N.C.'s time to shine ... still

One of our favorite pastimes here is to gloat about the importance of North Carolina agriculture and "exports" during the holidays. It's hard to argue, after all. 

Think of your Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, and there's a very good chance a large part of it hails from our state. 

To wit:

1. N.C. ranks first in the nation in sweet potatoes/sweetpotatoes
2. We are second in turkey production
3. We rank third in pork production
4. We are also fourth in broilers (chickens)
5. When it comes to pecans, N.C. ranks fifth.

And though you can't eat them, Christmas tree production continues to be a major economic engine here, particularly in the western part of the state. North Carolina traditionally is among the top 2 states for trees. 

Speaking of ... if you can, by all means support WNC tree farmers this year and buy a real tree.  

Image courtesy of FeedtheDialogue.com

When it comes to the holidays, we rule

This has historically been one of our favorite "evergreen" posts each year around the holidays. (See what we did there? Evergreen? Christmas trees? Eh?) We here at the Dare Society love to (metaphorically) pump up our North Carolina chest this time of year -- and for good reason. 

North Carolina is one of the leading states when it comes to holiday-related foods and agricultural outputs. In fact, NC State updated those talking points recently.

Our state takes production bragging rights for at least three of the top holiday dishes. North Carolina ranks 1, 2 and 3 throughout the U.S. in sweetpotatoes, turkey and ham, respectively.

“I can just about guarantee that someone can make an entire holiday meal just on what is produced in North Carolina. Turkey, goose, duck, quail, chicken… sweetpotatoes, squash, sweet corn, beans, carrots, onions, broccoli, well I guess some people even eat cauliflower,” says Jesse Grimes, turkey management Extension specialist.

It's also easy to forget a few of those other non-A list crops as well, according to NC State. 

Don’t forget that the state grows a variety of fruits great for incorporating into desserts, including strawberry and blueberry crumble, peach cobbler, apple or pumpkin pie. And last but not least, there are nearly 200 wineries and over 300 breweries to add festive libations to any celebration.

And that's not all. As referenced at the beginning of this post, Christmas trees are also a point of pride as NC tends to rank in the top 2 of all Christmas tree sales.

Image courtesy of NC State

DYK? Sweetpotato is one word

One source of pride in our state is how integral the state's agricultural and food resources are to the holidays, as we have noted before. 

It's almost impossible to have a Thanksgiving meal without some part of North Carolina touching the dinner table. 

• Turkeys!
• Christmas trees!
• Ham!
• and ....
• SWEETPOTATOES.

What's that? We spelled that last one wrong? Not so fast, my friend.

According to John Hart with Southeast Farm Press, the one-word spelling is correct since the "industry says is not a potato, but a root vegetable. The one-word name sweetpotato, Hart tells us, is more scientifically correct."

In fact, the official NC Sweetpotato website states the same:

The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission deliberately spells sweetpotato  as one word unless directly quoting a source where it is spelled as two words  i.e., sweet potato).  The one-word spelling was officially adopted by the National Sweetpotato Collaborators in 1989.  Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) must not be confused in the minds of shippers, distributors, warehouse workers, and above all consumers with the equally unique and distinctive potato (Solanum tuberosum) or the yam (Dioscorea sp.) which are also grown and marketed commercially in the United States. Please join us in using the scientific one-word spelling of our state vegetable, the North Carolina Sweetpotato!

There ya have it. Enjoy that sweetpotato pie this Thanksgiving!

It's the holiday season, y'all!

We like to puff our collective chest out here in North Carolina. And mostly for good reason. One area in which our fair state excels is agriculture. And this time of year, boy oh boy, is it a good ag time of the year.

As we are on the cusp of Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's a good time to take stock of where N.C. ranks among the typical holiday trimmings, such as turkey, sweet potatoes and even the literal trimmings (Christmas trees).

How does N.C. rank?
Sweet potatoes -- We're No. 1! We're No. 1! In fact, half of the U.S. supply of sweet potatoes come from our state.
Turkeys -- The Old North State is currently second, behind Minnesota.
Christmas trees -- No. 2 behind Oregon.
Pork (Ham) -- Also second. However, Duplin and Sampson counties are the top two hog-producing counties in the United States.

Nothing Compares. Indeed.

[Image from Pinterest]

Happy holidays, Nawth Cackylacky!

As we're approaching the end of the year, we're beginning to see lots of holiday-themed e-cards. Below are a few that I've received and wanted to share. If you have any that you've received that are N.C.-related, feel free to email me at collards12@yahoo.com and I'll post them. (And please don't solicit your own organization or business.)

From the Blowing Rock Visitors Center:





From N.C. State University:




From the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) at NCSU:



Hopefully there will be more to come!

N.C. as the center of the universe -- '07 edition

We wrote last year that, if you think about it, North Carolina plays such an important part on the holiday season.

"I've always found it somewhat fascinating that beginning with Thanskgiving, millions of Americans will indulge in goods that are dominated by the state of North Carolina," yours truly wrote almost a year ago today.

At that time, the state was the second-largest turkey-producing state after Minnesota. (And probably is still.)

And then there are the sweet potatoes.

North Carolina has been the number one producer of sweet potatoes in the United States, according to the Department of Agriculture. "Today more than 40% of the natinal [sic] supply of sweet potatoes comes from North Carolina."

And, finally, the holiday season closes out with Christmas trees.

"The North Carolina Christmas Tree Industry is ranked second in the nation in number of trees harvested and first in the nation in terms of dollars made per tree," according to the N.C. Christmas Tree Association.

"The North Carolina Fraser fir has been judged the Nation's best through a contest sponsored by the National Christmas Tree Association and chosen for the official White House Christmas tree nine times (more than any other species) 1971, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2005, and 2007."

A 20-foot Fraser was chosen this year for W's house.