North Carolina Pork at Your Local Farmers Market | Got To Be NC Pork

I’m honored to again partner with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services to bring you this round-up of pork dishes featuring North Carolina pork available at your local farmers market.

I cannot tell you how excited I am about these posts. I’ve seen the photos, and now I can’t wait to make the recipes and learn all about the farmers who raise the North Carolina pork we all worked with. For a small round up, we have a really diverse collection of recipes for you.

I’m doing double duty this month as I also did a farm profile, so one of the posts I’m linking to will be mine.

And guess what? Our pork promotion made it onto television in Charlotte, NC, thanks to Heidi Billotto who is super connected in the Charlotte regional food scene! Check out her segment where she cooks her molasses and mustard marinated pork chops.

North Carolina Pork Round-Up

Like I said, I think you’ll be amazed and impressed by the diversity of recipes in this round up. Please make these for yourself, but also use them as a jumping-off point for your own creativity. Naturally raised North Carolina pork generally has more fat and flavor than commodity pork, so know that the danger of drying out a pork chop is minimal. So go forth to the farmers market, and don’t forget the pork!

First up, we have Heidi’s dish that you just watched her make above. How easy–put all the marinade ingredients together in a pan, let the chops marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight, and then braise in the oven until done. Perfection! Heidi’s recipe, Molasses and Mustard Marinated Pork Chops features pork from A Way of Life Farm, available at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market.

Next up is my Polish Sausage with Apples, Onions, and Butternut Squash. I served this with homemade spaetzle, which is easier to make than you might believe. I got my pork sausage from the MAE Farm stall at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh. I also purchased the apples and butternut squash from other vendors at the market. One-stop shopping!

If you’re like Kate from Life of a Ginger, you are a fan of quick, flavorful meals with maybe more than just a hint of spice. Kate is cooking for five girls every day, so trust me when I tell you she is the queen of the fast and flavorful meal. Take this North Carolina Pork & Five Pepper Stir-Fry. All those vegetables and all that porky goodness over rice? Absolutely! Kate’s recipe features pork from Rockin’ B Farm which is available at the Piedmont Triad State Farmers Market in Colfax, NC.

Next up, just feast your eyes, y’all. This bowl of deliciousness is from Kristi of TriadFoodies. Meet Carolina Poutine with Pulled Pork. If you’ve never had poutine before, it’s a Canadian comfort food that’s basically fries covered in melty cheese curds and gravy. I promise it is ridiculously good. This North Carolina pork version features sweet potato fries (NC is a huge producer of sweet potatoes) with Ashe County cheese curds. barbecue sauce, and pulled pork from Mill River Farm, available at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Farmers Market.

Last but certainly not least, Linda from Hispanic Mama is hooking us up on Taco Tuesday or any day with these mouthwatering Tacos al Pastor. I am making everything on this page, trust me, and I am starting with these. Linda’s tacos feature pork from Bull City Farm available at the Durham Roots Farmers Market at North Gate Mall in Durham.

And there you have it friends. Just five recipes for the literally countless ways you can cook North Carolina pork. So what are you waiting for? Get to your nearest farmers market–and if you don’t live in North Carolina, chances are you will be able to find meat local to you at your farmers market, no matter where you live.

I hope we have inspired you with our recipes and the farmers’ stories. I know I’ve been inspired. Get to know your local farmers, friends. As Mike Jones of MAE Farm told me after our very long and wide-ranging conversation, “We farmers have a lot of time to think.” And they also want to tell you about their products. Get to know them, support your local economy, and feed your family well.

So next time you go to the farmers market, don’t forget the pork!

Thank you for spending some time with me and my fellow Got To Be NC Bloggers today. Now, go get some local pork, and have a lovely day.