Greensboro Daily Photo

Lights, Camera, Action.... On Elm Street

Elm Street is the pulse of downtown Greensboro. The above reflection was taken while walking past the Blu Martini Bar. Of course martinis are the featured beverage at the establishment. However, it is also known for music and a light show. The dots of light in the center of the photo are constantly changing color and add such visual interest to the 300 block of Elm.

While we were outside capturing the aggregate of light, the bartender invited us inside to photograph. Somehow, at the end of the photo shoot, this shot with the vehicle zipping past and the reflection of windows, branches, and lights- against a backdrop of cement gray- is the one that won out. It seems to captures the dynamic feeling of this little slice of Elm Street. Can't you almost hear the photo? 

Cheers dear readers, may you have a great weekend. For the moms out there, Happy Mother's Day. Here's a virtual toast to you! We're sharing this post with Weekend Reflections where mirror images and playing around with light are de rigueur.........

P is for Plants

This past Saturday, an Edible Plant Sale was held in the Edible Schoolyard in the backyard of  the Greensboro Children's Museum. The Edible Schoolyard is a gem of a place that is fun for children and adults alike. As communities make more of an effort to eat local produce and to teach children how food grows from seed to plant to produce to table, events like the Edible Plant Sale bring children one giant step closer to their food source. Our regular readers know that we at GDP urge everyone to plant edible items in their yards and flower beds. Chard and lavender and rosemary make great bed fillers. Blueberry bushes are as beautiful and their non-berry producing counterparts. We hope that the Children's Museum continues to hold the plant sale every spring. They should have families come back late summer and bring their harvested vegetables to sell as a museum fundraiser. 50% to the children and 50% to the museum. The children could use their profits to purchase plants next spring. 

Today is ABC Wednesday, a favorite with many of our readers. "P" is for "plant" in our GO GREEN GREENSBORO series. May you plant many plants this spring and reap the fruits of your labor later this summer, possibly even turn some profit!  Plant, plant, plant.......

O is for Organic

The above photo features the organic produce section at Whole Foods in Friendly Shopping Center. With three supermarket-sized natural food stores in Greensboro, as well as numerous farmers' markets,  organic food is getting easier and easier to find. From Ashevilly to Kitty Hawk, here is an organic food store finder Google "ap" for North Carolina. Organic foods do not contain synthetic inputs, nor do they have pesticides. The organic, Green Food Revolution took hold in the 1940's and has been growing ever since. While there is controversy about whether organic food is better for you than commercially grown, conventional food, there is something wholesome about knowing your food hasn't been genetically modified or sprayed with chemicals. Let us remember, until the 20th century, the majority of farming was organic. Organic is the ORIGINAL, old-timey way to grow food.*

Today is ABC Wednesday and for this round, we're featuring A-Z GO GREEN Greensboro and "O" is for original, ordinary, and ORGANIC, the way grandma, and nature intended food to be. Yes, we know there are two sides to this story. AND, Greensboro has several businesses that rely on chemicals and chemical processes. Maybe for the next round of ABC Wednesday, we'll feature science of Greensboro. In the meantime, we're off to plant some organic chard in the yard! Happy ABC Wednesday!

*Wiki organic food reference.

The (Yummy) Great Escape

The GREAT ESCAPE food truck visited the Pottery Festival at the Yanceyville Farmers Curb Market this past weekend. Vendors and shoppers alike were able to enjoy gourmet noodles and crepes. This food truck is owned by three young entrepreneurs in Greensboro: Jon Bohlen, Sam Shumaker, and Dallas Baker. The three chefs have joined forces under one mobile roof! From the above link, you can follow Great Escape's calendar of where they will set up each day.

Greensboro is seeing the food truck industry grow and grow. Greensboro has many young adults (20's-30's) starting their own businesses-- like the owners of GREAT ESCAPE.  Whether the businness are online, small booths in larger facilities, or mobile like the above, the trend seems to be away from the burdensome overhead of brick and mortar.  For those who want a business: Dream big, start small, and who knows where your idea will take you..... In the meantime, see you in line at a food truck. Follow the sounds of the vehicles that sound like they are still running. Follow the aroma of great food!

Biscuitville Bowl 2013 a Blast

A HUGE thank you to all of the sponsors of the 2013 Greensboro Collegiate Biscuitville Bowl. The event is billed as, "a week-long celebration of Greensboro, North Carolina's thriving entrepreneurial community, its seven colleges and universities, and its 50,000 college students. Biscuitville, a locally-grown and scratch-made business is the title sponsor."  Good clean fun was had by all, especially Greensboro's seven higher education institutions: Bennett College, Elon University School of Law, Greensboro College, Guilford College, Guilford Technical Community College, North Carolina A & T State University, and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Above, you see the Syngenta obstacle in front of the Cultural Arts Center and on the southern edge of Center City Park. As runners finished the other obstacles and the 5K race, they were sprayed with water, just before being hit with a blast of biscuit flour. What a great way to de-stress before gearing up for the end of the semester. The only thing that could possibly make the event better would be if Biscuitville could convince Garrison Keillor to MC and sing his Powdermilk Biscuit song from Prairie Home Companion ( http://youtu.be/RHz91b74QbY  ). To the right, greeted by Syngenta employees and their green balloons, an unidentified co-ed emerges from the biscuit flour and sails across the finish line.

Early April at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market

The Piedmont Triad Farmers Market on Sandy Ridge Road is starting to come alive again. Farmers are out with plants, trees, and some food items. With the Easter egg hunt behind them, the next big event is the Herb Festival on Saturday, April 20th from 8:00 am- 5:00 pm. Greenshouse Vegetable Day will be on Friday, April 26th from 1:00 am-1:00 pm. That event is sponsored by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and comes with a free tomato sandwich. The Piedmont Triad Farmers Market is one of five that is overseen by the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture. Steve Troxler is Commissioner of Agriculture. The mission statement for the organization is: (t)o provide services that promote and improve agriculture, agribusiness and forests; protect consumers and businesses; and conserve farmland and natural resources for the prosperity of all North Carolinians (reference). 

We heard a food segment on NPR the other day and they said that the closer children are to fresh fruits and vegetables (like tomatoes), the more likely they are to eat them; with the "closest" being to actually grow the food and to eat what is harvested. Parents were overheard teaching their young children this past Sunday, allowing them to have some choice in the plants purchased and another family allowing children to pick produce. The farmers market is such an educational place to spend an afternoon. Remember to consider planting as many edibles as possible. We already purchased our chard so that we can continue our tradition of chard in the yard and so fun to eat from the flower bed. Try it, Greensboro!

Food Truck at the Greensboro Children's Museum

Today, we're featuring the King Creole food truck. Yesterday, it was parked outside of the Greensboro Children's Museum, on Church Street, across from the Central Library. Allowing food trucks in downtown Greensboro has been controversial. People who own brick and mortar eating establishments are concerned that these meal mobiles will take away from their stationary eateries. What do you think?

Traffic was heavy all around Greensboro yesterday, perhaps because, for many, it is a three day weekend. Guilford County school students who are on a traditional calendar are celebrating spring break. People were out shopping for groceries and clothing. We hope that King Creole got enough business to make the day worth his while. It is nice to see businesses being successful, whether they are on wheels or solid foundations! The bright red truck sure does look festive in front of the already-colorful  museum.

J is for Juice Shop

Anybody who is trying to maintain a healthy diet, likely has participated in some sort of juice regimen for the purpose of cleansing or  providing nutritional supplements or adding antioxidants for health. Juice can be healthy or junky, depending on the quantity and quality. Today is ABC Wednesday. We've selected J for juice for our Go Green Greensboro series and have photographed the Juice Shop in Friendly Center. While there is not any stand out green factor from the Juice Shop (no solar panels,  recycled building materials, or LEED certification, etc. that we know of), they are worth mentioning for the following reasons.

Their business model is simple, one fairly-nutritious product, one size, cash only, good money value. The shop provides college scholarship money to employees who have worked there a certain number of hours. This is a locally owned business that has been giving back to the community and to employees way before all of those concepts were trendy. The Juice Shop opened in 1997 and is owned by Colin and Rick Streng. They have three stores: One on Lawndale; one in Friendly Center; one in Winston-Salem. Please stop by if you like smoothie/juice drinks that are yogurt-based. While you are there, look at the scholarship wall and thank them for this fine tradition. Hats off to Juice Shop and thank you, dear readers, for stopping by on J Day for Go Green Greensboro. See A-I here.

Deep Roots Co-Op

On March 20th, Deep Roots Co-Op will be opening at the location featured above, 600 North Eugene Street. While this isn't the most attractive photo of the building, we wanted to show you its location in relation to downtown. Look to the right and you can see the JP building and the downtown Marriott. The baseball stadium is just down the road. It will be interesting to see how having a grocery store downtown changes the dynamics of the area. The former location will be missed; however, the new store will be larger.

Deep Roots is member owned and it elects a board of directors from within the membership. It has by-laws and governance policies. They have principles, values, and green initiatives. They try to buy local, haven't used plastic bags in over four years, and they stock the most wholesome products possible.  Deep Roots started as a little buying club at Guilford College in the 1960's. Over fifty years later, the concept seems as relevant as ever.

Café Chairs at New York Pizza

We've been experiencing technical difficulties at GDP, but today, we think we are back online. Thank you faithful readers for not your patience. Today, the City Daily Photo theme is "café chairs". The café chairs we are sharing can be found at New York Pizza at the corner of Tate Street and Walker Avenue. Even more delightful than the chairs is the brilliant artwork at this establishment. How fun to eat among Pac-man and the riot of color. The scene makes an otherwise gray day feel a little brighter. Hats off to New York Pizza for their commitment  to the artwork. We were told it changed frequently. We'll need to stop by this weekend to see if that is, indeed, the case.

Happy weekend, folks. See you at First Friday!

Pepsi Cola: Born in the Carolinas

Pepsi-Cola was born in the Carolinas; as a matter of fact, in North Carolina.

The above photo features the local distribution center on Spring Garden Street. It was introduced in 1893 as "Brad's Drink" by Caleb Bradham in his New Bern Pharmacy. The Pepsi prototype was a mixture of the enzyme pepsin and koala nuts, created to boost energy and to aid in digestion.* If this trivia website is correct, Pepsi was the first consumer product to have a slogan and to have a jingle, to have a celebrity endorser.

If you are interested, the Winston-Salem Pepsi office is looking for bilingual direct sales representatives: one fluent in Spanish; one in French;  and and one in Chinese.  So, to the students in the Guilford County Schools who study those languages, you might want to consider a career at Pepsi. You can stay close to home and use those language skills you worked so hard to acquire.  ¡Buena suerte!

*Read more Pepsi history, here.

Geeksboro Coffee Shop

    Greensboro's newest indy coffee shop, GEEKSBORO, is located in Irving Park, near William Mangum's gallery and Elizabeth's Pizza. Since Acme Comics is nearby, it is not uncommon to see people in Geeksboro swapping out their comic books. Also seen are people playing "old school" video games and participating in fantasy, role playing games. Last time we were there, we sat next to a man, with his box of categorized cards, who was explaining every detail of villans, players, powers, and battlegrounds to a new player. Geeksboro is like that.... you can see experts interacting with experts and experts mentoring novice players in wargaming and fantasy settings while carrying on conversations about very specific aspects of science that not everyone can understand. It is as if the geekiness and intellect of the sitcom Big Bang Theory has come to life. Perhaps our favorite aspect of Geeksboro is the movie theatre in the basement where indy movies and documentaries are shown. They even show the CBS Sunday Morning Show with Charles Osgood.

    Owner Joe Scott works really hard to help everyone feel welcome, regardless of general interests and level of geekiness. He said that even in his dorm room, during his college days, he would attract people interested in comics, fantasy sci-fi, card and board games. Often, people he had never seen before would come. He wants to maintain that inviting atmosphere in Geeksboro. The shop is much like a TARDIS-- bigger on the inside that it appears from the outside. One of the best ways to keep up with the coffee house is to follow them on Facebook. One of the best ways to experience it is to put on your nicest Pac-Man shirt and head on down for a cup of fresh coffee.

Deep Roots Market

Today's post-Thanksgiving-feasting photo showcases Deep Roots Market, Greensboro's only healthfood cooperative store. The seed for the co-op was sewn in a dorm room at Guilford College in the 1960's*;  the retail store has been in its present location since 1990- with a different location in between. This little treasure, on Spring Garden at Wendover, boasts the largest sales per retail square foot of any grocery store in town (reference). Deep Roots Cooperative has a board of directors, by-laws, policy governance, and member owners; however, if you are in search of good-for-you-food in a pleasant atmosphere, you can shop here without a membership.

Construction is underway for the new Deep Roots store to be located North Eugene Street, providing downtown Greensboro with a full-service grocery store of more than 10,000 square feet. That's almost ten times larger than the current location. So far, more than 100 owners have loaned the store over $400,000 to help with this initiative. Here's to a successful transition to their expanded location and to providing downtown residents with a much-needed grocery store. Here's to having enough residents in Greensboro, who value eating healthy food, to support Deep Roots, Earthfare, and Whole Foods. Deep Roots will be on the greenway. Let's hope they install a LARGE bike rack! 

* read the history here.

Fish... and the Bible

Fish is referenced in the King James version of the Bible 35 times. The first place it appears is Genesis 1:26 from which point on it is found numerous times in the Old and New Testaments alike.  We could not help but think of all the Biblical references to fish, last night, while dining at Greensboro's newest Egyptian restaurant, Samir. The fresh fish, grilled by Chef Samir himself was, indeed, heavenly. As seen above, it arrives at your table the old fashioned way, head and all. Not to worry, Chef Samir will help if you are unsure of how to eat it. Samir's Egyptian restaurant is filled with not only authentic cuisine but also artwork and images from Ancient Egypt.

The meal  brought to mind the following Bible verse: We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic (Num 11:5). The fish was an early symbol of Christianity and several of Jesus' Apostles were fishermen. It seems that the closer to the earth and sea one eats, the more spiritual the eating event becomes. Somehow we don't think these Biblical thoughts would have come to mind while driving through the window of a fast food restaurant.

Happy Sunday to all and may Chef Samir's restaurant, a mere 4 1/2 months old, be around to inspire us for years to come!

Autumn Vegetables

In Greensboro, the temperature dropped significantly yesterday, from what felt like 80 degrees on Saturday to in the 50's on Sunday. Above, you see the produce that we harvested from our back yard yesterday. Chez Mr. and Mrs. GDP, we've opted to nurse along our summer garden a little more, as opposed to being good southerners and planting cold crops (turnips, collards, radishes, mixed greens, broccoli, etc.). We still have okra (purple & green), a few cherry tomatoes, and eggplant.

Additionally, the fruit on our saijo persimmon tree is now ripe. It was so abundant this year that the top snapped off under the weight of the fruit. Saijo means "the very best one" in Japanese and rightfully so. The saijo persimmon doesn't need a pollinator tree, is disease resistent and is hardy in our planting zone. Wish us luck that the remaining half of the two-year-old tree will continue to grow. The photo shows about 1/4 of the fruit from the little tree so you can see what we mean by abundant. We have already turned the pulp from these persimmons into persimmon cake. Although we've enjoyed the fruit, we regret not pruning the tree back and learned our lesson the hard way.

One of Mr. GDP's favorite childhood foods was persimmon pudding, made with wild, native persimmons. The wild variety is labor intensive to prepare for use in the kitchen. The seeds are large and the amount of pulp significantly less than the Asian varieties. It is getting harder to find native persimmons. If you see some for sale, or better yet, free for the picking, please let us know. With each generation, there are fewer and fewer memories of seasonal foods. Just about any food one wants can be imported from somewhere these days. However, nothing beats the spicy tastes of fall... consumed in October and November! Making native persimmon pudding is a North Carolina tradition and is still on our to-do list.

Battleground Brewer's Guild

The Battleground Brewer's Guild is located on Ballinger Road at Longview Hills. It is one of those rare, hold-out farms in the once bucolic area. Both the Brewer's Guild and  Coble Farm- a stone's throw away on the next hill- are close to being choked out by development. For now, however, the Battleground Brewer's Guild, founded in 2000, looks like it is there to stay.

The brewer's guild is centered around learning to brew and enjoy good beer.  A lot of learning, teaching and enjoying goes on during their monthly meetings. The organization's next big event is a members-only Octoberfest celebration this Saturday. Shortly thereafter, they will hold Skirmish in the Triad (November 3rd), their fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

The serendipitious uncovering of Battleground Brewer's Guild had us giddy with excitement this weekend. As we were exploring the Longview Hills neighborhood, we first noticed the cows, then the sign, then the grill, then the hops growing up the string. If you are over 21 and interested in this organization, read more here. Who knows, you may even be able to join soon enough to get in on these events. As for us, we are just thrilled to see cows and farmland so close to town.

New York Pizza on Tate Street

    New York Pizza on Tate Street has been serving the UNCG area since 1977. In thirty five years, they've seen a lot of changes, watched a lot of people grow up, and even had college students bring their children back for a slice of nostalgia. One thing is for sure, the pizza hasn't changed; same good, classic, NYC, traditional pizza. According to their website, NYP is the "longest established family-owned pizzeria in Greensboro. They make their own dough and sauce in-house- impressive. We love the firey red hair of the woman who waited on us at and the rest of the outdoor crowd during the Tate Street Festival last Saturday. We also love the mural they painted last week on the Walker Avenue side of the building.

 

     NYP opened another location on Battleground Avenue last year; however, according to our waiter at the other location (last week), they no longer have the same ownership. We love supporting locally-owned and just may head to NYP in-between the Liberty Antiques Festival and the Spirit event at Elsewhere.... unless we get side-tracked and end up at another great eatery in Greensboro. Here's to another great, photo-filled weekend in Greensboro, and beyond!

Food Truck Festival

Greensboro's Food Truck Festival, held yesterday on Spring Garden Street, was a giant success. The above photo shows only a small corner of the festival and, as you can see, it was truck-to-truck people waiting patiently in line to sample some of Greensboro's delicacies served out of windows. From tacos to turkey to crêpes, there was something for everybody.

Since it was the first time the festival was held, the city must not have known how much traffic to expect. The area could have benefitted from a closed off street or two- like Saturday's nearby Tate Street Festival. Also, the event could have used more places to sit and another dozen or so food trucks- as the wait in line was extremely long. Of course having the cooperation of Mother Nature, as well as the Central Carolina Fair and the Hispanic Heritage Celebration both right around the corner, likely contributed to the turnout. Additionally, social media breathed great life into Greensboro's inagural Food Truck Festival.*  In addition to enjoying the food, attendees seemed pleased to explore this end of town. Lets hope the local brick and mortar shops will continue to see increased business once the food trucks have pulled back their awnings and rolled on home.

Spring Garden @ Chapman has a lot to offer!

*Follow the blog for Greensboro's food trucks, here.

 

The UNCG Community Gardens

Saturday was a work day at the University of North Carolina Greensboro's Community Gardens on McIver Street. The gardens were established Fall 2010. The garden started with about 18 raised beds and has grown to around fifty. While each plot is a mere 4X8', with careful planning, a great deal can be planted. Susan Andreatta, Associate Professor of Anthropology, and Guy Sanders, Associate Director of Housing and Residence Life, oversee the project. Dr. Andreatta brings twenty five years in the study of farming systems and work with community gardens to the project. UNCG's Garden Club members are also very involved in this initiative.

Noteworthy is the involvement of UNCG's Dining Services employees at the UNCG Community Garden. They maintain nine of the nearly fifty plots and have actually been able to use harvested items- especially herbs, chard, watermelon, mixed greens, and cherry tomatoes-  for special events. 

Saturday's workday brought a great mix of people from the UNCG community. From faculty and staff to students, from people who have a specific plot to people who simply wanted to give of their time to some folks who were "doing" time for course requirements, there were people from all walks of life. Even those who were initially less than enthusiastic gained a greater appreciation of working together to provide a local food source.

Hopefully, all of the cold weather greens that were planted on Saturday will like this rain we've had in Greensboro and produce vegetables soon. It's still not too late to get some cabbage and mixed greens in the ground. And, if you have as little as a square foot plot of soil, you can grow produce.

Read more here.

Happy Labor Day

With Labor Day, summer comes to a screeching halt. All students in Greensboro are back in school and memories of summer are quickly fading. Fortunately, the weather was nice on Saturday and Sunday (until late afternoon) in Greensboro and people were able to swim. These tomatoe plants, captured poolside, are still producing tomatoes. We'd hoped to enter Earth Fare's tomato photo contest but didn't get around to it. The winners are posted here. They hold the contest every year in July so mark your calendar and start planning your best shot. Maybe we can hold on to this photo and submit it then.

In the meantime, we're taking some time today to remember that Labor Day celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. America started talking about having a "labor day" celebration in the 1880's, inspired by the Canadian holiday. In 1890 it officially became a national holiday and 30 states were already celebrating Labor Day. Most neighborhood pools close this weekend as all of the students who work there have gone back to school and many, back to college.

Table 16

In the foreground of this photo, you see the chalk advertisement, "You are steps away from Table 16." This slogan was one of many seen near Table 16,at the corner of South Elm and Lewis Streets earlier in the month. If you look straight ahead, across the street, you can see the restaurant. Here is a closer view of Table 16, with artist, Kathleen Kennedy working on one of her giant paintings.

In the City Daily Photo community, the technique used in this photo is known as the Tenin technique after Eric Tenin (Paris Daily Photo)  who inspired the rest of us to take on a city daily photo site. Eric was the first! We love him not only for his fabulous website but also for his creative approach to taking photos. It seems like sometimes he actually places the camera on the sidewalk.

Hats off to Table 16 for their creative advertising. Eric would love it as he is such an advocate of seeing beyond that which is at eye level!

Peach Pickin' Time

It must be peach pickin' time in North Carolina (or close to it) as we've started seeing peaches at the farmers' markets. The above photo was taken yesterday at the South Elm Urban Market. According to the sign, the peaches are from the Pee Dee Orchard in Anson County. Anson County is located southeast of Charlotte, on North Carolina's border with South Carolina. According to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service*, our state grows approximately 35 million pounds of peaches annually for the fresh, as opposed to the processed, peach market. California ranks #1,  because they tap into both markets.

If you are local, likely you will be making at least one trip to the Sandhills, south of Greensboro to purchase peaches directly from an orchard. Peaches don't travel well and don't keep long after they are harvested. As a matter of fact, they are like sushi: Fresh is best. If you can't get to the peaches, we are fortunate to have several farmers who bring fruit directly from their orchards to our farmers' markets. And then there is fresh peach ice cream; even those who restrict their sugar intake are known to enjoy a little fresh peach ice cream.  After all, 'tis the season........

 

*reference and more on peaches here.

The Giving Garden

Did you know that community gardens abound in Greensboro? The one in the photo above, The Giving Garden, is located on West Market Street across the street from the federal courthouse. At the time we photographed it, cabbage was growing; however, that was a few weeks ago. There may be more now. Community gardens are not only beautiful and useful, they promote sharing and learning.

Guilford County's Cooperative Extension Center is very involved in the local community garden effort. We're not sure if the above garden is actually one of the Extension Centers; however, the agency has 35 sub-plots of land that are awarded to community gardeners who agree to work the land and, ultimately, give 10% of their harvest to feed the hungry. Master gardeners help with this effort. The gardens are a collaborative effort that brings the community together for everything from working the land to providing sources of water to sharing the bounty.

Read more about the initiative here and here. While it is too late for you to get one of these plots this year, you can find someone to help, encourage people you see as they are working them, and start thinking about committing to a plot next year. Here's one we featured two years ago in Glenwood. What a great way to bring people together and to get fresh produce to those who might need it most.

Josephine's Bistro

Joesphine's Bistro and Bar, located at 2417 Spring Garden Street, is a great place to dine on a warm summer evening. Whether you dine inside or outside, co-owners Sara Keith and Chris Blackburn will make your evening memorable. Monday-Thursday, you can dine for $11 if you do so between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. We've never made the early session but we're betting it would be not only affordable, but fun! You can tall by the attention to detail on the outside that aesthetics matter to Sara and Chris, not only in decor but also in food.

Josephine's has a sister restaurant, the Lindley Park Filling Station, located at the corner of Walker and Elam. We love the artwork at both places. Some of the sculpture at both restaurants was done by Lawrence Feir.  We're thinking those flowers on the right might have been sculpted by Feir. Happy Tuesday, dear readers.

Vertical City

It isn't very often that we get to think of Greensboro as being a vertical city; however, this photo, taken at Hamburger Square at the corner of Elm and McGee Streets evokes verticality. Patrons at Natty Greene's are using the fire exit stairs. Two young girls are sitting in the second floor windows. There is more to life than what is seen at eye level. Greensboro might not be Hong Kong, but we are starting to add more to the upper levels of buildings, which is a sign of a thriving community and a city where retail space is at a premium.

This photo was taken the other day, after a brief rain shower, hence the spots in the upper left-hand corner. The building was built in 1895 and formerly housed Jones Wholesale Grocers. It has housed Natty Greene's since August 2004. Can you believe it has been almost 8 years since Natty Greene's burst onto the scene? It is as if they have always been there. Next time you are downtown, have a look high above. It is interesting to see what is happening on the upper levels of a building.

Stamey's BBQ

According to their website, Stamey's BBQ has been "serving real North Carolina barbecue and southern hospitality since 1930." They cook BBQ "the old fashioned way," over hickory wood coals. In the photo above, you see the heart of what gives Stamey's Lexington-style, BBQ their great flavor... not just the sauce but also the hardwood. The brick pits are are kept at a tightly controlled temperature to ensure that the flavor, texture, and moisture level of the cooked meat is perfect. This Stamey's location, at 2206 High Point Road, has been open since 1953. It is convenient for people attending avents at the Coliseum Complex.

If you follow GDP, you know we LOVE it when businesses, churches, organizations and institutions (and even people) make their history available online. Archiving information for future generations is so important. Stamey's has done a great job of writing up their history. Read its history here. Next time we will feature a photo of Stamey's food that we will be EATING. This photo was taken on a Sunday, the only day Stamey's takes a day of rest, so we couldn't stop in to enjoy their BBQ. Hummmmmm. We think we just figured out what to eat for dinner tonight!

Europa Bar & Cafe

In this photo of Europa Bar & Cafe, we were standing on the Davie Street side wishing we were eating there. Last Friday night, the weather was so inviting; perfect for sitting outside. At that time of night, when the sky is as deep blue, their outdoor patio is absolutely magical. Europa Bar & Cafe is located at 200 Davie Street in the Cultural Arts Center. This is the same building that houses the main offices of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra as well as Greensboro Opera.

Europa comes by its name honestly as the interior decor has Portuguese tile and plenty of hardwood details. The food choices seem great and the Sunday brunch looks good also. We'll have to try it out. They're open until 1 and 2am, a little late for us; however, it is great for a city to have options. Don't you love the lights?

R & M Strawberry Farm

Strawberry picking is an early spring tradition in North Carolina. This weekend, we had a chance to visit R&M Strawberry Farm, right across the county line, on Highway 150. Although it is in Forsyth County, it is not too far from Oak Ridge Military Academy. To many Guilford County residents, R&M Farm is closer than the strawberry farms in the eastern and southern ends of the county. They all resemble each other: A central barn or check-in point, an opportunity to pick your own or pay more for pints already picked. Here is a website to find a strawberry farm in NC, get picking tips, and learn how to use the strawberries in your kitchen.

The first garden strawberry was cultivated in France in the late 1700's and, over the years, the fruit continues to be cultivated to make it redder, bigger and juicier. Strawberries are a low-in-calorie, excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids.

In the above photo, other than the clothing of the pickers, the scene hasn't changed much over the centuries.We were very impressed at how well behaved the children were. They were very respectful of the delicate strawberry plants. If you could see what was beyond the lens, you would see that so much of this rural land in the Greensboro area is being converted to housing. Get your strawberries while they last! Happy Monday, dear readers.

Guy and Jerry's Burger Spot

North Battleground is abuzz about Guy and Jerry's Burger Spot. 3750-A Battleground Avenue hasn't been this busy since, well, since we can remember. Jerry Kizhnerman and Guy Bradley opened the burger shop about two months ago and word has spread like wildfire that the food is great and the prices are reasonable. The outdoor seating area is now open and, above, we see artists painting away at the mural on the side of the restaurant. Hopefully, Guy and Jerry identify the artists on the restaurant's facebook page. The outdoor seating will be fabulous this summer. If you are not a shopper, you can walk down from the Wal-mart parking lot and dine while your friends and loved ones finish their power shopping. Philly burgers, add jalapeños; truffle fries; Greek salad, add chicken; sweet potato fries, serve them just the way they are; veggie burger. You just might have to try it all!

We had to reread this post today because we love to affectionately call the Burger Spot "Ben and Jerry's" (as in ice-cream). Now if they paint black and white cows into the mural, we'll really be confused! If you like murals, visit Monday Murals to see more!

Whole Foods Market Opens Today!

Twas' the night before Whole Foods was opening their store.... not a creature was stirring from register to door. We locals have been waiting to see something new...... so ready for another grocery store we don't know what to do. Down each aisle, likely, will be something to sample and aggregate nutrient density index (ANDI) scores will be ample. Come over to Friendly and be part of the crowd; no doubt about it, we're sure to be wow-ed. With Deep Roots, Earth Fare, and Whole Foods, competition is good; especially if it means we'll eat like we should. Drop us a line, let us know what you found, we're all mighty grateful you're getting around!

Friend Whole Foods on Facebook, they'll keep you updated. Friend GDP too......... albeit belated!

M is for Music

Today is ABC Wednesday and 'M' is for 'music'. Local musician Laurelyn Dossett makes beautiful music! Laurelyn performs weekly at Lucky 32 Restaurant. Each Tuesday, in addition to their regular menu, Lucky 32 serves up a traditional, southern meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, cornbread, and collards. Nothing goes with fried chicken better than Laurelyn's clear voice and acoustic music. Laurelyn has gained national attention for her local projects, grounded in the lore of North Carolina. 

In the above photo, Laurelyn, Scott Manring and Molly McGinn are performing the "Vote Against Amendment One" song. Listen to it  here on Monkeywhale Productions' website. From Rabbi Guttman to Mayor Robbie Perkins to restaurateurs Mr. and Mrs. Quaintance, many prominent citizens of Greensboro appeal to voters to vote against Amendment One on May 8th. Read about Amendment 1 here. 

Captain Bill's Seafood on Good Friday

Today, Good Friday, is the last day of the Lenten frenzy at Captain Bill's Seafood & Steakhouse Restaurant. Many Christians, not just Catholics, give up red meat on Fridays during Lent.Captain Bill's LOVES that tradition! Captain Bill's is an old-school, southern seafood restaurant. This translates as no frills on decor, all emphasis on food and service. Fish is what draws people in; however, likely it is the hush puppies, slaw, and banana banana pudding that keep people coming back. 

Captain Bill's is located way out West Market Street, approaching the area where Friendly Avenue joins Market Street. It hasn't been too many years that taking a drive to the restaurants and dinner clubs "way out" Market and Friendly seemed like going on an extended road trip. Today, they seem like just an extra red light or two away. This photo was taken last Friday when the parking lot AND the restaurant were full. Captain Bill's has been a Greensboro favorite for a long time!

Related Good Friday post: Stations of the Cross; Good Friday crosses. Today is also Skywatch Friday.

L is for Land, Sustainable Land

Today is ABC Wednesday and L is for land. Above, we see Guilford College's resident farmer, Korey Erb, in one of the school's greenhouses.  Korey was showing us all the green leafy vegetables that are thriving in the greenhouse. Two rows over, lettuce and tomatoes are growing side by side as they are compatible crops. The greenhouse itself is a high tunnel or hoophouse construction. It is an unheated and is very helpful in extending the growing season.  Beside the greenhouse, Guilford College also has an outdoor garden, known as the Production Garden.

The Guilford College Production Garden provides food for Guilford College and helps lower the school's carbon footprint. Since its beginning, in 1837, stewardship-- the planning and managing of resources-- has been at the core of Guilford College. Production Garden is one great step in the direction of self sufficiency.

According to Korey, the goal of the garden is to "create an on-campus, large-scale garden that’s financially self-sufficient, productive, [that] can serve as an educational tool and community builder, and is sustainable.” Erb goes on to explain,  "sustainable farming is all about building the soil, growing the soil and reaping the benefits from that. It’s a little tricky, and requires tons of patience early on. But in the long run it’s healthier for the ecosystem, you’re going to get better products out of the soil, and you’re naturally replenishing the nutrients that the crops take out of the soil" (reference here). 

Greensboro is lucky to have Guilford College in its back yard, and Guilford College is lucky to have the Production Garden and all of the wonderful people like Korey who work tirelessly to build community and to nurture the land. L is for land and love of land, the cause is sustainable agriculture and lowering the carbon footprint!

Solar Oven at Guilford College

Although it looks as if we are in the American Southwest, today's photo takes us to the back field of Guilford College. The above adobe oven is made from formed sand and perched on cinder blocks. It is available for people in the community to use in cooking. It was used this past Thursday for a pig-roasting event that was dubbed 'Serendipity's Meadow Fed'. The community-building event celebrated sustainable agriculture. There are plans to add another adobe oven, solar ovens, solar dehydrators, a parabolic solar oven, and more.  Guilford College students Will Kimmel and Bennett Christian are responsible for designing, building, and implementing this sustainable kitchen. (See more photos here). Hats off to the Guilford College students for being socicially and environmentally conscious while they are getting a fabulous education. Surely, their parents are proud. 

On Wednesday, we will feature another piece on the sustainable agriculture effort currently under way at Guilford College. 

Nico's Italian Restaurant and Bar

Today, we share a photo of Nico's Italian Restaurant and Bar in Downtown Greensboro. Nico's Restaurant is located inside the Centre Points Building, an upscale 17-floor urban apartment complex, at the corner of Elm Street and Friendly Avenue. We always notice the restaurant when we are across the street at Center City Park. On one of the first warm nights of spring, when we drove by and people were dining outside, we snapped this photo. The scene reminds us of big-city life, even though it was taken here. On March 14th, Nico's celebrated its one-year anniversary. Nico's is a collaborative effort between Sicilian Nico Scavone and Greensboro's own John Drees (of Southern Lights) .

We're sharing this photo with Weekend Reflections. And, no, the waiter isn't watering the evergreen. There is a young couple dining behind the shrub! We hope to be dining there soon ourselves.

Earth Fare to Go

Since yesterday's GDP post was about diabetes and food choices that aren't the best, today, we thought we'd share a photo of a woman who was eating a colorful salad at the reenactment event. She had assembled a salad from Earth Fare's salad bar. If we understood the sign correctly (last time we were at Earth Fare), the container for her salad bar is wheat-based packaging. This biodegradable product is an environmentally friendly way to package to-go food. 

On April 12th, Earth Fare will get a some competition as Whole Foods is opening in Greensboro. Hopefully, having two large supermarkets that make a commitment to selling healthy food to the general population will foster healthful eating. Greensboro will have 34,000 square feet of pure nutrition available, in the heart of Friendly Center. Here's to saying goodbye to processed foods with unnecessary  additives.

J is for Juvenile Diabetes

Juvenile Diabetes, or Type 1/insulin dependent diabetes, usually presents itself before age twenty. Diabetes affects the body's ability to use glucose. In healthy bodies, insulin-- a hormone--  helps glucose enter cells where it is used for energy. 

The above photo, taken at the Reenactment of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, is somewhat misleading as being overoverweight and eating excessive fat and sugar is not a cause of juvenile diabetes. However, a balanced diet and weight control are helpful for diabetes management.* Additionally, avoiding empty calories and excessive caloric intake does help prevent Type II, adult-onset diabetes which is presenting itself in younger and younger children. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimates that one in three children born in the year 2000 or later will develop diabetes at some point in their lifetime (reference). As a society, we have got to do a better job of modeling healthy eating for our children; seeing that they eat nutritious food, exercise, and maintain a healthy weight.

We're sharing today's post with ABC Wednesday and our cause for J is Juvenile Diabetes. Consider getting involved with or donating to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

* Get more information on diabetes, from a local Guilford County source here. If you are interested in the cuisine of the original 13 colonies, start here.

Blueberry Buds

The blueberry bushes in our backyard are starting to show signs of life and Greensboro is a great place to grow them. These perennial flowering plants belong to the same genus as cranberries, which is why the word arándano serves for both in Spanish. Blueberries are actually native to North America and are available in both wild and cultivated varieties. The North Carolina blueberry council has produced a four minute You-Tube video on blueberries in North Carolina (here). If you are interested in the plant at all, watching it will be four minutes well spent. 

The 9th annual blueberry festival will be held in Burgaw (Pender Co.), NC on Saturday, June 16th. Pender is one of our southern coastal counties so it is a long drive from Greensboro. However, the festival is a non-profit, civic event that sounds like it is a lot of North Carolina fun. What a way to kick off the summer. Attend the festival and head on to the beach! In the meantime, we suggest you consider planting some blueberry bushes in your own yard. Not only will you have a bush that provides interesting color from March-October, you will be planting something edible. It doesn't get any more local than your back yard!  NC State will walk you through the planting process here. Let us know if you plant any bushes.

LOAF & Méchelle's

The 200 block of South Elm Street, between Schiffman's & Chakras, has a couple of new kids on the block. LOAF is a bakery that moved in to assume the shop formerly occupied by Simple Kneads. They specialize in artisan breads but also sell pasteries, granola, and coffee. The acronym LOAF stands for local, original, artisan and fresh. Méchelle's is a clothing store at 227 South Elm. Méchelle's sells an interesting assortment of clothing, shoes, and scarves. Both stores seem to be well received by people who shop downtown. They are a perfect for the old-world charm of the vintage buildings that house them.

We're sharing them with Weekend Reflections. Happy weekend, folks. It has arrived......

Prickly Pear Cactus

Time for a dose of flora on Greensboro Daily Photo......

The prickly pear cactus, opuntia humifusa, is a species native to North Carolina and plentiful around Greensboro. It is the most common of our State's three native cacti and is the most ornamental. Its bright yellow flowers transform into beautiful, red fruits (see above). Cactus fruit can be eaten once the spines are removed (more here). Like our native muscadine grapes and persimmon, seeds can be bothersome on this plant; yes, you have to work hard to enjoy the fruit! With the move to "eat local", we're betting the above delicacy will be showing up on  menus and become available in more than Greensboro's ethnic grocery stores. 

We at GDP have such fond memories of riding through the North Carolina countryside, driving to the beach, and seeing discarded tires filled with sand and cacti-- especially popular in the Sandhills. Prickly pear cacti plants thrive in full sun.

While we've seen the above plant near Greensboro College, we cheated a little bit and captured this photo at the North Carolina zoo in the desert exhibit. The NC Zoo in Asheboro is a perfect place to spend the day taking photos.