Washington The Magazine July/August 2022 by Washington Daily News

Savory recipes Fresh ingredients and bold flavors

ALSO INSIDE

FROM THE FIELD TO THE PULPIT Sweet Onion

SUCCESS

JULY/AUGUST 2022 WASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

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Publisher Ashley Vansant Editorial Steve Barnes Holly Morgan David Singleton Contributors Richard Andrews Chelsea Moore Vail Stewart Rumley Marketing & Sales David Singleton Kristen Smith Distribution Kim Riggs Art Direction Ryan Webb Contact information Washington the Magazine P.O. Box 1788 Washington, NC 27889 Advertising inquiries 252-946-2144 Ext. 221 Subscriptions & change of address 252-946-2144

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In this issue

FEATURES & DEPARTMENTS ON THE COVER

NEIGHBORS 16

THE PASTOR

How tobacco farming prepared one pastor for the pulpit

16 REMINISCENT 22

SLICE OF HEAVEN

Sweet memories from a simple sandwich

38 HOME BY DARK 32

RALEIGH ADVENTURE

Going nuts in the City of Oaks

IN EVERY ISSUE 9 30 45 47 50

The Scene Word on Wine Cast a Line Advertising Index Why I Love Washington

WHAT'S TO EAT 38

IN SEASON

Savoring summer: Spice up the season’s last days with local fare

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THE SCENE

PITT STREET BREWING COMPANY ON THE PAMLICO OPENING PHOTOS BY HOLLY MORGAN

Residents and visitors enjoyed a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the arrival and opening of Pitt Street Brewing Company on the Pamlico on Friday, July 22. The ceremony was hosted by the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce at the brewery in downtown Washington (307 W Main Street). Pitt Street Brewing Company is based in Greenville, North Carolina and opened five years ago. The Washington location held a grand opening on Friday, July 23.

Darrien King (left) is the head brewer at Pitt Street Brewing. Brianna Long is the General Manager.

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THE SCENE

Slayton and Kylie Hazard-Daniel

Jon and Melynda Oliver

Bill Bridges and Lenny Jordan

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Lewis Sloan and Meg Howdy

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From the tobacco field to the mission field

NEIGHBORS

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Tad Tankard has been the senior pastor of Harvest Church in Washington for 24 years.

How tobacco farming prepared one pastor for the pulpit

STORY BY HOLLY MORGAN PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY TANKARD FAMILY

n 1958, a young Tad Tankard drove a Farmall Super A tractor through tobacco fields collecting leaves that would later be dried and sold. Little did he know back then the grueling physical labor he endured was all in preparation for his calling into ministry. Tankard grew up in Bath on a family farm. His father was a barber who farmed on the side. Over the years, he continued to buy more farms and made tobacco farming his full-time profession. As young as seven or eight years old, Tankard harvested tobacco by hand off of his fathers farms. Tobacco season runs from July to September. It demands long hours under a hot, relentless sun. “Used to — they used to pay people either by the day (for the barn) or they would pay them by the hour. If they paid them by the hour, the workers would try to make as much money so they wouldn’t work as fast,” Tankard said laughing. Tankard, his two brothers and sister worked on the farms. He joked that his father had “his whole crew in the house” and he had “cheap labor.” When they would ask their father about getting paid, he would tell them they had a roof over their heads, a hot meal to come home to and clothes to wear to school.

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Harvest Church began in 1978 in a tobacco barn. The pews were pieces of lumber sitting on top of cinder blocks.

Tobacco can be difficult to harvest by hand, because the leaves at the bottom ripen first; therefore, it has to be harvested from the bottom, up. The first three or four leaves are plucked then two or three weeks later the other three or four leaves are ready for harvest. It takes about four times of harvesting leaves in a season to produce enough tobacco. Four or five leaves were looped on a tobacco stick, hung and left to dry out in a barn at 95 degrees. As they dried, the leaves’ color changed from a bright green to a mustard yellow. As a kid, Tankard always told people he looked forward to going back to school so that he could “get out of the fields.” Tankard went on to attend and graduate from Eastern Carolina University and join the U.S. Marine Corps. He then became a tobacco farmer himself. He liked the idea because he enjoyed being his own boss. He farmed 18 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 2022

tobacco fields for 20 years from 1978 to 1998 before God called him to serve in the mission field as a pastor. “Farming prepared me - though I didn’t know it at the time - for the principles in the natural that I would apply in the spiritual,” Tankard said. In June of 1978, Tankard left the Marine Corp and the air station at Cherry Point to become a tobacco farmer. That September, founding pastor Maynard Waters, started Harvest Church. Tankard and Treva previously knew Waters through music. Waters and his family had a traveling singing group of which Treva was part of. When Waters wanted to stop traveling and settle down to start a church, he asked the Tankards to help him establish Harvest Church. They and 24 other founding members held service every Sunday in an old tobacco barn. The floors were made of cement and three stalls remained. The pews were made of two-by-four planks resting on cinder blocks.

Tankard drove a Farmall Super A tractor as a young kid through tobacco fields in the summertime. Tankard said he couldn’t wait to go back to school in the fall, because it meant getting out of the tobacco fields.

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Today, Harvest Church has a congregation of more than 300 regular members.

Tankard continued to farm and be active in the church as an elder. In 1997, Waters retired and moved to South Carolina. The congregation prayed about who would lead them next. “I felt like the Lord was beginning to speak to me about becoming a pastor there, but I didn’t really want it because I didn’t have any ambition to be a pastor,” Tankard said. “...but I said, ‘Lord, if you're asking me to be the pastor, you’re going to have to confirm it to me and also to the people because I’m not going to promote myself…,” Tankard said. In 1998, Harvest Church had three guest speakers to visit for special meetings. They had never been to the church before and they hadn’t

met Tankard before their visits. Each guest spoke prophetic words over Tankard in front of the congregation about him becoming the next pastor of Harvest Church. The first guest speaker told Tankard (without knowing his history of farming) that God was calling him out of the fields and that he would be like Joshua leading the congregation into God’s promises. In November of 1998, Tankard became an ordained minister and the following year he officially started as the senior pastor at Harvest Church. Next year will be his 25th year there. “The Lord called me out of the field, but I’m still farming. First, it was natural, but now it’s

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spiritual,” Tankard said. He shared how the same natural farming principles can also apply to Christian faith. “You want to break some ground, sow some seeds, cultivate the crop and you pray for a harvest because you want to see things grow and you want fruit that remains.” In the same way, a person accepts salvation (breaking ground), learns how to read the Bible and pray (sow some seeds), be obedient to God and place their trust in Him (cultivating the crop) and have a long, faithful relationship with God (the harvest).

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FINDING THE RIGHT POLICIES FOR YOU!

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REMINISCENT OF THE PAST

A tomato sandwich can be more than just a meal. It can be a sweet reminder of values passed down from grandparents.

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Trying to hurry up with garden chores so I could splash and swim in my grandparent’s pool.

Slice of heaven

Sweet memories from a simple sandwich

STORY BY HOLLY MORGAN • PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

lices of bright red tomato rest on a white backdrop of Duke’s mayonnaise and white bread . They are blanketed with grains of salt and flecks of black pepper. This simple, southern sandwich marks the beginning of a new summer season. It is fascinating how the sight, smell and taste of even the simplest of foods can evoke certain memories for people. Each time I bite into a tomato sandwich, I think of my late Grandpa Charlie. Charlie Funderburk lived in Gastonia, North Carolina and owned a tire store called, “Mr. Nobody’s.” (Prior to opening the business, competitors claimed “nobody has better prices than us.” The name of his store was an ingenious and humorous opportunity for free advertising at his competitors’ expense.) Long after he sold the tire store, settled into retirement and

learned to answer to “Grandpa,” Charlie grew tomatoes in his backyard. I remember one summer afternoon helping him collect fresh tomatoes off of vines placed in a long, horizontal row down the length of his and my grandmother’s home. I was a young kid back then who was more focused on swimming in their pool than harvesting a fruit I didn’t enjoy eating. Grandpa Charlie would get annoyed with me, because I wouldn’t eat tomatoes. The slimy texture and strange taste did not appeal to me. I didn’t understand why he tried so hard to get me to like something I was adamant about diskling. I now understand my grandfather’s argument which wasn’t about the tomato at all. It was about appreciating the hard work someone put into growing something with their own hands - nurturing it until it was ready to harvest and be presented as a gift saying, “I did

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My Nana, Norma Funderburk, me and Grandpa Charlie.

this for you.” It was about learning the virtue of patience as the tomatoes grew on the vine and giving yourself grace when it failed. It was about learning to see an argument from another person’s perspective - could a tomato actually be delicious if I set aside bias and gave it a fair chance? Finally, it was about learning to appreciate small things in life that are often taken for granted. Due to cancer caused by

smoking, my grandfather had his tongue completely removed; therefore, he couldn’t eat. He received nourishment from cans of Ensure and a feeding tube for 17 years. Despite that, he made sure his family and friends ate well. He paid for their dinners at nice restaurants. He watched them dine on meals, but had to imagine how the food tasted. He would have given anything to share the same meal let alone a tomato sandwich.

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There are times when I fix a tomato sandwich for lunch that I wish I could share one with him and tell him everything that has happened since his passing in 2008. Praying, as I spoke, that he would be proud of the person I’ve become. The tomato sandwich is a simple one, but the sweet memories it brings to my mind and the lessons I have learned because of it are what make it my favorite sandwich to eat.

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ON THE FARM

Sweet success Machinery makes onions become a viable Inner Banks crop

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Flatland Ag. Inc. was founded in 2008 in Aurora by Floyd, Scott and Jeff Peed.

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Machinery like an onion harvester made farming the crop much more efficient. The Peeds went from hand harvesting 18 acres with between 50 and 100 people to harvesting 85 acres this season.

ure, you’ll need the right soil and seeds, water and good weather to grow onions however; the key element is perseverance. Founders of Flatland Ag. Inc. Floyd Peed and his two sons Scott, and Jeff Peed know all too well that perseverance is how onions go from the ground to a dinner plate. Flatland Ag. Inc. was founded in Aurora in 2009 . The Peeds started to farm onions in the 1990’s. (This was a separate farm from Flatlands than came later).

At the same time, Dr. Doug Sanders, a professor at NC State University, experimented with onions. His experiments helped the Peeds believe that onions could be a viable crop in Aurora. They started to farm onions, but decided to stop after about three years until they felt as if they could justify investing in farming the vegetable mechanically. “We were all hand harvest to begin with. It was slow and expensive and we just needed to modernize to be able to produce the crop here profitably,” Jeff Peed said.

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In the 1990’s, the Peeds used hand sheep shears to clip the tops by hand one bucket at a time. Between 50 to 100 people would harvest about 18 to 20 acres at the most, Peed shared. Harvesting that many acres would take several days to complete. Today, Flatland has a machine that picks onions up, top them and bulk load them into trucks to bring into a facility owned by Flatland where they are cured and packed. This year, they harvest 85 acres, but will have 110 acres next year. It took a five week period to harvest 85 acres. Harvesting did not happen every

day, Peed said. At Flatland, yellow and some red onions are known as the “baby crop” because it takes nine months for it to grow. Onions are planted around the first week of October, but are harvested around mid-May. Onions are most vulnerable when they are planted and small. The biggest risk is weather - both winter and summer weather can ruin a crop. There are a lot of things that can happen over a nine month period that can harm them. The return on investment from onion farming makes taking the aforementioned risks

worth it even for other local small businesses. Flatland partnered with Petals and Produce and Southside Farms to sell their onions in Beaufort County. They have plans to partner with more produce stands to carry their onions. L&M Marketing, of Raleigh, assists Flatland with commercial sales. They ship onions to New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, Philadelphia and throughout North Carolina. “[L&M Marketing] has been key to making this work, because nobody’s heard of North Carolina onions,” Peed said. It’s been a team effort to build that market.”

Flatland yellow and red onions can be purchased locally. They are also shipped to northern states with assistance from L&M marketing in Raleigh.

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WORD ON WINE

Cheese and Wine: A tested marriage BY MARY MEHLICH

ver the centuries, humans have c o m e t o understand the importance of preserving nature’s seasonal bounty for the times when nature isn’t as generous. Fresh grapes, which last a few days, become wine to be enjoyed for years to come. Fresh milk that a cow, sheep or goat produce in the Summer months, become cheese for the winter. Both have long been the daily sustenance of those who work the fields, farms, and vineyards that provide them. Although cheese and wine make a wonderful contribution to your social events, they should be considered part of your everyday meal. Whether it be as an appetizer or an after dinner dessert. WHICH CHEESE WITH WHAT WINE

Sparkling wines, such as French Champagne, Italian Prosecco, Spanish Cava or any dry sparkling of your choice will pair with mild to medium intensity blue cheeses such as Cashel Blue, Fourme d’Ambert or Gorgonzola Dolce. Bloomy rind such as Brie or Camembert. Triple Crème such as Camcozola or Brillat-Savarin. Washed Rind such as Morbier. Hard aged such as Boerenkaas, Mimolette or Parmigiano Reggiano.

Dry sherries (fino, manzanilla, some amontillados) pair best with Hard aged such as Mahon, Manchego, Ossau-Iraty or Parmigiana Reggiano. Off dry sherries (palo cortado, oloroso or some amontillados are best with Nutty cow’s milk Alpine such as Comte, L’Etivaz or Gruyere. Buttery Blues such as Stilton or Roquefort. High acid wines such as Albarino, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, dry Riesling and dry Roses work best with Slightly aged cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk cheeses such as Asiago, Humboldt Fog, Green

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Peppercorn Cone, Valencay, Feta or Pecorino Toscano. Rich, aromatic, spicy, lush white wines such as Chardonnay, G e w u r z t r a m i n e r, G r u n e r Veltliner, Marsanne, Roussanne, Pinot Gris, Viognier pair with Nutty cow’s milk alpine cheese like Beaufort, Comte, Raclette or Tomme d’ Savoie. Double or triple Crème such as BrillatSavarin, or Camembert. Washed rind like Epoisses, Fontina, Morbier or Talleggio. Hard aged like Mimolette, or Piave. Aged goat such as Garrotxa. Light to medium red wines Such as Beaujolais, Bourgeuil,

Chinon, Dolcetto D’Alba, Pinot Noir Grenache do well with Fresh or aged goat’s milk cheese like Tumalo Tomme or SaintMaure Touraine. Washed Rind like Fontina, or Talleggio. Bloomy Rind like Brie, Cambozola or Cammelia. Full bodied reds such as Barbaresco, Barolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, Rhone, Bordeaux, Zinfandel, or Brunello di Montalcino (Sangiovese) Pair well with Aged Cow’s milk like Cheshire, Asiago, Cantal, and Cheddar. Aged sheep’s milk like Manchego, , Pecorino Toscano or Ossau-Iraty. Washed rind such as

Durrus, Talleggio. Dessert wines from botrysized grapes like Sauternes or late harvest Riesling pair nicely with Blue Cheeses like Bleu D’Avergne, Roquefort or Forme d’Ambert. Dessert wines with nut and caramel notes, such as Amontillada, Madeira, Oloroso or Vin Santo are great with blue cheeses like Stilton, Valdeon, or Gorgonzola Naturel. Hard aged cheeses with sweet or nutty notes such as Boerenkaas, Cheddar or Wensleydale. Port pairs well with Blue Cheeses like Stilton, Gorgonzola Naturel or Rogue River Blue. Aged cow’s milk like Boerenkaas, Cheddar, Piave or Wensleydale. These guidelines will give you

an idea of the types of cheeses that will compliment each style of wine. Cheese always tastes better at room temperature. Flavors and aromas emerge that are muted when the cheese is cold. Make sure to unwrap any wrapped cheeses that are wrapped or in foil , but leave the rinds in place, this is to prevent sweating and unnecessary moisture. Some Blues “weep”, or release moisture , as they warm, pat them dry with a paper towel before serving. Offer a separate knife for each type of cheese. That being said, plate it at least an hour before serving. Try a little wine and cheese before or after dinner. It will enhance your dining experience guaranteed JULY/AUGUST 2022 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 31

HOME BY DARK

VISITRALEIGH.COM/MICHAEL ROBSON North Carolina's historic Capitol building anchors Raleigh's many civic, arts and business institutions.

Going Nuts in the City of Oaks

n the classic sitcom ‘The Andy Griffith Show”, there was a point in the timescript continuum where the writers became vague about the exact location of Andy & the Gang. Where the storylines once included references to real life towns in our fair state, the writers, on instruction to keep the dialogue as universal as possible, dialed back the focus. And while mentions of the towns of Mt. Airy (sounds a lot like Mayberry, doesn’t’ it) and Siler City (Aunt Bee’s eventual real life retirement town of choice) remained prominent, the once-proud allegiances to the city of Raleigh eventually gave way to the lame sounding

BY DAVID SINGLETON ‘Capital City.’ I’m not sure anyone noticed but me, but I had skin in the game. I grew up here, and that tiny sliver of notoriety was, or at least seemed at the time, like a big deal. On one episode, a local resident was said to be all the way up in Detroit, pronounced with the longest of e’s imaginable. That was an outrage to me then, now I’m less adamant. That was then and this is now. I no longer have concerns about my hometown getting its propers. The City of Oaks routinely stakes its claim on all the ‘best of ’ lists to work, retire, get mortgaged to the hilt and drink expensive cocktails. These days, the Greater Raleigh

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Metro Area adds 136 new residents a day and as such, my services as a civic booster are no longer required. Now it’s time for me to visit the city strictly as a tourist, regale in her high-brow haunts, get in some neck-craning in due consideration of the not-quite-highenough-to-be skyscrapers, check out a couple of museums and in general, for a day, just go nuts in the City of Oaks. For a city this size, getting around the downtown area by car is a manageable affair on a Saturday. Once parked, there is no shortage of alternative means of transportation available. Stands of electric thingamajigs silently offer to propel you

DAVID SINGLETON

VISITRALEIGH.COM/ TED RICHARDSON Among Raleigh's more interesting downtown destinations are The Mecca Diner, Historic Oakwood and The North Carolina Museum of Science.

VISITRALEIGH.COM/ KAREN SWAIN

VISITRALEIGH.COM/MICHAEL ROBSON An aerial view of 'The City of Oaks' at dusk, Fayetteville Street looking north.

around the city on a wing and a prayer, with the swipe of a credit card of course. Some of this technology has long since left me by, but by the looks of it there are vehicles that scoot, boards that hover and what’s this? A flying carpet? The action today begins at the center of the downtown Raleigh historical tourism trade, the Old State Capitol Building. Once the home to both houses of the state legislature, the governor’s office and the state Supreme Court, this was one busy building. Over the years, with the state growing and the government expanding, the old Greek Revival monument to our state’s sometimes grand, sometimes ignominious history became more of an echo of the past than a marker of modern progress. In these troubled times, it’s nice to see you can still just basically breeze into the Capitol building and view the centerpiece of the state’s history without a lot of paranoia. It’s free to get in and there’s really only token visible security by today’s standards. The cupola, the art and statuary, those impossibly fancy little desks, these are all familiar to me, only marginally wizened by their advanced

age. Look honey, there’s a little bit of history in each of those gilded tassels. My thoughts harken back to my younger days. For several years, my mom was employed right here in this building by the Department of Cultural Resources. Her office, once reserved for the Sergeantat-Arms, sat just beyond the now cordoned pedestal. As a high-schooler at nearby Needham Broughton, I would sometimes visit in the afternoon if I needed to borrow a typewriter. At that age of course, I had little consideration of the office’s historical value. That is until one day, she showed me a non-descript closet door near the back of the room. Inside that closet I found a spiral staircase that led up to a private chamber; a secret ensconcement for dignitaries to take refuge in the event of a hostile raid. At least that was the story I got. There are four of these in the Capitol building, two in each chamber. I lugged the IBM Selectric II with the cursive font ball up the dark stairwell and hammered out my senior term paper in that dusty catacomb. The only time mom bothered to negotiate those steps was to bring me a dictionary.

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That was sweet, but all this nostalgia is making me hungry. And if you like your brunch with a side of Raleigh history, then there’s no more logical destination than The Mecca Restaurant. Widely considered to be Raleigh’s oldest active eatery, The Mecca was founded in 1930 and to walk in today, it’s safe to assume that not much has changed. Slender and unassuming, The Mecca has been a favorite of politicians in need of a quick respite or a neutral off-campus forum to settle differences over a plate of scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee. The plywood booths are tiny, but negotiable. The menu is unexpectedly simple and my corned beef hash was hot and tasty. I’m sure there are myriad brunches around the city today where the noveau riche are waiting too long and paying too much, but I’ve got a really good vantage point in a room just dripping with history. It’s mind blowing to consider the ways in which this state’s fortunes have been altered, for good or ill, in this tiny icon posing as a diner; secret, hand-shake deals that never made the headlines, but affect our lives today in ways that will never be undisclosed.

Tightening up the laces on my New Balance tennis shoes, I head north a few blocks to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. It’s not long before I round the corner and I’m gobsmacked by the sheer scale of this place. Covering two full city blocks and offering the eyes a full pallet of architectural diversity, this place looks like its own city. I should’ve taken an electric-mystery-board because I can already tell you there’s plenty of walking to be done here. This place is like the Crabtree Valley Mall of discover y. Encompassing all manner of scientific endeavor, there is something of interest to suit practically any field of interest. There are right whales, pterosaurs and of course good old-fashioned creepy snakes. You can tell this place is affiliated with the Smithsonian, with state of the art dioramas explaining, in great detail, how a bug sheds their skin. I’ll come back when the grandkids are older. Cut to the fourth and final scene of today’s expedition and I’ve decided to go off script. The Museum of History, a delightful destination in its own right, is a scratch for the day and instead, perhaps inspired by the day’s earlier nostalgia, I decide to head over to the Oakwood Historic District and Cemetery. Located just northeast of downtown, The Oakwood Historic District boasts the largest collection of Victorian era homes in the city, including sterling examples of NeoClassical, Second Empire, Greek Revival and the always

dapper Queen Anne. I have to admit that my knowledge of such things is strictly practical, but I can identify a finial with the best of ‘em. The sheer size and of the neighborhood (not to mention some of the homes), their generally excellent state of repair and the variety of residential concepts pack quite a visual wallop and makes for a wonderful stroll. If you notice any of the porches have blue ceilings, they were painted that way to shoo away the flies. My collection of fun facts is practically inexhaustible. From there, the stone gates of Oakwood Cemetery loom ominously. Here we find among the towering oaks, the final resting place of over 25,000 Raleighites; some notable, some plebian but mostly we find the markers of generation after generation of the middle class citizens whose lofty vision and hard work helped forge the sterling reputation that the city enjoys today. I think most would say my mom fell into the latter of these. I linger and pay my respects before I realize that I had best be hitting the road if I want to be home by dark. Of course with a city this size, I had only begun to scratch the surface of all the things to do here. I want to see Dorthea Dix Park, tour Boylan Heights, and spend some time in the South Glenwood Entertainment District among others. Maybe next time I’ll say at the trendy new motel downtown called the Longleaf; or maybe if money’s tight, I’ll do like Barney and get a corner room at the ‘Y’.

VISITRALEIGH.COM Three U.S. Presidents hail from N.C>: Andrew Jackson (7th), James K. Polk (11th) and Andrew Johnson (17th). Various Victorian era architectural examples can be seen throughout the city.

VISITRALEIGH.COM/ JIM LAMB

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WHAT'S TO EAT

GO LOCAL What’s for dinner? What’s in season! FOOD PREP, PHOTOGRAPHS AND STORY BY VAIL STEWART RUMLEY

ake your next meal a celebration of seasonal goodness. Though the heat of summer may be waning, it’s an ideal time to take advantage of local offerings from land and sea. Here in Beaufort County, farmers and backyard gardeners have an abundance of the summer’s crops of vegetables: corn, tomatoes, zucchini and more. On the river, crabbers are emptying traps of Atlantic blue crab, a local delicacy that can just as easily land at a riverside crab-picking as a high-end restaurant many states away. Crab’s versatility means it doesn’t have to be the centerpiece of a meal, but it can add the special something that makes a recipe unforgettable. Make a breakfast or lunchtime meal of it with Maxine Reel’s Crab Bites or take it to the next “just-bring-a-side” get together with Mary Edwards’ Crabby Deviled Eggs. If you’ve grown tomatoes this year, put them to good (yummy) use in Carol Tayloe’s Gazpacho, a soup served cold that will spice things up while cooling you down. Add those homegrown tomatoes to Judy MacAdam’s Zesty Couscous Salad for a light, tasty lunch, or chop them up for garnish on Margaret Dorn’s Chicken Fajitas. If you were thinking ahead and froze some justpicked blueberries earlier this summer, you might want to thaw them out for Carol Jones’ Blueberry Crunch Cobbler. It’s worth it! Whatever you choose to do with the homegrown goodness of eastern North Carolina’s late summer, you can’t go wrong — just like you can’t go wrong with these recipes from the kitchens of some of the best cooks Beaufort County has ever known. Enjoy!

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CHICKEN FAJITAS RECIPE BY MARGARET DORN “PLATE & PALETTE,” BEAUFORT COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL (ARTS OF THE PAMLICO), WASHINGTON 1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 1/3 cup lime juice; 1/4 cup finely chopped onion; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin; 3 whole chicken breasts halved, skinned and boned; 8 flour tortillas. Combine first 10 ingredients in shallow glass bowl or large, zip-top plastic bag. Mix well. Add chicken breasts and coat well. Refrigerate for four hours. Drain chicken, reserve marinade. Grill chicken breasts, using reserved marinade to baste. Heat tortillas by wrapping in foil and putting in oven or on the grill, away from direct heat. Slice chicken breasts into thin slices when done. Place sliced chicken and desired garnishes on warm tortillas. Quite an array of garnishes goes with these delicious fajitas: shredded cheddar, guacamole (see recipe for Easy Guacamole), salsa, fresh tomatoes, chopped cilantro, chopped fresh or pickled jalapeno, sour cream, shredded lettuce and more!

CRABBY DEVILED EGGS RECIPE BY MARY EDWARDS “SOUTHERN COOKING IN HISTORIC BATH, SECOND HELPINGS,” BATH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, BATH 12 hard-cooked eggs, boiled; 1 (6-ounce) can crabmeat, drained, flaked and picked; 1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing; 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish; 1 tablespoon prepared mustard; 2 teaspoons seafood seasoning; 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Slice eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and set the whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks with a fork. Add crabmeat, mayonnaise, relish, mustard, seafood seasonings and pepper; mix well. Stuff or pipe into egg whites. Refrigerate until serving. Yield 24 servings. JULY/AUGUST 2022 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 39

ZESTY COUSCOUS SALAD

GAZPACHO

RECIPE BY JUDY MACADAM “SAY GRACE,” WOMEN OF THE ECLA GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH, WASHINGTON 1 package Near East Couscous, original plain; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoon lemon juice; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 large tomatoes, chopped; 1 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced; 1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into strips; 1/3 cup green onions; 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese. Prepare couscous according to package directions, except omit butter or olive oil and add black pepper to the water. In a large bowl, combine cooled, prepared couscous, lemon juice and olive oil. Add tomatoes, zucchini, basil and green onions. Chill four hours or overnight. Stir in feta cheese just before serving. Serve over lettuce, if desired.

RECIPE BY CAROL TAYLOE “KEYS TO THE KITCHEN, GRACEFULLY REKEYED,” ST. PETER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, WASHINGTON 4 cups cold tomato-vegetable juice cocktail; 1 small sweet onion, minced; 2 cups fresh diced tomatoes; 1 cup minced green pepper; 1 teaspoon honey; 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced; 1-2 ribs celery, diced; 2 scallions, chopped; juice of 1 lime; juice of 1/2 lemon; 2-3 tablespoons wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon dried tarragon; 1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil; 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley; dash of hot sauce or cayenne pepper; 2 tablespoons olive oil; salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; Worcestershire sauce to taste. Combine all ingredients and chill at least two hours. Best if chilled overnight.

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EASY GUACAMOLE RECIPE BY VAIL STEWART RUMLEY 4 avocados; 1 large lime; 1 large clove of garlic, minced; 1 green onion, chopped; 1 teaspoon salt. Slice avocados in half and remove seeds. Cube the flesh using a sharp knife, then use a spoon to scoop it into a bowl. Juice a large lime over the avocados; add garlic, green onion and salt. Mix until just slightly chunky. (Chef ’s note: How do you pick out ripe avocados? A perfectly ripe avocado can be identified by pressing firmly, but gently, on the fruit. If it feels hard, it’s not ripe enough; if it gives easily, it’s probably too ripe. Tip #1: If you flex the thumb of one hand and use a finger on the other hand to push on the flesh at the base of the flexed thumb, that will illustrate the give of a ripe avocado. Tip #2: Putting avocados in a sealed paper bag, then placing in the sun, will hasten the ripening process!) JULY/AUGUST 2022 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 41

BLUEBERRY CRUNCH COBBLER RECIPE BY CAROL JONES 1 large can of crushed pineapple; 1 box yellow cake mix; 3 cups blueberries; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped; 1 1/2 sticks of butter; 1/4 cup light brown sugar. Pour undrained pineapple into a 9-by-13-inch glass casserole dish. Mix blueberries and white sugar. Pour over pineapple. Sprinkle cake mix over blueberries. Pour melted butter over cake mix. Sprinkle pecans over top; then brown sugar over pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

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CRAB BITES RECIPE BY MAXINE REEL “FAVORITE RECIPES,” ST. CLAIR’S CHURCH OF CHRIST, BATH 1 pound crabmeat; 3/4 cup butter, softened; 1 (5-ounce) jar Old English sharp cheese, softened; 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt or seasoned salt; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce, Texas Pete or cayenne pepper; 6 English muffins, split. Blend crabmeat, butter, softened cheese, mayonnaise, seasoned or garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce into a paste. The add hot sauce to taste. Spread on split muffins. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until browned. Yields 12 sandwich halves. (These can be frozen before baking. When you are ready to use, thaw first, then bake.)

Their vision is our focus. 1730 Carolina Avenue, Washington, NC 252-946-2171 AlbemarleEye.com

JULY/AUGUST 2022 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 43

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CAST A LINE

Taking advantage of conditions on the Pamlico STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY CAPT. RICHARD ANDREWS

Ray Revels displays a 27” speckled trout he caught on the Pamlico.

e ather and water conditions on the Pamlico River are highly variable and being familiar with our local weather patterns can be the difference between making a memory that lasts a lifetime or being utterly miserable or find yourself in a dangerous situation in a hurry. Our weather not only affects your comfort level on the water but also water conditions that may be advantageous or detrimental to your fishing success. The success of our guided fishing trips depends largely on the plan we make the day before. Once the plan is in place, all we have to do is execute it. Making a good plan involves looking at multiple factors. Perhaps the most important is the wind. I am constantly watching the wind forecast. I am interested in both direction and velocity, and those two factors determine where and how effectively we can fish. Also, I know how much mobility

I’ll have on the water. On a windy day, I might have to stay sheltered out of the wind, which shrinks my fishable area. On a very pretty day, I have the ability to go anywhere I want, giving me the most flexibility for finding fish. For an accurate wind forecast, I use the NOAA Marine Forecast for the area that I am fishing. The NOAA Marine Forecast is posted by major water body. For example, I look at the both the Pamlico Sound forecast and the Pamlico/Pungo River forecast. I find the Pamlico Sound forecast much more accurate for our purposes, even when fishing up in the river. The river forecast tends to underestimate the wind direction, so either use the river forecast and add 5-10 knots of wind or use the sound forecast for the greatest accuracy. There are also numerous wind forecasting apps utilizing very accurate wind models showing hour by hour variation in direction and velocity for the specific area you’ll be boating. Two of the apps that I like

are Ventusky and Fishweather, but I still read the trusty old marine forecast everyday. The other forecast I check is just the regular weather forecast. A good weather app such as Weatherbug or something comparable that displays a good hourly forecast and a good radar app is a must. I use the hourly forecast in conjunction with the radar to make sure we don’t find ourselves in a dangerous situation. In the summer, we often have a stiff southeasterly sea breeze which can sometimes reach 25-30 knots. We also have frequent afternoon thunderstorms caused by excessive evaporation off the land and water in Eastern NC. Other dangers could include a rapid shift or increase in wind due to an approaching cold front. These are just a few variables any prudent boater should consider when planning a fishing trip in our area. Having a good plan and a general familiarity with our local weather will help keep you safe and enable you to make lasting memories on the water.

JULY/AUGUST 2022 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 45

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Call us today at 252-946-2144 and never miss an issue!

around Washington and Beaufort County.

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48 • WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2021

ADVERTISER INDEX 252 Digital Services

Gail Kenefick - Coldwell Banker Coastal Rivers

Adams & Associates

Joseph B. Paul Jr. Funeral Service

Agape Health Services

King Chicken

Albemarle Eye

Little Washington Sailing School

BCS Podcast

Mauri E. Alligood - State Farm Insurance

Beaufort County Schools

Nan McLendon - The Rich Co.

Big Bargain Furniture

Professional Staffing Solutions

Carolina Country Fresh

Respess Real Estate - United Country

Carryout by Chrislyn

Rising Integrative Care

Century 21

Rod Cantrell - Edward Jones

Chamber of Commerce

Roy Parker - Edward Jones

City of Washington

Ryan Whitford - Allstate Inurance

Coastal Community Action

Scot West - Truist

Coldwell Banker Coastal Rivers Realty

Slade Landscaping

Daughtridge Patio & Hearth

Sloan Insurance

Dave Alton Insurance

Stewart's Jewelry

Eastern Radiologist

The Rich Company

Executive Personnel Group

Tideland EMC

Feyer Lincoln

Washington Montessori

G. K. Pippin - Farm Bureau

Wine, Words & Gourmet

JULY/AUGUST 2022 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 47

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A good A good neighbor neighbor has your has your back. back.

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WHY I LOVE WASHINGTON

HELPING outside the fields

have always loved farming. As a child, I was captivated by farm equipment. One of my fondest childhood memories was the sound of John Deere “Putt-Putt” tractors in fields all around my house as farmers were plowing, planting, and cultivating their crops. That sound is hard to describe in writing, but if you have ever heard one, it is unique. It was always my desire to farm. As a child, I worked with my uncle in his tobacco fields for years, until the increasing frequency of “mean green” sickness (nicotine from wet tobacco leaves seeping through my skin) forced me to make a summer career change. Once, I vomited so much that I became dehydrated, and my mother took me to the emergency room. The doctor told my mother that I was highly sensitive to nicotine. He went on to tell her that I wouldn’t have this problem if I smoked. I don’t think he was implying that I should pick up the habit, but then again, I remember cigarette advertisements that featured doctors recommending their favorite brands. Times have changed. I was able to continue working on a neighbor’s farm after school and during the summer. It was far more pleasant, as there was no tobacco grown there. This experience was also pivotal in helping me decide what I wanted to do later in life. This farm raised grain to feed a swine operation. I was responsible for grinding feed. I loved the “grinding” part of that equation because it involved a tractor. It was the “feeding” part that I was less enthusiastic about, as the hogs would scream at me as I was trying to feed them. Sometimes they were so enthusiastic that they would jump out of their pens and come to get the feed before I could get it to them. I guess they were hungry, and I wasn’t quick enough. I decided that if I was going to continue my pursuit of a career in agriculture, it would be without any animal depending on me to feed it. Later in life, I realized that farming

By ROD GURGANUS

encompassed much more than just the field work that went into producing the crop. For example, it takes a lot of scientific effort to develop crop varieties, and to protect them from yield robbing insects, diseases, and weeds. So much happens outside of the field, and off the “farm”. I found my niche. I went on to North Carolina State University, and ultimately took advantage of an opportunity to become an Agricultural Extension Agent here in Beaufort County,

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where I remain today. I love this job, because I am working with farmers, helping them solve crop production problems by providing unbiased, research-based information and recommendations. I probably would not be working in agriculture today if it was not for the experiences I had as a child living in rural Beaufort County. Agriculture is a vital part of Beaufort County’s economy. I am thankful to be a part of it.

JULY/AUGUST 2022 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 51

You aren’t two-dimensional.

YOUR NEXT MAMMOGRAM SHOULDN’T BE, EITHER. 3D mammography—also known as breast tomosynthesis—is a profound advancement in breast screening. It improves cancer detection by 40% over traditional 2D mammography, and is capable of finding smaller, earlier stage and more aggressive cancers. Best of all, there are fewer false positives, fewer recalls and less breast compression than with 2D mammography. Adding some dimension to your next mammogram can make all the difference. You have a choice as to where you have your mammogram. Saturday appointments are available. Schedule yours with Eastern Radiologists today at schedulemymammography.com or by calling (252) 752-5000.

630 E 11th St • Washington, NC 27889 (252) 752-5000 • easternrad.com

WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE

JULY/AUGUST 2022

VOL. 11

NO. 4