In covering the news and keeping the community informed, unfortunately we have to report a lot of bad news; but rest assured that every Friday throughout the summertime, when you tune into WCHL, we will have some good news to report to you!  That’s because it is “Good News Friday!”

Presented by The Strowd on Franklin Street, and their Shag Dance Fridays!

The-Strowd-pic-and-logo

Click here to listen to Ron Stutts broadcast this week’s ‘Good News Friday’ featured story.

While researching to write a story profiling all of the wonderful local farmers markets we have here in the Chapelboro area, we discovered a very special program that we have to tell you about.

The Transplanting Traditions Community Farm, located off of Jones Ferry Road in the Elinor Irvin Nature Preserve is a community farm cared for by refugees from southeast Asia.

With the goal of providing refugee families access to land for agricultural education, business enterprise, and the chance to grow native varieties of vegetables and herbs for the restaurants and farmer’s markets of our area; Transplanting Traditions also serves as a cultural community space for families to come together.

Here is how it works. Currently 31 refugee families from Burma farm the 5 acre site. All of whom, were farmers in their native home. Growing some traditional North Carolina vegetables, they also grow over 40 native crops including gourds, turmeric, bitter melons, ginger, taro root, medicinal herbs, lemongrass and radishes.

The yield is sold to local restaurants and is also directly available at The Chapel Hill Farmer’s Market at University Place on Tuesdays from 3-6pm; and; at the Carrboro Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 3-6pm and on Saturdays from 7am-noon.

In the column “From Our Market’s Bounty” on Chapelboro.com; Susan Reda profiled how she went to the Chapel Hill Farmer’s Market specifically to find “Thai Basil” from Transplanting Traditions, and used it as the key ingredient for her Cold Curry Summer Squash Soup Recipe.

Founded in 2010 and supported by the Orange County Partnership for Young Children, the Triangle Land Conservancy and many others, Transplanting Traditions does so much to better the lives of the people in our community, so please visit TransplantingTraditions.com to learn more and read the farmers stories.

Connecting Cultures through Farming and Food with Transplanting Traditions!  That’s our Good News Friday story of the week!

To see the hours and information for all of our local farmers markets, click here!