CAROLINA COUNTRY STORE
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Beyond The Blue CD
Fly Fishing Trail Fly anglers can visit a lot of places in the U.S., but there’s only one place they can go to fish a designated fly fishing trail—North Carolina. The Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail provides 15 prime spots to catch trout in the Great Smoky Mountains. The trail, located in Jackson County, offers everything from wide rivers to medium-sized creeks to small streams. Launched by the Jackson County Tourism Authority, the trail is anchored by the Tuckasegee River, which boasts five of the 15 fishing spots. The delayed harvest section of the “Tuck” provides well-stocked catchand-release waters that can be fished year-round. New this year is the Raven Fork trophy water on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, which can also be fished all year. Raven Fork is regularly stocked with big trout, many exceeding 20 inches and a good number of 30-inch trout. Serious fly anglers tend to gravitate toward the smaller, lesser-known spots such as Panthertown Creek and the wild waters of the Chattooga River, Whitewater River and Tanasee Creek. For a map and lodging options, call or visit the Web site.
(800) 962-1911 www.FlyFishingTrail.com
Based in State Road near Elkin, the band Beyond The Blue offers a unique mix of bluegrass,, inspirational gospel, embellished with tight vocal harmonies and picking. Its new CD, also named Beyond The Blue, showcases powerful lead vocals, coupled with precise har-monies and seasoned sounds of banjo, mandolin, fiddle, lead guitar, rhythm guitar and bass. The CD’s 12 songs include “Lonesome Pine,” “Wagon Wheel,” “Waterslide Ride” and “I Believe.” To add a note of interest, almost all the band’s instruments are custom made by its members. For example, Ken Hooper built the mandolin he plays along with the two guitars (one is left-handed and the other is right-handed). Recorded at Eastwood Studios in Cana, Va., the CD sells for $12.
(336) 984-7252 www.beyondtheblueband.com
Carolina Country Store features interesting, useful products, services, travel sites, handicrafts, food, books, CDs and DVDs that relate to North Carolina. To submit an item for possible publication, e-mail editor@ carolinacountry.com with a description and clear, color pictures. Or you can submit by mail: Country Store, Carolina Country, 3400 Sumner Blvd., Raleigh, NC, 27616. Those who submit must be able to handle large orders.
on the bookshelf Gardening with Heirloom Seeds
Blueberry cookbook
Heirloom seeds are living antiques handed down from one generation to the next, an inheritance of flavor from long ago and, sometimes, far away. They are sometimes better adapted to pests and harsh conditions than modern varieties and often simply smell or taste better. “Gardening with Heirloom Seeds” serves as a resource for those of all levels of expertise who want to know more about seeds for flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Fifty treasured heirloom species are described, from Frenchman’s Darling, a flowering herb whose seeds were pocketed by Napoleon Bonaparte when he invaded Egypt in 1798, to Snow White beets, an old Dutch favorite that will not stain the cook’s fingers red. The book offers color and black and white illustrations and includes sources for finding seeds of many old varieties. Because it provides room for making notes, the book can be used year after year and can also be a personal journal to pass along to the next generation. Author Lynn Coulter lives in Georgia. Softcover, 316 pages, $22.95.
The nutritious, delicious blueberry is the star in this new recipe collection called “Best of the Blues.” The cookbook contains entries from past recipe contest competitors at the annual North Carolina Blueberry Festival in Burgaw. Compiled and edited by longtime blueberry festival committee member Sue Cowan, the recipes are organized by year, with blue-ribbon symbols noted along award winners. Offerings are diverse and include “Frozen Blueberry Lemon Squares,” “Blueberry Black-Bean Salsa” and “Blueberry Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups.” “Best of the Blues” is contained in a three-ring folder, with removable pages containing lists of pantry basics, herbs and spices, measurements, quick cooking fixes, calorie counts, cooking terms and napkin-folding techniques. Book copies are available by calling the number below. They will also be sold at the merchandise tent at the North Carolina Blueberry Festival in Burgaw, held this year on Saturday, June 19. Hardcover, 168 pages, $15. Published by Morris Press Cookbooks in Kearney, Neb.
(800) 848-6224 www.uncpress.unc.edu
(910) 259-9817 www.ncblueberryfestival.com
30 JUNE 2010 Carolina Country