Two recent articles out of North Carolina caught our eye.
The first, from the Citizen-Times in Asheville, is about the new crop of farmers in the state: Latinos. As the article puts it, “Latinos are the new replacement farmer.” It charts the path of new legal citizens making the transition from farm worker to farm owner (sometimes filling in the gap left by young Caucasian generations who don’t want to work the fields as their fathers did), while also pointing out the there is not always a lot of crossover, commercially or socially, between the Caucasian farming community and the burgeoning Latino farming community. Especially interesting is what the article does not delve into at all: North Carolina has one of the largest agricultural guest worker programs in the country. You may recall that in the spring of 2007, as people debated the merits/viability of guest worker programs, all eyes turned to North Carolina.
The next article is a more simple ditty on the unmatchable taste of North Carolina shrimp; it expresses well that “politics” need not be a factor in eating local. If it all comes down to taste…you’ll know what to do.
The Slow Food community, meanwhile, is thriving in North Carolina. There are nearly 40 food producers, chefs, educators and students from North Carolina attending Slow Food’s Terra Madre conference in October, as well as 8 local chapters. For a list of North Carolina Slow Food chapters, click here.
