The Produce Box

Judy Carpenter bought the land for Lucky Clays Fresh Farm in 2009 but took two years to decide how to use the 505 acres. She wanted to find an animal to raise that she would not grow attached to. After much thought, she said, “I don’t think I’d get attached to a fish.” So she started with tilapia. She then grew into various types of lettuce, herbs and other vegetables. She has a wonderful a twist on sustainable agriculture that we just love: using her fish to increase the nutrients in water to grow the plants and then cleaning the water so it gets used again. She has built a no waste, no toxins, no chemicals aquaponics farm. The recirculating aquaculture system now incorporates large tanks that include a variety of fish species and dozens of raised beds, rife with leafy greens and herbs, into one ecofriendly farming system. Lucky Clays Farm’s commitment to modernity extends into all their practices. The farm is nestled in the rolling countryside of Norwood, NC east of Charlotte....

Carolina Farmhouse yogurts are from a small, first- generation farm just north of Durham. The farm,  located on 15 acres, is North Carolina’s first farmstead yogurt dairy farm. Cindy Hamrick and her sons started farming together in 2011. Cindy had made a bold decision to leave her corporate career and urban lifestyle.  She realized the benefits of producing her own food and how vital local food is to the security of our communities. Her family’s love for cows significantly impacted her desire to build a farmstead yogurt business, and in the fall of 2015, they broke ground on what is now Carolina Farmhouse Dairy. The farm’s friendly herd of Jersey cows graze on a variety of grasses year-round and are supplemented with organic, locally milled feed.  All of the ingredients are certified organic – from the fruit to the cane sugar.  Members are enjoying the Strawberry, Plain and Vanilla yogurts, as well as the Golden Milk we have had on the me...