Davidson’s recent adoption of new rules allowing up to four hens in local backyards may have you thinking about joining the trend.  This Saturday, Jan. 8, Greg and Jennifer Coleman on Virginia Road will offer a free how-to workshop, based on their experience raising chickens in Davidson and former homes in Raleigh and Austin, Texas. In Food & Dining, CLICK HERE>

Also in Food & Dining today:

Food writer and Davidson grad Nikki Sawyer Moore offers a recipe:  “Cure for post-holiday blues: Peppermint profiteroles.”

Shoppers waited in line for meats from Wild Turkey Farms. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Saturday morning’s pre-Thanksgiving Davidson Farmer’s Market drew a big crowd. Lines at some vendors were 15 minutes long as shoppers stocked up on holiday produce, meats, and gifts. Market managers said more than 500 people attended – a big crowd for any Saturday, let alone a fall market.  The market is now on its winter schedule, running every other week. The next market is Saturday, Dec. 4, downtown next to Town Hall.

Barbee Farms had plenty of carrots Saturday. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Shannon Binns, founder and director of Sustain Charlotte, speaks at the public launch of their vision.

By ALEX GREGOR
DavidsonNews.net

CHARLOTTE – Developing more sustainable patterns of growth in the Charlotte region will require rethinking everything from the kinds of homes we build and where we build them to how we get around and where we locate groceries and other businesses.  Those were among the messages Monday when a new organization called Sustain Charlotte unveiled its manifesto Charlotte 2030: A Sustainable Vision for Our Region.

In a gathering of supporters and local officials at the Square, at Trade and Tryon streets in Charlotte, the group outlined its 10-section plan for making the Charlotte area a greener place to live.

Listen to a 4-minute interview with Sustain Charlotte’s Shannon Binns, CLICK HERE> Read the full story

In Food & Dining today: A Statesville woman is seeking approvals to run a hot dog cart on Main Street. Last week, the Design Review Board gave its OK to the cart. Read more in Food & Dining, CLICK HERE>

Also in Food and dining today:

• Davidson Farmer’s Market announces its winter market schedule
  
• Cheese at the State Fair
  
• How the local food movement helps small farmers.

On our Food & Dining page today, Jill Steirli writes about how local and seasonal offerings from the farmer’s market can help break up the routine of your kids’ school lunch box. Lots of tips, in FOOD & DINING>

Visitors to Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm in Cabarrus check out a 1950s era tractor that farmers still use. See a photo gallery below. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

There were hogs, ostriches and alpacas. Veteran farmers showed off dozens of crops. Rookie farmers talked about learning the ropes and trying to break into the business. All were on display this weekend as hundreds of area local food fans hit the region’s back roads for the 2nd annual Know Your Farms Charlotte Area Farm Tour.

BELOW: See a gallery of photos from the tour,
by David Boraks and Julianne Mills

Read the full story

Char Grill, a late-night fast-food chain that operates in the Triangle, plans to make Davidson Commons shopping center off I-77 Exit 30 the site of its first Charlotte-area restaurant early next year.

Also today, a report on a potential remedy to concerns about tainted eggs: Buying local. Cathryn Westra reports.

See our Food & Dining page. CLICK HERE>

The corn has been harvested at Westmoreland farm, off N.C. 73. Can fall be far behind? (Allan White photo)

Read below for info on how to submit your photo of the day. And see previous photos of the day, CLICK HERE>

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

We’re looking for photos that capture the people and places that make Davidson what it is. It could be a pretty picture or an event, a youth sports team photo or a pet, a quirky wildlife photo or an oddity. Send ‘em to us (editor@davidsonnews.net) and we’ll consider them for publication.

Requirements: Send us whatever you have – color or black-and-white JPGs preferred. If you have the ability to do so, we ask that you resize photos to not more than 600 pixels wide. That box on the front page of the site is exactly 595 pixels by 270 pixels, if you’re able to crop yourself. But you needn’t be limited to that size. Unlike our previous banners, with Photo of the Day, we can take any shape.

Wondering if you have something worthy? Call (704-896-0569) or email at the address above. And thanks for joining us!