What do country bumpkins and gourmet eating have in common? I’m not sure, but The Bumpkin Gourmet is trying to combine the two in a unique way. Billing itself as “the place to find great local and seasonal North Carolina produce, dairy, and meats, The Bumpkin Gourmet blends the familiar with the daring, sweet with spicy, and traditional Carolina with global flair.”
Just starting out as a business, The Bumpkin Gourmet currently has only a few items for sale through their website, such as Orange BBQ Jam (Wait! It looks like Bacon Caramels were added to the list!). As the seasons change, so do the products available (keeping sustainability in mind; a them touched on in Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle). As spring and summer warm the land and the North Carolina growing season kicks into high gear, interesting creations such as PeachyPeño Jam and White Balsamic Strawberry Jam are almost here. 2nd Green Revolution can’t vouch for the taste of the creations, but is hoping to get a hand on some samples; Stephanie, the Bumpkin Gourmet pictured here, is a friend from graduate school. During football season, every week several of us would take a break from studying and get together for dinner and Monday Night Football. Each of us would take turns cooking, and Stephanie’s food definitely passed the taste test then. I’m eager to try some of her new creations to see if “amazingly fresh local and seasonal foods and upscale, unique, skill-driven craft” can come “together in one bite.”
As for more on the sustainable aspect of the business, here is some information we received by email:
I purchase more than 75% of my products from local, small family farms. My bacon is from humanely raised pigs with no antibiotics given ever. My dairy products come from a local eastern North Carolina dairy, the lavender is from western North Carolina, and once spring officially hits all my fruits and jalapenos (except for oranges) come from farmers markets and farm stands. All the herbs used are either personally grown or grown by local farmers.
I am currently meeting with some local farmers to sell my products made with their produce at their stands, which can help give them value-added agriculture credits from the state. North Carolina is losing 100,000 acres of farmland a year to development and every acre saved counts.
Good luck with the new business, Steph! Keep us informed on your progress not only combining the familiar and the daring but the economic with the environmental. Those interested in checking out the site can click on the links above or find them on our links page.
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