The Native North Carolinian

So, what do you think of when you think of Christmas? I’m just beginning to think about beginning to think about Christmas, and do you know what I did today? Called the caterer, LOL. Not for myself, but for another party I am organizing. For me, and for many people here (at least in my family), it’s about the food. Will Aunt B make her banana pudding this year? Oh, I hope Aunt J makes potato salad! Yumm, Granny will have pastry, she always does. I wonder when Aunt N will lighten up and ditch that sugar free fat free pudding in her éclair dessert. Ooh, and dressing; my mama makes the best dressing. My kids have already asked for roasted pecans and seasoned oyster crackers. See, it’s the food of Christmas that stands out in my mind.

I’ll be sharing some of my tips and recipes on another blog, and I’ll be sure to share the links with you when you do. Just be sure to pull out your “fat jeans”, and maybe the plus size lingerie. I’ve got mine on stand-by already.

How’s your diet, these days? I know I have mentioned that the weather here is crazy warm, still, and that’s great news for those who love fresh vegetables. A longer summer means a longer growing season, not so much for summer crops that require intensive sun and heat, but for fall crops that will bear until a hard freeze, this is awesome weather. Root crops are also feeling fine.

Of course, it is bad news for one crop–collards. We all know these are sweeter after frost, and there is no frost on the pumpkins here, ya’ll. You know what else there hasn’t been a bumper crop of? Green tomatoes. Usually by this time, the gardeners have had to pull off the last of the tomatoes so they didn’t freeze on the vine and ruin, but there’s been no need for that. Of course, they aren’t bearing any more, either, so I have missed the fried green tomatoes.

I could go on and on about the amazing variety of food that can be grown here, and someday, I just might. Many, many people here have small gardens right in their yards, and even more have an actual field that they call a garden, LOL. The point is, there’s no need for hydroxycut when you live here. Just eat the good stuff you can grow right at home.

Navtej Kohli has been gracious enough to sponsor a post about my favorite charity. In fact, he’s sponsored several across my different blogs, and I’ll be highlighting a different charity for each sponsorship.

I spoke on another blog about an agency that helps distribute food to the eastern portion of our state, and on this blog, I’ll talk about one that serves the western part. Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC is a major distributor of donated food, helping to feed the hungry in 18 North Carolina counties. They have been given a rating of four stars by Charity Navigator. Over 95 percent of donations to the food bank are used to service the people who come to them for help. That means that less than 5 percent is spent on salaries and overhead. The food bank raises donations in several ways. In August, they are having a golf tournament, and they collect canned goods at local free concerts.

There is no need for people to be hungry in this state, or in this country. The food is there, we just need to get it to the people who need it. Second Harvest makes that happen. I want to thank Navtej for the opportunity to talk about an organization that’s making a difference for people in my state.

I was browsing the Medical News site today, and found an article about the University of North Carolina Lineberger Cancer Center. Some students are biking across the US to raise funds for it. How cool is it that they would give up their summer vacation to help others, right here?

Also worth checking out is this article on BCBSNC, and their “Eat and Move” campaign. They are a major health care provider here in North Carolina and they are reaching out to the state’s children to help them develop lifetime good health habits. The campaign includes a scavenger hunt for parent and kids in Lowes Foods stores across the state.

The new site is very well organized, with a menu on the left to make navigation easy. You’ll find more articles on cancer, articles on physical therapy and many other topics. There is even a search box to aid in finding specific information– like what’s happening right here in the Old North State.

Saturday, we had quite the goings-on at my place. I had some blogging friends come over, and we had a wonderful time. Deb came in from New JerseyMarcus was here as well. You’ve met Marcus on this blog before, since he’s from right here in North Carolina. And if food can make someone a native, we can now count Deb among our number. I fed her fried chicken, fried okra and boiled peanuts. We had a grand time.

In this picture, Marcus’ tall self is in the back, and Deb is beside him. I am right there in the front, and no, I wasn’t sitting down!

Seems like my post on [tag]boiled peanuts[/tag] caused quite an internet stir. Aside from the comments here, I’ve had several other comments in other venues about them. One of my friends who was pretty outspoken about how yucky she thought boiled peanuts would be has been issued a challenge. Yes, indeed, I have thrown down the gauntlet, and submitted that recipe to Loretta’s Just Not Martha. If she accepts the challenge, we’ll find out how her whole family feels about this fine southern delicacy. If she doesn’t…well, I’ll just have to call her a big ol’ [tag]Yankee Loser[/tag].[tags]Just Not Martha[/tags]