Wrigglin’ about in Charlotte
The Friendship Garden, located behind Friendship Trays in Charlotte, recently hosted a worm composting (vermicomposting) workshop with Brian Rosa, Organic Recycling Specialist NC DENR.
He helped attendees set up a mid-scale system in the garden to compost 10 pounds of food scraps per
day.
Consider the food we waste on a daily basis: We throw away more than 25 % of the food we prepare, approximately 96 billion pounds of food waste each year. That food produces methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Rather than heading for a landfill, the food scraps will be turned into worm castings, a nutrient rich, organic “dirt” that will, in turn, be used in the Friendship Gardens’ veggie beds to grow more food. Turns out, the little invertebrates can actually lend quite the helping hand.
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Through the Lens: Mary Shannon Johnstone
From Raleigh photographer Mary Shannon Johnstone
Meet Your Veggie Maker
As we become more aware of the ecological benefits of eating local, the availability of local produce is also increasing. During winter months, however, it’s more difficult to source local goods. Some farmer’s markets stay open through the winter, but if there’s not one near you, there are online ordering options.
If a CSA share seems like a daunting investment (or you just want to sleep in on a Saturday morning or two), there are other options! For the western part of the state, try Farmers Fresh Market. They deliver to Charlotte from spring to fall, but that mean ol’ snow keeps ‘em from coming through the winter. Organized by Foothills Connect, a not-for-profit 501c3, which seeks to develop entrepreneurship within Rutherford County and provide an opportunity for economic advancement in rural communities and supports the Appalachian agrarian tradition.. The prices are fair and their level of customer service is phenomenal.
Another online farmers market is Know Your Farms. Based out of Davidson, they do require an up front membership fee, which is cheaper if you volunteer on a farm during your subscription time, but is still less than coughing up for a CSA all at once. You may start ordering once you begin receiving the weekly email alerts indicating the ordering times and schedule.
Check out all the farms you can order from but I’m not responsible for any drool that pools on your keyboard.
Rock & Shop Market Video
Want to get a feel for the upcoming market on Saturday? Check out this video:
Rock & Shop Market Gift Guide - Pt. 1 - For Him
One of the things I hear a lot is that there is a void when it comes to guy stuff at craft shows like the Rock & Shop Market. We try our best to create a shopping environment that both guys and girls will appreciate, but to be fair most of the vendors that apply are women. That said, I’ve rounded up some of my top male-centric gift picks that will be at the Rock & Shop Market on December 19th. And guys, if you are reading and have a great product, do apply to a future event, there is a niche to be filled.
From left to right: T-shirt by Flytrap Studios (Carrboro), Wooden Planter by Erde Designs (Cary), Note Card by Bigwig & Silver (Durham), Belt Buckle by Buncombe Buckles (Asheville), Bearded Guys Magnets by Jordan Grace Owens (Greensboro), Merge Records Companion Book from Merge Records (Durham), Squid Bowl by Designs by Takemoto (Virginia Beach, VA)
In addition to these great products, there will be hand crafted guitars made from cigar boxes, art posters & prints, and of course beer from Aviator Brewing Company.
Blog Update
By now it’s probably fairly obvious that this blog is run by me (with a little help from my friends when they are able to pop in), as an extension of the indieNC shop and The Rock & Shop Market. Since I am a full-time stay-at-home Mom too, life can get in the way of posting cool things. There are tons of worthy and exciting things to post about, just not enough time. That said, I have lots to say about the upcoming Rock & Shop Market on December 19th, so you’ll here a lot about that in the next few weeks.
And if you want to see more content about other great things and people around North Carolina and would like to be a regular blog contributor, email me.
Rock & Shop Vintage Market, Durham Recap Pt. 1
The first Rock & Shop Vintage Market in Durham was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered their time and offered their services. We could not have done it without you. I’m going to do a few recap posts highlighting the event.
Since we decided to have a fashion show at this market we thought it would be fun to have a photo shoot at Golden Belt with some of the apparel from the show. Our friends Aaron Nace & Rosie Hardy took the photos.
You can see behind-the-scenes photos of the shoot here, here and here, plus a video documenting the day.
Outfits by Revamp, Jewelry by Good Girls Studio. Photography by Arf Fotography.
Rock & Shop Vintage Market Video Promo
Check out this video promo for this Saturday’s Rock & Shop Vintage Market and Fashion Show in Durham created by our friend Charles at Bifocal Media.
First Friday Critical Mass Street Style
First Firday’s in Raleigh have to be one of the best situations for street style pictures, but that’s too broad. I can’t handle it. Too over whelming. So I narrowed it down to First Friday goers who prefer their transportation have just two wheels (except for the last couple that i couldn’t pass up because that dude’s tie was too awesome). Every First Friday there is a critical mass that meets at the NCSU’s bell tower. It’s a lot of fun riding bikes in a huge mass like this. It’s like being in a parade and for the most part, cars are respectable to us, and we are respectalbe to car although some red lights have to be run in order to keep the group together.
I usually try and get the persons name, age, and style inspiration, but that tends to be hard. So here we just have a few of the bikers and their names as i remember them. If i’ve gotten your name wrong, i’m sorry.
Peter
Nate
Miles (the organizer of this beautiful event)
Micha
Zeb (or maybe it was Seb)
Bliss
May
Matt & Meagan
- Tie guy & Andi (i can’t remember this guy’s name. I want to say it starts with an E… anyway, his tie was too awesome to pass up and he enlightened me with the info that it was a recent thrfit purchase the bird and flower on the tie are both native to North Carolina.)
Alison Overton, Secret Hours
Whether you already have plans or are looking for something to do this Friday, be sure you find the time to stop by Flanders 311 in downtown Raleigh to catch a glimpse of Alison Overton’s latest exhibition, Secret Hours. This exhibition is particularly exciting in that it unveils an entirely new direction for Overton’s work. Instead of creating the hand-tinted medium format prints of architectural landscapes and statues that we have all grown to know and love, Overton will be displaying new digital photographs that showcase her recent explorations into an imaginative world filled with intriguing new subject matter.
Her new work pairs antique dolls and other curious objects with unusual flora and fauna. The dolls and objects were all discovered this past year as Overton was clearing out her childhood home in Vance County, NC. The culmination of her new explorations reveal a fascinating collection of delicate and haunting narratives that speak to both real and imagined childhood memories.
You can meet the artist this Friday at the opening reception at Flanders 311 from 6-9pm. The exhibition will be on display through October 30th.
