eating well that he doesn't include any information, such as Rule No. 21: “It’s not food if it’s called by the same name in every language. (Think Big Mac, Cheetos, or Pringles.)”

In this short article written by Pollan, he explains that he wrote the book at a doctor’s request as a guide for his patients and touches on the health care problem in our country related to the way we eat. If you have an hour to spare, pick up the book. It’s good food for thought!