Articles by April McGreger

April McGreger is the proprietor of Farmer's Daughter, a farm-driven artisan food business in Carrboro, N.C. She is a leader in her local Slow Food convivium, where she is known to curate field pea tastings and write for the Slow Food Triangle blog. When not in the kitchen, she can usually be found at her local community garden or singing and playing the tenor banjo with her husband Phil.

Featured Article

Editor’s note: We’re regifting you this oldie about goodies for the holiday season.

Photos: April McGreger

Christmas is on the horizon, and my kitchen has been turned into a mini cookie factory. Every inch of countertop is occupied by cookies in some process: mixing dough, rolling out dough, icing cookies, filling sandwich cookies, dusting cookies with powdered sugar, and packing cookies into boxes with red tissue paper. The scent of roasted pecans and powdered sugar transports me to my mother’s kitchen, where I began helping out with the holiday baking before I could even reach the countertop.

I rarely bake cookies the rest of the year, but come the holidays I can’t help myself. Some shop; some decorate; I bake.

Here are some of my favorite recipes.

Moravian Ginger Crisps

For North Carolinians, the height of the Christmas season is going to visit the historic Moravian village of Old Salem, NC. The Moravians are respected bakers, especially for their thin and crispy cookies, like these. Their shape may be delicate, but their spicy ginger flavor packs a punch. I usually skip the icing and ... Read more

April McGreger Culture

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Not your grandma's sweet potato pie

The sweet potato is a very misunderstood vegetable, too often overshadowed in fall by the pumpkin and unfairly compared to the unrelated potato. See how well its sweetness plays against smoky and spicy flavors in this recipe for a free-form tart.

April McGreger Food and Agriculture
Six ways to save time and energy in the kitchen

Labor Day weekend is the perfect time to get your kitchen organized. Here are some tips that will help you cook delicious meals from scratch quickly and easily, and waste less of that seasonal produce you're buying.

April McGreger Culture
Southern fig cake and old-fashioned fig preserves

Eating fresh figs is so sensual that it practically makes me blush. But if you're lucky enough to have a glut of these beauties, here are some recipes to preserve them for savoring later.

April McGreger Food and Agriculture
Savory fruit salads are a 4th of July taste revolution

(April McGreger photos) We all know the 4th of July routine: fireworks, grilling, and all-American pies for dessert. But unlike Thanksgiving, no side dishes traditionally stand out. This year, don’t get stuck eating potato salad or tri-color pasta from plastic deli containers. Instead, give fruit salads a chance to redeem themselves. Forget that big heaping […]

April McGreger Culture