By Rhea Worrell, Marketing Specialist for The Judy Weinstock Team

There are three seasons for tomatoes every year: seed starting from January to March, selling and buying seedlings in April and May — and devouring from July to October! With any luck there’ll be enough leftover tomatoes for cooking, freezing or canning for the rest of the year.

Okay, the first two seasons have ended for 2008. But the gastronomic rewards are right around the corner! So, if you are a tomato lover you are in luck!
Here’s an opportunity to learn enough about heirloom tomato varieties to make an educated choice when tomato buying season rolls around and you’re haunting the local farmers market in search of lovely lycopersicon [tomato] treats.
What are the best varieties of heirloom tomatoes in the Triangle? Let’s take a look at the heirloom tomato lexicon, local growers’ lists, and the taste test experience of locavores. How do they weed out the duds and cultivate the winners? Factors they consider for growing tomatos our area are drought tolerance, ease of cultivation, productivity, attractiveness, intended use and most of all, flavor.
When it comes to buying and eating tomatoes, there are other factors to consider,  such as the rainbow effect — the wide range of colors, stripes and mottling of heirloom tomatoes. Let’s assume you are a tomato lover, you’re lucky enough to have a wide selection of heirlooms from which to select, and want to decide on tomato types and colors before looking at specific varieties.

• Juicy, thin skinned tomatoes are best for fresh eating and salads.
• Slicers are a little firmer. They’re best for sandwichs or salads.
• Paste tomatoes are less juicy and more meaty. They’re excellent for cooking or
      drying and travel well. 
• Cherry tomatoes are great for snacking, salads and appetizers.

Tomato shapes — in addition to round — include beefsteaks (very large round to oval), stuffers (gourd-like), tapered, oval, pear, cherry and grape. Don’t assume a tomato is as sweet or tasty as its name or namesake imply. Ask for a sample before deciding.
As for flavors, generalizations are tricky. There are so many delicious tomatoes - in fact most of them! Tomatoes that are the most highly-rated for taste are usually sweet or have a blend of flavors and colors. Classic reds and pinks are usually extremely flavorful — Brandywine, German Johnson, Mortgage Lifter, Granny Cantrell.
Most white tomatoes (and they are rare) tend to have a bland taste, with the exception of white cherries which are as sweet as ripe grapes! (Coyote and Dr Carolyn)! They are perfect for a low acid diet or to impress dinner guests.

Yellow and orange tomatoes tend to have a sweet, mild flavor as well — except for the amazing Sungold.

Green tomatoes are often tart or citrusy.

The best varieties of pink and red tomatoes have balanced flavors, with some tartness, sweetness and rich smokiness.

Purple and black tomatoes are among the most delicious of all tomatoes with a rich, smoky sweetness. Eva Purple Ball, Pruden’s Purple, Cherokee Purple and Paul Robeson are considered exceptional.
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Here are some unofficial lists of Top Triangle Heirloom Tomatoes. Start here with three top choices:
1. Cherokee Purple is one of the most famous heirloom tomatoes in the US, and certainly a big hit in the Triangle. It was re-introduced by Raleigh tomato expert Craig LeHoullier  in 1990 — and loves our weather. The flavor is exceptionally rich and fine: it’s winey, smoky sweet with just enough tartness - and juicy. It’s very easy to grow and produces lots of fruit and is heat-tolerant. It’s an impressionist’s fantasy - a blend of red, green, purple and black. Love at first taste!  [Craig has also developed and introduced Cherokee Green, Cherokee Chocolate, Little Lucky and Lucky Cross].

2. Green Zebra is another popular local tomato, and for good reason. It’s another plant that’s easy to cultivate, and bears loads of mid-sized fruit. It’s got bright green stripes and is stunningly beautiful for slicing or salads. The inner gel is a luminous lime green. It’s juicy, tart and delicious — and glows in the dark! Beautifully striped, moderately small oval fruits in shades of lime, emerald and gold, spicy, tangy, citrusy, juicy with a bright lime green gel. Vigorous and easy to grow, productive, delicious & very attractive. Highly recommended. Good starter tomato. Excellent in salads. Full sun pref. *Developed in 1985 by crossing 4 heirloom tomatoes

3. SunGold. One of the tastiest cherry tomatoes ever, very prolific, and very easy to grow. It’s a glowing orange and is an irrestible snack. May reseed from year to year. A big favorite in the Triangle.
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One Hillsborough grower’s 2008 selections:
Aunt Ruby’s Cherry, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Black Cherry, Cherokee Purple, Dr Carolyn, Granny Cantrell or German Red, Green Zebra, Paul Robeson, Pink Brimmer, Roma Rio Grande, Striped Roman, Uncle Mark Bagby, Vinson Watts 
Craig LeHoullier’s 2008 Selections
Red  Abraham Lincoln, Aker’s West Virginia, Amish Paste, Andrew Raharts Jumbo Red, Box Car Willie, Cuostralee, Druzba, Dwarf Stone, Kimberly, Marmande, Martino’s Roma, Mexico Midget, Mule Team, Nepal, Neves’ Azorean Red, Opalka, Ozark Cherry, Raspberry Red, Red Brandywine, Red Robin, Shannon’s, Sophie’s Choice, Sweet Million, Veeroma
Pink   Anna Russian, Arkansas Traveler, Brandywine, Earl’s Faux, Eva Purple Ball,German Johnson, Granny Cantrell, Hege German Pink, Mortgage Lifter, New Big Dwarf, Rose Quartz,  Winsall
Purple/Brown/Black   Black Cherry, Black Krim, Blauck from Tula, Cherokee Chocolate, Cherokee Purple, JD Special C-Tex, Paul Robeson, Purple Russian
Green  Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Cherokee Green, Green Giant, Green Grape, Green Zebra, Lime Green Salad, Spears Tennessee Green
Yellow/Orange/White  Anna Banana Russian, Aunt Gertie’s Gold, Coyote, Dr. Wyche’s Yellow, Elbe, Golden Dwarf Champion, Hugh’s, Jaune Flamme, Kellog’s Breakfast, Lemon Boy, Lillian’s Yellow, Malschor Isura, Orange Heirloom, Sungold, Taxi, Yellow Brandywine, Yellow Pear
Striped, Streaked, Marbled   Hillbilly, Little Lucky, Lucky Cross, Rainbow Bicolor, Little Lucky and Lucky Cross, Rainbow Bi-color, Regina’s Yellow, Tiger Tom

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 Helpful Links

Triangle Tomato Expert Craig LeHoullier Bio Page
http://www.victoryseeds.com/catalog/vegetable/tomato/nctomatoman.html

Craig’s Homepage
http://www.nctomatoman.topcities.com/From_The_Vine.htm

Summer Means Tomatoes [Raleigh News and Observer]
http://www.newsobserver.com/lifestyles/home_garden/tastefulgarden/story/580751.html

The Best Varieties for Tomato Lovers (nationwide)
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s-5-16-1448,00.html

Tomato Information
http://www.tomatofest.com/tomato-growing-information.html

Just learning to garden organically? Want to grow heirloom tomatoes next year? Go to the
     helpful folks at Fifth Season Gardening in Carrboro. Fifth Season is a local (NC) company
     that specializes in organic gardening.
http://www.fifthseasongardening.com/

Keeping you updated on the market!

51. Aluminum Christmas trees, popular in the 1960s, sparkle at the Aluminum Tree and Aesthetically Challenged Seasonal Ornament Museum and Research Center in Brevard (pop. 6,789).   
52. America’s largest house, George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate in Asheville (pop. 68,889), with its 250 rooms and four acres of floor space, opened three fourth-floor servants’ bedrooms to the publich to give some insight into the lives of the men and women who worked at the estate in the early 1900s.   
53. An S-shaped drawbridge built in 1923 in Hertford County is thought to be the only one of its kind in the U.S.
54. Andrew Johnson, 17th president of the United States, was born in Raleigh on Dec. 29, 1808.

55. Ann Marwood Durant, the state’s first female attorney, appeared in 1673 before the council in Perquimans Precinct.   
56. Artist Bob Timberlake of Lexington is internationally known for his rural paintings and rustic home furnishings. He was born in 1937 in Salisbury.   
57. Menswear designer Alexander Julian is oftened credited with bringing vivid primary colors to men’s fashions. He is Chapel Hill native and graduate of the UNC.    
58. At 15, soccer star Mia Hamm became the youngest player on the U.S. women’s national team. In 1999, she set a world record with 108 career goals scored in international competition. She is a Chapel Hill native.   

Now for some tall tales!
59. At 208 feet, the 1870 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Dare County is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States and the second-tallest brick light tower in the world.   
60. At 480 feet, the 1945 Fontana Dam in Graham County is the tallest dam in the Eastern United States.   
61. At 5,505 feet, Beech Mountain in Watauga County  lays claim to being the highest incorporated community east of the Rockies.   
62. At 6,684 feet, Mount Mitchell in western North Carolina is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River.   
63. Baseball’s Jim “Catfish” Hunter grew up in Perquimans County. The star pitcher played for the Kansas City Athletics (later the Oakland A’s) until 1975, when he joined the New York Yankees. In 1987 he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.   
64. Begun in 1988 as a tribute to musician Merle Watson, the MerleFest in Wilkesboro has blossomed into one of the nation’s largest “roots music” events, attracting 80,000 visitors. Merle was the son of musician Doc Watson.   

65. Billy Graham, the nation’s leading religious revivalist for more than 50 years, was born in 1918 near Charlotte.   
66. Blowing Rock, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, was named for a nearby cliff where objects thrown outward are swept back by the wind.   
67. Born in 1862 in Greensboro, William Sydney Porter began writing and selling  short stories in prison. He later changed his name to O. Henry, becoming one of America’s most loved short-story writers.   
68. Built in 1952, J.S. Dorton Arena, at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh, boasts the world’s first permanent use of a cable-supported roof system.   
69. Built in 1958, the lighthouse on Oak Island is one of the last lighthouses built in the United States.    
70. In 1799, Cabarrus County, NC was the site of America’s first documented gold discovery.    
71. Called “The Education Governor”, Charles Aycock, born in 1859 near Fremont, spearheaded construction of about 1,100 schools — one for every day in office — after being elected governor in 1900.    
72. Campus dining service employees at East Carolina University in Greenville baked the world’s largest gingerbread man, weighing 800 pounds, in 2004.   
73. Carolina Bays, found in Bladen County, are the name given to the shallow, oval craters that scientists theorize were created by a meteor shower or intense winds between 6,000 and 40,000 years ago.   

74. Chartered in 1925, Dellview is the smallest incorporated town in the state, with a population of about 16.   
75. Cobras, mambas, rattlers and bushmasters re among 100 species of exotic snakes on display at the Cape Fear Serpentarium in Wilmington.  

Keeping you updated on the market!

For the week of April 21, 2008

MARKET RECAP

The cup overflowed with an assortment of economic data last week. Of most interest to mortgage watchers were the disappointing data on inflation. The producer price index for finished goods rose 1.1% in March, after a 0.3% increase in February, while the core index, which excludes food and energy, climbed 0.2% after rising 0.5% in February and 0.4% during January.The data were equally disconcerting on the consumer end, where prices rose 0.3%, exceeding most economists’ expectations. Stripping out volatile food and energy costs, the core consumer price index gained 0.2%. Inflation pressures are being stoked by rocketing crude oil prices, which broached $115-a-barrel last week, and increased food costs as commodity prices around the world continue to soar.Surprisingly, the mortgage market’s reaction to the inflation threat was upbeat, which suggests inflation may not be as onerous as the PPI and CPI numbers would imply. The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose only seven basis points to 6.03%, the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rose nine basis points to 5.65%, and the 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage actually fell 10 basis points to 5.85%, according to the Bankrate.com national survey.

By Rhea Worrell, Marketing Specialist, The Judy Weinstock Team 

Mason Farm is a natural area in the NC Botanic Garden in Chapel Hill. All of the plants and animals were mentioned by the tour guide. Those with asterisks were spotted in the wild.

GEOGRAPHY

Mason Farm is a rift valley from the Jurassic era. Its three basic areas are the fields, the woods and the Beaver Pond. In the wooded areas, there are dybasic outcroppings. The best guide to Mason Farm (and the rest of Chapel Hill’s natural features) is the book, From Laurel Hill to Siler’s Bog. Mason Farm was a big plantation that has reverted to the wild for over one hundred years.

BUTTERFLIES

*Mourning Cloak (spotted along trail) lives through the winter. Will utilize a butterfly house. This is the longest-lived butterfly. It lives on sap in wooded areas.

*Tiger Swallowtail (spotted along trail)

*Orange tip Butterfly (Check BF book)

Comma Butterfly and Question Mark Butterfly. These are woodland butter-flies that feed on sap and rotten fruit.

*Small White Butterfly (cabbage?)

REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS & SUCH The low background trill we hear as we begin walking is the American Toad, a woodland species. There are 10 species in this area, including the Southern Leopard Frog, the Pickerel Frog, and the Narrow-mouth Toad, and the Fowles Toad. The American Toad and Fowles Toad sing in low trills every spring, after breeding in February. There’s also a Cricket Frog.

The *Burrowing Crawfish digs a hole in the ground to try to reach water. It needs water, but finds it by burrowing. We found its hole and its shell. The hole is surrounded by a rounded ridge of mud.

The Spotted Salamander is charcoal gray with golden spots. It is nocturnal, lives in burrows (in swampy places) and can live up to 20 years (I saw one at the Natural History Museum, and it is magical). It is looks like the night sky, covered with stars. Its one of my very favorite native creatures). We saw its *tadpoles swimming around in a pond.  They only breed in ponds that have no fish (a very wise strategy)!

*Red Worms and Red-bellied Snakes live in the stagnant pond.

Also, *mosquito fish (guppies).

Snakes at Mason Farm: *Little Brown Snake (eats earthworms), Ring-necked Snake (eats worms and insects), Red-bellied Water Snake, Rough Green Snake, *Black Rat Snake, and Queen Snake. We saw a *Little Brown Snake on the trail (very cute), and a *Black Rat Snake in a tree (big and yucky-looking, but very mild-mannered).

BTW, an indicator of the COPPERHEAD is its wedge-shaped head. Another poisonous reptile is the Eastern Newt.

The Snapping Turtle has a big, diamond-shaped head. It’s very hideous and dangerous. They live a long time and get huge.

There’s also a small Yellow-backed Box Turtle.

The stagnant red pond is like an oak tea, a specialized mini-habitat. Oak leaves fall into the shallow depression, it fills with water when it rains, then the sun heats the water and the leaves release tannic acid. These ponds are always a reddish-brown  

BIRDS

*Hawks in this area:

• Red-tailed
• Sharp-shinned
• Cooper’s Broad-winged 
• Red-shouldered

Other birds:

• Red-eyed Vireos Common Yellowthroat (Check in bird book).
• Pine Warbler
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• *Canada Goose – we spotted and heard them overhead
• Rufous-sided Towhee (call sounds like “Drink your tea”)
• *Bluebird mating couple—spotted at bluebird house!!!
• Carolina Wren
• *Red-tailed Hawk mating display
• Downy Woodpecker
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in winter.
• Great Horned Owl, Barn Owl, Screech Owl
• Cowbird
• Red-Headed Woodpeckers live in the dead trees above the Beaver Pond and catch flies. *Blue JayMason Farm is used for mapping bird breeding patterns.

MAMMALS

The large nests seen in small trees are built by the White-throated Golden Mouse. (The Great Horned Owl preys on them).

Deer.  We saw their tracks, elongated oval depressions in the mud. 

Bobcats

Flying Squirrels

Beavers  Almost all the beavers in the area were killed off in the early 1900s. They were reinstated 20 years ago and have made a great comeback. They’re everywhere in the Triangle.

The *Black Rat Snake lives in the Beaver Pond area.

WILDFLOWERS & INTRODUCED PLANTS

The ubiquitous R. multiflora. Invasive, but good wildlife shelter and food source. Escaped cultivation as rose rootstock.

Bluet/Houstonia. Tiny flowers near the ground. Four petals at right angles. Each is a blunted oval shape with a light lavender shading at the tip. Yellow center.                      

Rattlesnake Plantain

Spring Beauty/Claytonia Wood Violet

Anderson’s Moss

Dandelion

OTHER INSECTS

Ants,Mosquitoes, Bumblebees, Paper Wasps, Beetles

TREES AND SHRUBS

Southern Shagbark Hickory

Native Persimmon tree

Winged Elm (in the dybase area next to a stream) is a smallish tree with corky wings on all its branches. Like the Burning Bush. The Sweet Gum tree is the same way. 

Central North Carolina — the Triangle — is replete with programs, housings and resources for senior citizens. Here are a sampling of them:  

Orange County Department on Aging
http://www.co.orange.nc.us/aging/index.asp

 Orange County Senior Resources Guide
http://www.co.orange.nc.us/aging/documents/eldercare.pdf

 Senior Citizens Resource
http://www.ibiblio.org/cheryb/women/local-res/senior.html

Coordinating Council for Senior Citizens (Durham)
807 South Duke St.
Durham, NC   27701
(919) 688-8247

Neighborhood Advisor’s Project (Durham)
504 West Chapel Hill St.
Durham, NC   27514
(919) 688-2062

New Generations (Chapel Hill)
Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation
200 Plant Rd.
Chapel Hill, NC   27514
(919) 968-2784

Older Women’s League - Triangle Chapter
1314 Crabapple Le.
Raleigh, NC   27607
(919) 787-5012

Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)
Orange County Department on Aging
410 Caldwell St.
Chapel Hill, NC   27516
(919) 968-4478/732-8181

Wake County Council on Aging
Senior Center
401 East Whitaker Mill Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27608
(919) 872-7933

Seniors Guide (magazine)
PO Box 4130
Midlothian, VA 23112
804-674-5004   866-774-8433
www.SeniorsGuideOnline.com

Orange County Senior Centers

The Seymour Center
2551 Homestead Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Phone: (919) 968-2070

Mon-Thurs 8:00 AM-9:30 PM
Fri 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Sat 8:30 AM-2:00 PM
Closed Sunday

Central Orange Senior Center
515 Meadowland Dr.,
Hillsborough, NC 27278                                       
Phone: (919) 245-2015

                                                                                                                              
Efland-Cheeks Community Center
117 Richmond Road, Mebane, NC 27302
Phone: (919) 563-6358, 9:00 AM-1:00 PM,
Phone: (919) 245-2021, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM

Northern Orange Human Services Center
5800 Highway 86 North
Cedar Grove, NC 27231
Phone: (919) 732-8194, 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
Phone: (919) 245-2021, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM

Compiled by Rhea Worrell, Marketing Specialist, The Judy Weinstock Team 
 

Spring is gardening time. The article below is very useful if you are planning to install or upgrade your landscaping or flower beds. It’s posted at the North Carolina Botanic Garden website, http://ncbg.unc.edu

For more information, please stop by their Visitor Center or call 919-962-0522. The great news is that the Botanic Gardening has an ongoing plant sale, with many of the plants listed below!

Gardening for a Drought: North Carolina Native Plants to the Rescue! 

January 22, 2008
North Carolina’s abundant, diverse, and colorful native wildflowers will teach us many lessons, if we only listen. One of those lessons is that plant species differ in their tolerance to prolonged dry conditions. We can observe this when we notice the kinds of habitats where our native plants grow. For instance, the natural habitat of the Butterfly Milkweed—a beautiful orange wildflower—is dry prairies, fields, and roadsides. Drought-tolerant species presumably evolved in places and soils prone to drought.

Research and experience show that reducing demand for water is the first important step in water conservation. As local governments announce and enforce water restrictions, we invite you to think and plan for the upcoming spring gardening season with water conservation in mind.

Periods of drought are not uncommon during the growing season in the Piedmont, and could become more frequent and extensive in a period of climate change. But drought shouldn’t keep us out of our gardens! Gardens provide beauty, comfort, and sustenance to people, pollinators, and wildlife. That said, we may find that we need to do things a little differently, adopting sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in gardening, as we seek to do in other areas of our lives.

We can reduce the water needs of our gardens by using drought-tolerant plants (see below). But we can also adopt the following elements of good garden planning and landscaping:

• Plant in the spring and fall, giving plants a chance to get established and expand their root systems before the hottest weather and/or drought. <P>
• Water in the early morning or evening to avoid direct water loss via evaporation and preferably using alternative water sources, as discussed below. <P>
• Water slowly and by hand or with a soaker hose to avoid water interception by plant surfaces (a lot of water is lost this way when a sprinkler is used). Hand watering allows for closer monitoring of plants and their needs and is a very efficient method of water delivery. <P>
• Water deeply to encourage deep healthy root systems. When plants are watered shallowly, their roots develop near the soil surface. Since this zone dries out more quickly, these plants will require more frequent watering to maintain their health. <P>
• Apply mulch to help keep roots cool and moist once your plant beds are damp. <P>
• Seek better sources of water. One alternative is to store and use rainwater in rain barrels around your home. The North Carolina Botanical Garden is constructing a new Visitor Education Center and will use large cisterns to grow a garden using only water that falls on the site (this will also reduce impacts of runoff to nearby streams). Some other sources to explore are air conditioner condensation, water from the dehumidifier, water captured while waiting for the shower to warm, or water collected from hand dishwashing.  <P><P>

In view of North Carolina’s continued and exceptional drought [note: drought severity has decreased since the writing of the article], the North Carolina Botanical Garden at the
University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill has developed a list of recommended drought-tolerant plants. Listed below are some plants that are known to do well in the Piedmont. Many of these need garden beds that are well-drained in the best of times; they should do well with little rain and minimal watering.

Elsewhere on this website you will find more information about native plants for your garden as well as recommended sources of native plants. And be sure to check out our daily plant sale (March-October), seed catalog, and landscaping/gardening workshops.

A few of these native plants may require additional sleuthing to find in the nursery trade, but please don’t be discouraged—we believe that more and more people are listening to what our native wildflowers have to tell us.

Good Drought-Tolerant North Carolina Wildflowers

Climbing Aster (Ampelaster carolinianus)—a climbing aster with lilac-colored flowers from mid-October through November
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)—orange flowers; nectar and food plant for the monarch butterfly
Carolina Wild Indigo (Baptisia cinerea)—yellow flowers
Baptisia hybrids—various colors, from blue to white
Maryland Golden-aster (Chrysopsis mariana)—many cheerful yellow flowers
American-dittany (Cunila origanoides)—blue flowers
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)—as the name says, purple flowers; butterflies love this long-blooming perennial
Northern Rattlesnake-master (Eryngium yuccifolium)—stiff foliage and white flowers in spherical, thistle-like heads
Heart’s-a-bustin’ (Euonymous americanus)—inconspicuous flowers but the unusual pink fruit capsule, resembling a strawberry, opens up in fall to reveal large orange seeds
Purple-disk Sunflower (Helianthus atrorubens)—yellow flower heads with purple center
Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)—single, terminal, yellow flower head
Stiff-leaf aster (Ionactis linariifolius)—small composite flowers; pale blue-purple “petals” around a yellow-orange disk
Scaly Blazing-star (Liatris spicata)—magenta-purple flowers clustered along a slender stem
Carolina Lily (Lilium michauxii)—showy orange flowers
Eastern False-aloe (Manfreda virginica)—succulent with pale yellow-green flowers; sometimes sold as Agave virginica
Southern Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa)—clear yellow flowers; attractive evergreen rosette
Eastern Prickly-pear (Opuntia humifusa)—a native cactus with yellow flowers
Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium)—white flowers
Downy Phlox (Phlox pilosa)—pink flowers
Narrowleaf Silkgrass (Pityopsis graminifolia)—not a grass but a member of the aster family; has a tendency to spread on well-drained soils
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)—large yellow flower (actually a flower head) with dark-brown central disk; short lived perennial that re-seeds
Starry Rosinweed (Silphium asteriscus var. laevicaule)—tall plant with bright yellow composite flowers
Anise-scented Goldenrod (Solidago odora)—leaves are anise-scented when crushed; bright yellow flowers
Eastern Silvery American-aster (Symphyotrichum concolor) —pinkish-purple composite flowers
Large-flower American-aster (Symphyotrichum grandiflorum)—light to reddish-purple composite flowers with yellow to reddish yellow disk
Hairy-stem Spiderwort (Tradescantia hirsuticaulis)—bluish-purple flowers
Adam’s Needle (Yucca filamentosa)—margins of the clumped, evergreen, straplike leaves sport curly “filaments”; waxy white flowers on a tall stem emerging from the center of the clump

Good Drought-tolerant North Carolina Grasses

Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)—a grass with foliage that changes from blue-green, to green, to red, to bronze with lavender tones through the seasons
Hairgrass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)—a clump-forming grass with flower/seed heads that turn pink to purplish-red later in the season
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum and its cultivars)—ornamental, clump-forming grass
Indian-grass (Sorghastrum nutans)—light-brown flower panicles with yellow stamens rise well above the foliage in late summer; blue-green leaves turn golden yellow in fall

Good Drought-tolerant North Carolina Shrubs

New Jersey-tea (Ceanothus americanus)—small shrub with panicles of small white flowers; deep-purple fruit in fall
Shrubby St. John’s-wort (Hypericum prolificum)—compact deciduous shrub with bright yellow flowers
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)—fragrant clusters of creamy white flowers; late-season red foliage
Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica)—tall deciduous shrub with glossy green foliage in summer and spectacular color in fall
Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)—white, bell-like flowers and edible fruit! 

You have heard it a hundred times. In gathering information about a closing, you ask either the real estate broker or the owner about whether you should obtain a survey. Their response: “My broker told me I do not have to have a survey. The title insurance company will cover it. ” To assist in lowering costs, the practice of providing lender’s coverage without a new survey was developed in residential transactions. In the absence of a current survey, the customary practice is to issue the loan policy without a survey exception. And now this has expanded into commercial properties (under $5 million) as well! But the owner will not be covered, even in those situations where the lender might be!

The owner’s policy contains an exception for easements, setbacks and other matters which would have been shown on a survey. Below are a few examples of situations that arise all too often where the owner really needed a survey, for title insurance and other reasons! In many of these cases, the lender could have avoided delinquencies and other problems if they, too, had obtained an actual survey to identify problems at or before closing.

 1. Access: Does the owner have “reasonable,” “legal” or any right of access at all? Is thisclear from the public record? Is the physical access within this legal access? Someexamples: The driveway is actually across the property line on the neighbor’s property orin an exclusive right-of-way for the benefit of an unfriendly neighbor. Physical access isover a private road, even though they abut a public road, and no one is sure who isresponsible for maintenance of the private road, if anyone. Does your owner need a searchof and title insurance coverage for a critical appurtenant easement? Is the access actuallylocated in (but not recorded in the Registry of) the adjoining county? (NOTE: Physicalaccess used may not be the same as the “legal” or “reasonable” access covered by a titlepolicy.)

2. Acreage: Was actual acreage important to your owner in determining the value of theproperty? Will the sale violate a subdivision ordinance? Loss through an acreagediscrepancy of even one acre of land to be developed for an office park may have seriousfinancial ramifications for your client’s development plan!

3. Waterfront? Does the property extend to the lake’s high water mark or is it just lakeview?. Have creeks moved, rivers or beaches eroded? Is there any filled area? Or are thereareas that have been excavated (for a boat dock, for example) placing the areas outsidethe lot’s boundary which the plat sets at an elevation and not a location (common onpower company lakes)? Is the lot even above water?

4. Utilities: Electrical, sewer or other rights-of-way, either underground or currentlyunderutilized, whose location or size would be clearly apparent on a survey, may inhibit or

prevent contemplated construction or replacement of improvements on the property.

Wells or septic fields may be located on other nearby properties, for which appurtenanceconveyances, easements and maintenance agreements may be needed to protect yourbuyer.

5. Road rights-of-way: Where are your improvements in relation to the actual state- orcity-claimed right-of-way, including gas pumps, signs, needed parking areas?

6. Setbacks, buffers: Can you identify and protect your buyer with regard to any violations?

7. Governmental exclusions: Illegal subdivisions, revised flood zones, street widenings orother governmental matters not covered by a title insurance policy may be shown or madeapparent on a survey. New sidewalks or sewer lines (indicating potential assessments notyet billed) may be indicated.

8. Boundary lines: Remember the rules of construction. Abutters’ claimed boundaries are a“permanent monument” with clear priority over metes and bounds. Do your owner’sexpectations match these presumptions? Is it even the same “dirt” your owner thinks they are buying? Are the parties contracting for one rental home, where the old legal description into the seller actually included two homes?

9. Wrong property altogether! The owner has good title to (and a good title policycoverage on) Lot 1 of Happy Homes Subdivision. Unfortunately the house they thoughtthey bought was on Lot 2. And by the time this was determined, Lot 2’s title was in chaosafter intestate decedents’ estates, minor heirs and foreclosures had intervened.

10. Old improvements: Existing building in a very old subdivision was substantiallydestroyed by casualty. It could not be rebuilt in compliance with current zoning ordinancewithout seeking (and obtaining) a variance, the outcome of which is uncertain.

11. Old plats: One of last undeveloped lots in a 1920’s subdivision was purchased (withoutsurvey). Several years later when the owners planned to begin construction, a new surveyusing new technology reflected the remaining lot area to be 10% less than originallythought, causing serious revision of the building plans and substantial cost.

12. Encroachments by others: A neighbor’s stone wall cuts off 10’ strip from the side of theowner’s property. Or an old driveway still in use for access to mobile home in the woodsactually crossed rear portion of lot in new upscale neighborhood. (FYI: Trespass is not atitle issue, but a tort!)

13. Encroachments by your owner: New owner of adjoining property demands removal offence encroaching onto their property.

14. Improvements: Is this a mobile home, requiring verification of title cancellation,permanent foundation, property tax listing, etc.? Is there evidence of recent constructionwhich might indicate a risk of mechanics’ liens arising post-closing?

15. Marketability and re-sale: Maybe your owner does not care, but the next personpurchasing from them may care enough to back out of the contract or at least delay theclosing until a matter can be resolved – at your owner’s expense!

16. Liability: Most importantly, if the owner does not obtain their own survey, they have noprivity with the surveyor – and no claim against a surveyor for any inaccuracies in a priorsurvey.

The surveyor is a critical link between your legal assessment of title and the actual “dirt” your client believes they are purchasing. The surveyor can save you and your client untold misery in the future. Many of the above cases have also caused losses to lenders, due to delays in  foreclosures, joinder as necessary parties in lawsuits or disruptions in their borrowers’ desire to make payments pending resolution of problems, often not covered by their title policies because not purely title problems.

So, the next time your owner says “my broker told me . . .,” perhaps you’ll have a few more examples to add to your stock of advice to them! And maybe a Waiver of Survey Affidavit form such as the attached might be in order!  Happy Closings!

CHICAGO TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY - NORTH CAROLINA

Owners Need Surveys - Still!

or

The Risks To You and Your Client…

Reprint

CHICAGO BULL Volume 1, Edition 5http://www.northcarolina.ctt.com/bulletins/bull_owners_survey_print.html 11/9/2006 

26. The Mile-High Swinging Bridge near Linville is 5,305 feet above sea level. The bridge actually hangs about 80 feet above the ground.

27. High Point is known as the Furniture Capital of the World.

28. The acclaimed and long-running high-school drama Dawson’s Creek was filmed in Wilmington, NC

29. Pepsi-Cola was invented and first served in New Bern in 1898.

30. Beech Mountain is the highest town in the Eastern US at 5,506 feet above sea level.

31. Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States, was born in the Waxsaws area on the border of North and South Carolina.

32. Arnold Palmer, one of professional golf’s most renowned players, honed his skills on Wake Forest College’s championship golf team.

33. James K. Polk, born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, was the eleventh President of the United States.

34. Hiram Rhoades Revels, born in Fayetteville in 1822, was the first African-American Congressional representative.

35. Andrew Johnson started his career as a tailor’s apprentice in Raleigh, North Carolina, but ultimately became the seventeenth President of the United States.

36. Saluda, North Carolina is located at the top of the Saluda Grade, he crest of the steepest standard gauge mainline railroad in the United States.

37. The town of Wendell was named for the American jurist and writer, Oliver Wendell Holmes.

38. The Swiss and German settlement of New Bern was named in honor of Bern, Switzerland. “Bern” is the old Germanic word for Bear, the symbol of both cities.

39. North Carolina has the largest state-maintained highway system in the United States, with 77,400 miles of roads.

40. The oldest town in North Carolina is Bath, incorporated in 1705.

41. Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Fayetteville on March 7, 1914.

42. The nickname of Charlotte, North Carolina, is The Queen City.

43. Whitewater Falls in Transylvania County is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States.

44. Cape Hatteras is the largest lighthouse ever to be moved.

45. A North Carolina beach town named Kitty Hawk was the site of the first successful airplane flight

46. North Carolina residents are known as Tarheels, probably due to the abundance of pine needles and pine tar throughout the state.

47. Television icon Charles Kurault was born and raised in Wilmington.

48. A 1930s shell-shaped gas station, built in Winston-Salem by Quality Oil, is the lone survivor of eight. This landmark of kitsch architecture was formed from concrete, green wood, and wire.

49. Acclaimed author Thomas Wolfe was born in Asheville in 1900. His classic novels Look Homeward, Angel and You Can’t Go Home Again depicted scenes from his hometown.

50. Alleghany County, in the state’s northwest corner, was formed in 1859 and named after a Delaware Indian word for the Alleghany and Ohio rivers meaning “a fine stream.”

Compiled by Rhea Worrell, Marketing Specialist, The Judy Weinstock Team

By Rhea Worrell, Marketing Specialist, The Judy Weinstock Team

This promises to be lots of fun! The Emerson Waldorf Community and the General Public are all invited to attend this Saturday’s event. Details follow.   

The Emerson Waldorf School Benefit Auction and Spring Gala Dance

 When: Saturday, March 8^th at 7pm

Where: The Barn at Valhalla, 9423 Charles Lane, Chapel Hill 27516

Tickets: $25 per person in advance; $35 per person at the door. Ticket price includes music, dancing, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, non-alcoholic beverages and admission to the Silent and Live Auctions. Beer and wine available at a nominal charge.

 All proceeds to benefit the Emerson Waldorf School’s Annual Fund. 

Music will be provided by the lively, upbeat SALUDOS COMPAY band, who will take you on a musical tour of Latin America and the Caribbeans,  incorporating traditional, contemporary, and original compositions.

For advance ticket sale, directions or more info, call Leigh, (919) 929-7688 or events@emersonwaldorf.org             

Want more info?          

http://www.emersonwaldorf.org/                    

http://www.saludoscompay.com/                

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson_Waldorf_School

From their home page:

Chapel Hill’s Emerson Waldorf School has offered a unique atmosphere of intellectual, creative and practical excellence since 1984. We provide a developmentally-appropriate curriculum for Pre-K through Grade 12, fostering practical, artistic and academic skills, enthusiasm for learning, healthy self-awareness, and respect for other human beings and the world. 

An Emerson-Waldorf Education provides a developmentally-based curriculum, music and the arts for all students every day, a cross-disciplinary approach with block schedules, academic excellence without high-stakes testing and multi-sensory and experiential learning.        

Life is good. We’re growing by leaps and bounds. In addition to our core group of four team members, we’ve added to our coterie a transaction coordinator, a part-time admin, and a pro photographer.

Watch this space for upcoming interviews with our valued team members!

 What follows are websites that great launching pads for your quest to learn more about green (i.e., sustainable) home building. While these organizations are not all headquartered in the Triangle, they can all provide links and referrals to local groups and builders, and to lots of great info. Oh, and don’t forget to check the Raleigh Craigslist and Meetup.com for local events and meetings…

The time is now!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

www.wncgbc.org

Western North Carolina Green Building Council

www.seexpo.com

Southern Energy and Environmental Expo

www.ncsustainableenergy.org

NC Sustainable Energy Association / NC Green Building and Solar Tour

http://www.sbicouncil.org

Sustainable Buildings Industry Council

http://www.mountainx.com/greenbuilding

The Green Building Directory

http://chapters.usgbc.org/nctriangle/

US Green Building Council – Triangle chapter

http://www.ncgreenbuilding.org 

NC Green Building Tech Database

http://southface.org

Responsible Solutions for Environmental Living

Compiled by Rhea Worrell, Marketing Specialist, The Judy Weinstock Team. Watch this site for more information about our renowned sustainable communities and green builders!

 By Rhea Worrell, Marketing Specialist, The Judy Weinstock Team 

Enhance the chi (energy flow) of your home — especially in the front of the house. If you are a seller, it will make your home appealing. This is often shorthanded into the term “curb appeal” 

If you are buying, your first visit to the home is significant. Write down anything and everything you observe: wildlife, events, neighbors, weather. Check out the energy and spirit of the neighbors (your house should be the same size or larger than others in the neighbor, or buyers will feel dominated). Be aware of the feeling of the neighborhood. Hills or elevations should be behind the house, not in front of house, which would block good chi from entering.

Natural features are all beneficial: rock outcroppings, special landscaping, native trees and plants, wildlife, and enlightened garden design. 

A red or gold front door is favorable. A red or gold front door sets the tone for energy and success. Why not try bright brass fittings, fixtures and kickplate?

The front door and surrounding area should be open and bright. Clean and paint and embellish, adding a mirror or bright metal decor if the area is dark (e.g., a brass mailbox, doorknob, knocker or kickplate).   

There should be some form of water near the front door. Ponds, birdbaths, or fountains are great. Water features on property are very desirable as long as water does not flow under or toward the house or create a moisture, mold or mildew problem. Fountains, streams, ponds, lakes, or even birdbaths are wonderful additions to the property. Water should be clean, not muddy or polluted, and should flow around or away from house.< font size=”2″> 

What you see when you walk in the front door is very important. On the far left, have a symbol of prosperity such as a goldfish bowl or other positive décor item embodying nature or happiness. I have used a goldfish paperweight (goldfish are a traditional symbol of prosperity), small red and gold art pieces (the colors of energy and wealth), candles and lucky cats (maneki neko) for this purpose. Brass candlesticks or votives and gold-framed mirrors would look great.

Symbols of prosperity can be just inside the front door. Three legged frogs are a traditional symbol of wealth but they are not to everyone’s taste. Coin-shaped objects, metal décor items or mirrors are helpful. Try keeping change in a metal box near the front door.  

(Optional) Keep evil spirits from house with menacing-looking statuary. Fu Dogs or lions are good sentries – inside or outside the front door at the end of a driveway or next to a gate. Put all your angular and spiky shrubs in these areas here (cactus, hawthorn, mahonia, holly). This will ensure that only those people with good purpose will come to your home. 

In your yard and garden, be conscious of the flow of nature. Life is to be cherished. Wildlife in and around the yard is always positive. Avoid deadly chemicals that kill insects and pests. Use natural alternatives.  

Try to avoid straight lines in the garden, and stick to natural materials. Integrate wood (garden structures, outdoor furniture, woody plants), earth (stone, gravel, brick), water features, metal (lawn furniture, structures, yard art) in a harmonious manner. Banners and windchimes encourage chi.  

General Indoor Practices: Avoid dark corners (by using candles, reflective surfaces, mirrors). Sufficient lighting is very important. 

Never allow dripping faucets or water leaks anywhere, and no bathrooms or bedrooms near the front door.  

Avoid all toxins: observe and research for their presence and remove them. The idea is to enhance life, not destroy it.   

In general, a home that is bright, clean, neat and full of life-affirming natural décor and positive images with good storage and traffic patterns has good Feng Shui.

The action came fast and furious last week, which was to be expected given the surfeit of news and data. Leading the charge was the Federal Reserve, which did what most pundits expected by lowering the fed funds rate another 50 basis points to 3.0%.

Fear of recession is the primary reason the Fed has been slashing the fed funds rate over the past two weeks, and the fear is well-grounded: Gross domestic product grew at a 0.6% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2007, a palpable slowdown from the 4.9% pace in the previous quarter.

The slowdown provided the Fed with the fodder for its aggressive response, which had been criticized by some observers as an overreaction to volatile markets. Additional support for aggressive action was supplied by Friday’s employment report, which showed that non-farm payrolls fell 17,000 in January, the first drop since August 2003.

Gains in health care, retail trade and leisure were offset by declines in manufacturing, construction and financial services. Of course declines in manufacturing, construction and financial services are tied to declines in new-home sales, which decreased 4.7% to an annual pace of 604,000 in December, the fewest since February 1995, and followed a 634,000 rate the prior month.

For the year, sales dropped 26%, the most since records began in 1963, while the median price of a new home fell to $219,200 in December from $244,700 a year earlier.

Thanks to Rob Johnson for submitting this article. Rob is a lender with Carolina Home Mortgage  Call him at 919 869 8218 or rob@carolinahomemortgage.com

 By Rhea Worrell, Marketing Specialist, The Judy Weinstock Team 

In the crush of daily marketing, we use the name Judy over and over again. It’s a good name, and a very popular name, but the constant use (along with caffeine) gets one to thinking not only of Judy Weinstock and JudyWeinstock.com, but of other Judys as well. While See Judy is a phrase we use a lot in our marketing (1-888-SEEJUDY and wwwSEEJUDY.com), it also reminds us of the dictionary parlance, See Judy, which means that there are additional entries to check out! While there are several biblical, literary and historical references to Judith, we will look at the modern incarnations of Judy instead.

Here are some must-visit sites you should check out before picking up a hammer.

This Old House http://www.thisoldhouse.com/  

This very comprehensive site includes info on planning and new ideas for every room in your house & outdoor spaces, how-tos & repair details, tools & product lists, discussion forums, newsfeed, newsletter and video feeds.  

The Old House Web http://www.oldhouseweb.com/ 

Descriptions and reviews of 2000 home renovation products, a guide to suppliers nationwide, 22 categories of how-to topics, with 33 how-to special topics, a multitude of feature stories, garden and design ideas and shopping areas.
 

TIP: According to Coral Nafie, About.com’s Interior Decorating Guide, the 5 Top Home Improvements that help sell a home are removing clutter & excess furniture, sprucing up the front door & entry area, removing dated or substandard window treatments and replacing them with simple shutters or blinds, installing closet organizers so they will look tidy, and removing any stained or old carpeting.

Do It Yourself!  http://www.doityourself.com/  

The leading independent do-it-yourself site has forums, shopping guides, how-to advice, product info and Q&A.

Home and Garden TV