North Carolina Gumbo: A Local Twist on a Louisiana Classic

Gumbo is synonymous with Louisiana cuisine, but its roots trace back to West Africa. The name “gumbo” comes from the West African word for okra, ki ngombo, highlighting the dish’s signature ingredient. Okra’s natural thickening properties make it a staple in soups and stews across many cultures, and while French cooks later introduced roux—a flour-and-fat blend—to thicken dishes, okra alone often provides enough richness.

This gumbo recipe celebrates the harvest, combining fresh vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, celery, onions, okra, and corn with a mix of land and sea proteins—sausage, chicken, fish, and shrimp. Here in North Carolina, you can put a local twist on this classic dish by incorporating seasonal vegetables like butternut squash or pumpkin, using sausage from local farmers, pasture-raised chicken, or shrimp harvested from our coast. The result is a true North Carolina gumbo, honoring the bounty of our land, air, and sea.

Ingredients

(Serves 6–8 as a side dish or 4 as a main course)

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 2 large yellow or white onions, diced

• 2 stalks celery, diced

• 3–5 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

• 6–8 cups chicken broth or bone broth

• 1 tsp thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil

• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

• Salt (try Hatteras salt)

• Sausage, chicken, fish, shrimp, and optional seasonal veggies like butternut squash or pumpkin

Instructions

1. Brown the sausage
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-high heat. Add sliced sausage in a single layer and cook 1–2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2. Sauté the vegetables
In the same pot, add a little olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onions, garlic, celery, and bell peppers for 5–6 minutes, until fragrant and softened.

3. Add broth and tomatoes
Pour in the chicken broth and add tomatoes (fresh or canned) and chicken. Bring to a boil.

4. Season and simmer
Reduce to a simmer. Add salt, bay leaves, thyme, and basil. Simmer for 1 hour.

5. Add okra, sausage, chicken, fish, and shrimp
Add proteins and okra, cooking until shrimp is done and all ingredients are heated through.

Optional: Make chicken broth from scratch
Place a whole chicken or 6 drumsticks in a large pot with 1 gallon of water. Simmer until fully cooked, then use the broth for your gumbo base.

Tips for a Perfect NC Gumbo

• More protein: Add ham, extra sausage, or other favorite meats.

• Spice it up: Include a jalapeño or your favorite chilis.

• Storage: Keep leftovers in a tight-lid container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

This gumbo is a vibrant, hearty celebration of local produce and seafood. It’s a dish that invites creativity, encourages seasonal cooking, and showcases the best of North Carolina’s farms and coast. Whether you’re serving it as a main course or a side, it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Veggie Spiral Pasta with Farm Fresh Pesto

Looking for a light, flavorful, and farm fresh meal that’s quick and easy to make? Try this Veggie Spiral Pasta with Farm Fresh Pesto made with ingredients from our local farms — including pesto from Crossings Farm and fresh veggies from Seven Sisters Farm and Ander’s Family Farm!

This recipe takes only 15–20 minutes from start to finish — fresh, simple, and straight from the farm.

Here’s how to make it:

1. Boil your spiral pasta (rotini or fusilli work perfectly!) in one pot until it’s cooked through and tender.

2. Chop your veggies: green beans, carrots, scallion onions from Seven Sisters Farm, and peppers from Anders Family Farm add great flavor and color. Add broccoli if you’d like — it blends beautifully with the other veggies.

3. (Optional) Add water chestnuts for that perfect extra crunch, and steam all the veggies together in a saucepan until they’re tender.

4. Drain your pasta and combine it with the veggies in a large bowl.

5. Add the star ingredient: stir in Crossings Farm Pesto until everything is coated in that fresh, herby flavor.

What’s nice about this plate is that the more veggies you add, the more delicious it becomes — and it’s totally customizable. I even like to add asparagus when it’s in season! You can also top it with freshly cut cherry tomatoes from Anders Family Farm for a fresh, colorful garnish.

Serve warm or at room temperature — it’s light, colorful, and works great as a main dish or side. For even more flavor, top your bowl with an extra spoonful of pesto before serving.

Looking for a quick and delicious after-meal treat? Take some Rabble & Rise Sourdough Bread, toast it, and drizzle with honey from Sunflower Hill Farm. It’s the perfect sweet finish and a great addition to your weeknight meal plan.

Shop local. Eat fresh. Taste the Piedmont.

What’s Your Beef? Understanding Meat Labels and Quality

The way an animal lives has a big impact on both the flavor and quality of the meat it produces. Age, diet, and even the cut of meat all contribute to subtle differences in taste and texture. For example, younger and older animals produce different meat profiles, and even different cuts from the same animal offer unique flavors.

All cattle start life grazing on grass, but it’s the last four to six months that really defines the difference between grass-finished and grain-finished beef. How a cow is finished affects flavor, fat quality, and texture. While the “best-tasting” beef is subjective, healthier beef depends not just on fat quantity, but also on fat quality.

Understanding Meat Labels

Meat labels can be confusing, so here’s a breakdown of common terms you may encounter:

Grain-Finished

• Cows are fed grain in the last four to six months of life, often in a feedlot.

• Some pasture-raised cattle may receive supplemental grain during this period.

Grass-Finished

• Cattle graze on pasture for their entire lives.

• No standard exists regarding herbicide or pesticide use on pastures.

Naturally Raised

• Certified by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service.

• No antibiotics, preservatives, or added hormones.

• Can be grain-finished or grass-finished.

• Does not mean the beef is organic.

Certified Organic

• Can be grain-finished or grass-finished.

• Feed must be 100% organic, with no GMOs.

• Must be processed at a USDA-certified organic meat processor.

• Certified by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service.

Certified organic beef can be tricky—many farmers raise cattle organically but cannot label it as USDA-certified organic if the meat processor they use is not certified organic. For ranchers in North and South Carolina, finding a certified organic processor nearby can be difficult. As a result, many farmers market their products as local and pasture-raised instead.

Local

• “Local” has no standardized definition. It generally means raised within a distance that consumers consider reasonable.

• Local does not automatically mean organic or sustainably raised.

• Be cautious: some beef labeled “local” may only spend a short time on a nearby farm before being processed.

Choosing Meat Responsibly

If you want to consume meat responsibly, it’s important to be an informed shopper. Visit farmers markets, ask questions, and get to know your farmers. Understanding where your meat comes from and how it’s raised helps support sustainable local food systems—and ensures you’re enjoying high-quality, flavorful beef.

For more resources and to explore beef cuts interactively, check out:

• Beef Checkoff Source: Organic Prairie

• Interactive Butcher Counter—Beef Cuts