Cassie Pressley (left) and sister Deanna Pressley help tend the garden last week at Know Your Farms summer camp.

By JAMES WUDEL

Last week at the Know Your Farms kids’ camp, we spent a lot of time cooking and gardening (and playing in sprinklers) with a crew of 9 to 12 year olds from Charlotte, Davidson, and Cornelius. At a camp dedicated to food, our campers had a chance to eat things they may not otherwise have been interested in.

To start with, being involved in the garden appealed to most of the kids, and piqued their interest in the food they were eating. When the kids saw what cucumber plants look like, picked them, scraped the spines off, and cut them, they took new interest in cucumbers. Read the full story

Lamb's quarter was the secret ingredient in our pesto. (David Boraks/ DavidsonNews.net)

By EMMA BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

My sister and I are going to Know Your Farms summer camp in Davidson. We’re learning about eating locally.

Monday, we made pesto. Pesto usually includes garlic, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, olive oil and salt and pepper. Our recipe also called for spinach.

We used Lamb’s Quarters from the Davidson garden of Know Your Farms co-founder Christy Shi. Read the full story

The Creole House on North Main Street in Cornelius is climbing back from a recent series of inspection issues and expects to reopen for dinner on Thursday, June 17. Meanwhile, Our Town Cinemas in Davidson is trying to get the word out about their cheap eats. Details below.

Read the full story

Gazpacho is a cool summer soup of fresh vegetables. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Our backyard gardens are beginning to bear fruit, and the variety of summer produce at local farmers’ markets is expanding. Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and red onions are easy find. Put them all together, add a bit of garlic, and you’re on your way to a cool summer dinner of gazpacho.

We had our first gazpacho of the season this week, dining on our side porch in the late-spring evening light. I think of this as a simple meal: Prepare and chill a batch of this rich, chilled tomato soup. Procure a bread – we had an asiago cheese baguette from the local grocery. And serve it with your favorite red wine – I went for a glass of the Coppola Claret, a robust red that goes just right with the tangy soup. Read the full story

Davidson-based Know Your Farms LLC is offering a series of “Food, Land & People” camps this summer that aim to give kids 8-12 a better understanding of local food and where food comes from. Did someone say food camp? We’re there!

Read the full story

19741 S. Main St.
Cornelius, NC
704-892-3305
www.mamaspizzaexpress.com
Monday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday: 12 p.m.-10 p.m.