In addition to being woodworkers, the Grahams are also farmers who sell their produce at the Carrboro Farmers' Market from mid March to mid December.
Many of the vegetables the Grahams grow are unique. When Mrs. Graham was alive, she began harvesting Blue Lake beans and okra when they were still very young. Because they are harvested young, these vegetables are very tender, have to be just lightly cooked and have a wonderful taste. Ben Barker, owner and chef of the Magnolia Grill in Durham, became one of our first customers of these tiny vegetables.
Ben has also become a big customer of our “Old Timey” pumpkins, an heirloom variety of traditional North American pumpkin. These pumpkins make a wonderful pumpkin soup or pumpkin pie.
Lettuce, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower come in strong during the spring, with broccoli heads sometimes weighing up to two pounds!
Later in the spring we have snow peas and sugar snaps. In the summer we have blueberries, thornless blackberries, beans, okra, eggplant, peppers, Oriental vegetables, shelled cowpeas and a few others.
In the early Fall we have butternut squash, the “Old Timey” pumpkins, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and a few other vegetables.
The family also grows several unique varieties of South East Asian vegetables. The late Mrs. Graham was from the Philippines and these vegetables are very familiar to the Graham family. These vegetables grow very well in this area and many have unique forms of natural insect-repellence, making for the perfect high-summer crops when bugs are in full force.
Winter Melon - Though called a melon, this is a vegetable and should be cooked. Very mild tasting, and once peeled and sliced, is excellent in soups. Assumes the flavor of foods it is cooked with.
Ampalaya/Bitter Melon - As it sounds, a bitter tasting melon that most people must acquire a taste for. Good shredded, soaked in cold salted water (removes some of the bitterness), and then added to a stir-fired dish.
Climbing Okra/Loufa Gourd - When harvested young, the loufa gourd is used by many Southeast Asians in a variety of dishes. Many people use it like they would regular okra, in stir-fries, batter fried or in soups.
Snake Gourd - A mild tasting gourd that once peeled and sliced is excellent in soups and stir-fries. Like winter melon, it assumes the flavors of the foods it is cooked with.
Sword Beans - A large flat bean that must be cooked will before eating (has a very bitter taste until cooked for 20 minutes or so). Has a nice nutty flavor.
Louis Graham also farms hormone-free beef cows, which are available for meat to local buyers.
Graham Woodworking · Ph: 919-542-5973 · Email: dgcedar@aol.com
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