Statesville Barbecue Tour

I've been working on a very special barbecue-themed project lately, which means I have been eating a lot of barbecue all over the state of North Carolina. I'm gearing up for another round this weekend with twenty of my friends I've rounded up for a Charlotte BBQ and Brewery Tour. We're renting a van for the day and driving around to destinations in and around Charlotte. We'll be stopping at five barbecue joints and three breweries, so we are sure to be stuffed by the end of the day. 

This brings me to rule number one of BBQ touring... SHARE! Do not attempt to eat five barbecue sandwiches in one day by yourself! You only need to get a taste of everything, so just split a sandwich (and hushpuppies, Brunswick Stew, or whatever classic sides you want to sample) and move on to the next stop.

Above are some photos from my most recent barbecue themed romp around the state, in Statesville. Here's the list of stops (L-R), in case you want to try them on your own:

1. Little Pigs Barbecue:  226 Brookdale Dr, Statesville, NC 28677 (first 5 photos)
2. Carolina Barbecue: 213 Salisbury Rd, Statesville, NC 28677 (next 5 photos)
3. Pfiffer's Hot Wings and Bar-B-Q: 1023 Shelton Ave, Statesville, NC 28677 (next 3 photos)
4. Port-a-Pit BBQ: 119 Marshall Forest Lane, Statesville, NC 28625 (last 3 photos)

And yes, there are a gazillion spellings of the word "barbecue," but what really matters is how it tastes.

If you'd like to keep up with all my food adventures (and other), you can follow me on Instagram.

Waste Not, Want Not: Urban Foraging

My friend, Melissa, has a fig tree behind her home that is bursting with ripened fruit for the taking. Melissa lives in a series of a quadraplexes, and the tree is in back of the property. She had so many of the figs that she was ready to pop, and since none of her neighbors seemed to be enjoying the fruit, she invited me to pick as much as I wanted. I gathered a basketful of delicious figs from a huge tree that had more than I could ever need, want, or reach. I was so happy that I could take some so that they wouldn't all go to waste. Now to figure out what to make with all these figs... I'm thinking some canning and drying might be in order.

If you'd like to fill up your own basket of city fruit, here are a few rules of urban foraging, taken from The Urban Homestead, by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen.


"It goes against homestead principles to let food go to waste - whether it be on your land or someone else's... The law states that any fruit growing in a parkway strip, or branches hanging over a sidewalk or alley is in public space and therefore fair game for you to pick. Of course it is better to ask permission when you can, and of course we don't need to tell you not to break branches, climb on fences, or otherwise behave like a hooligan when you are picking fruit.


"If you spot an overloaded tree in someone's yard on your wanderings, and if your surreptitious sampling proves it to be tasty, inquire with the owner and see if they'll let you harvest the whole thing. Odds are they will be grateful to you if you would relieve them of this burden, and will just tell you to take what you want."


I'd love to hear about any successful urban foraging adventures you've had. Please share your story in a comment. And happy picking!

Slice 3: A Picture Show

The last detail of last weekend's party: the picture show. Who doesn't love a movie in the backyard? We tracked down a projector from a friend of a friend, hung a sheet, and... showtime! Everyone brought blankets and beer, and we made popcorn and poured samples of our latest home-brews, a curry IPA and coconut porter. Our fellow home-brewing friend, Dustin, even passed around tastes of his latest, a cherry vanilla stout. And our pre-show entertainment: sweet, haunting tunes by Veda Woolf. On the big screen: Hitchcock's North by Northwest. It's amazing how much of a good time $4.95 at VisArt can get you.

Slice 2: Pedals (a bike scavenger hunt)

Part two of our "Pies, Pedals, & Picture Show" party this weekend: a scavenger hunt! After sampling nearly 20 flavors of pie, getting a little exercise around the neighborhood seemed like a good idea. We split into five teams, with each team having one person on a bike; the rest went at it on foot. Equipped with cameras and smart phones, we all documented our findings for reporting and voting later. We had 45 minutes to explore the neighborhood to see what we could come up with. Here's the list of findings my friend, Sarah, put together along with the associated points, if you'd like to do your own Spring scavenging.

1. an intersection that is odd, confusing, or changes names (2)

2. most springlike yard (1)

3. highest street number (1)

4. coolest car (1)

5. person walking a dog / the most dogs / strangest combo (1/2/3)

6. someone on a bike (not in the hunt) (3)

7. highest / lowest priced home for sale (1/1)

8. street with the most porch ceiling fans (2)

9. squirrel on a wire (5)

10. happenin' hangout (1)

11. Charlotte skyline (3)

12. most colorful (3)

13. typical Plaza-Midwood moment (2)

14. 2 Volvos together (2, 3 bonus points for 3 Volvos)

#5 a couple walking a dog / #13 typical Plaza-Midwood moment

#12 My interpretation of most colorful: This yard was filled with garden gnomes and tiny houses for them to live in.

Holiday Highlights

I feel like it has been forever since I have been a part of the online world. And, in fact, it has! The holidays really snatched me up this year. Between my own getting and giving, my little part-time job at Amelie's, and trying to get some new Verabelle things made, I feel a little like I fell off the face of the online earth. But I am back and ready for a new year! I am getting started on new designs (even an animal or two), and I have some exciting things planned for 2010. Here's a little photo recap of how it all ended in '99.

Fourth Ward
Above left: Picking out our first tree together! Above: Paul and I had a nice afternoon walk through historic Fourth Ward and then grabbed a beer and a board game at the neighborhood bar, Alexander Michael's.

Like the old days

This past Friday Paul, Robert, and I enjoyed the offerings of Charlotte's SouthEnd. We indulged in a free wine tasting at Common Market, browsed the booths at the Charlotte Art League during their gallery crawl (while also saying hello to three owls from the Carolina Raptor Center!), then hopped aboard the historic Charlotte Trolley for a ride through downtown.

It was really interesting to see our city in an entirely new way and to be a part of something that played such a huge role in the early development of so many of Charlotte's neighborhoods. According to Charlotte Trolley's webpage, the first streetcar came to Charlotte in 1891 and continued to operate until 1938, when the city became so large that buses had to take over. Only fairly recently has the streetcar made is modern debut in Charlotte, and for $3 each, we were able to experience our city the way it was experienced so many years ago.

The trolley operates Saturdays and Sundays and during special events.