Wine events coming up in Charlotte

• The Wine Goddess wine classes start Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Wine Shop Dilworth, 2442 Park Road. The goddess of the title is Leslie Franklin and the classes are designed to work for wine beginners as well as for more experienced wine fans. To make sure the classes are right for you, the first one, Feb. 5, is free. Classes are 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through March 12 and they cost $25 each or $20  if you pay for three in advance. Seating is limited; registration is required. Call 704-377-5373.
• The Wine Vault's Founders Hall wine tastings return Tuesday, Feb. 5, with a $25 tasting that covers 21 Big, Rich Reds at Aria. In addition, Aria will offer a three-course $30 menu and waive corkage fees for wines you buy at the tasting. Free valet parking on College Street. Call 704-548-9463 to sign up.

N.C. apple crop took a whopping hit

Early predictions in August that North Carolina had lost 80 percent of the apple crop  turned out to be pretty close to the final number. A report released Jan. 25 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found  that our state's apple losses were huge, at 76% of the crop.

Total production was 33.5 million pounds, down from 140 million pounds in 2011. Put another way: The 2011 average was 20,300 pounds per acre and 2012's number was 5,000 pounds per acre.

The apple loss was caused by a warm winter and a sudden spring freeze. And the losses were hard to predict early on. Because of the peaks and valleys in our apple-growing sections of the mountains and the way cold air moves around them, some farms lost everything while others kept most of their crop.

It was a dark spot in an otherwise good agricultural year in N.C. A few more numbers on 2012:

• Strawberry production was up 4 percent from 2011, with a value of $29.4 million, up about $2 million.
• Blueberry production was up 9 percent, to 40.5 million pounds, valued at $71 million.
• Peaches stayed the same, at 5,300 tons, although the value of that crop increased 21 percent, to $6.2 million.
• The peanut yield was a record 4,100 pounds per acre. Total production was nearly 435 million pounds, up 49%.
• Those all-important sweet potatoes, one of N.C.'s best crops, matched the 2011 yield of 200 hundredweight per acre, even though the total was down 3 percent because farmers planted 2,000 fewer acres than 2011.

Charlotte Wine & Food time already?

No, it isn't quite a Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend year yet. The next festival doesn't happen until April 23-26, 2014. But it takes a lot of work to pull it together, which is why they hold the official kickoff a year in advance. 

So: Tickets go on sale Feb. 7 for the April 20 kickoff for the April 2014 festival. Got that? 

The kickoff party is from 6:30 to 11 p.m. at Founders Hall, 100 N. Tryon St., with the theme "Motown @ Uptown." There's food from Aria Tuscan Grill, wine (a lot of wine), live and silent auction items and dancing. $250 includes a VIP dinner beforehand at Aria, $125 gets you the party and free parking. And there's a new  ticket level, called Young Aficionados, that's $75 for ages 21-35 for just the party. 

Four charities are beneficiaries of the 2013-14 "season of fundraising" events: A Child's Place Homeless Student Initiatives, Council for Children's Rights Services for Abused and Neglected Children, Pat's Place Family Advocacy Program, and Second Harvest's Backpack Project for kids.

Tickets will be available starting Feb. 7 at www.charlotteinweandfood.org.

  

One Great . . . wild rice salad

Like most of us these days, I'm trying to stay on track on my resolution promises: Eat more whole grains, keep it healthy and save a little money while I'm at it.

Packing lunch most workdays helps with the money part. It's tough finding something uptown that's under $10 by the time you add in beverage and tip. And since so much of what's available around my office is fried or cheesed, packing is healthier too.

Wild rice takes longer to cook than white rice. (Yes, I know - wild rice isn't actually a rice, it's a wild grain.) But once it's cooked, you can add a few things to it and get a tasty lunch with lots of flavor and texture. It's good cold, so it's easy to pack it along, and you can round it out with a piece of fruit or something meat-like if you must.

For this recipe, you don't want the wild rice and long grain mixes you find in many supermarkets. You want real wild rice. You can usually find it at Trader Joe's, or look in the bulk bins at health-focused supermarkets.  This makes about 3 servings, enough to take for a couple of lunches. Or you can double it for 6 servings.  

Nutty Wild Rice Salad

Adapted from "The Silver Palate Cookbook," by Sheila Lukins and Julee Rus

1/2 cup raw wild rice, rinsed
4 cups chicken stock (or half stock and half water)
1/2 cup shelled pecan halves, or chopped pecans
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 to 3 green onions, diced (white and some of the green part)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste

PLACE  the wild rice in a mediium saucepan with the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking about 15 minutes, until the grains taste tender and the liquid is mostly gone. (Add more stock or water if it starts to cook dry.)
ADD the remaining ingredients and toss to mix well. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

YIELD: 3 to 4 servings.

Winter farmer's market plans: Closing and postponements

Farmers drive into the local-food markets around Charlotte from west, east, north and south, and they're usually driving very early, when the weather is the coldest. On top of that. nasty weather on a Friday can sometimes make it tough to pick fresh for Saturday. So here's what I've heard so far about market plans for the icy weekend:

• The Matthews Community Farmers Market will be closed Saturday. They'll open Feb. 2 instead. 
• The Atherton Market has postponed the Friday afternoon class on Bone Broth until next Friday. But the market is open today although it may close early. It will be open Saturday but may open an hour later. Manager Lynn Caldwell says she'll put an update on the market's Facebook page as soon as she hears what farmers want to do, so check there before you head out in the morning. 
• The Charlotte Regional Farmers Market is open on Friday as usual and plans to be open Saturday. Manager Arlene Haigler says she's planning to stay overnight, rather than drive in from Union County, just to make sure. "Right now, we're going to try to open. Now, that could change." If you need to check, call her office at 704-357-1269.  
• The Davidson Market is normally closed this weekend on its winter schedule. 

If you hear anything more about market schedules, email me at kpurvis@charlotteobserver.com, or give me a call at 704-358-5236.

How about a whole month of beer?

I knew craft and microbrew beer was officially huge in North Carolina. Now it's apparently gotten so large  that it will take a month to hold it.

The N.C. Division of Tourism has announced that April will be N.C. Beer Month. The idea is that special restaurant menus, beer pairings, beer-themed cooking classes, educational seminars, hotel and tour packages and festivals will go on all over the state during that month.

Expect things like a "Beer City" weekend package at the Aloft in downtown Asheville, a Beer Lovers Weekend special at the O. Henry in Greensboro and the 11th annual Hickory Hops Festival on April 20 in Hickory.

As the event calendar grows, you'll be able to find out more at www.ncbeermonth.com (you can sign up now for alerts).

With more than 70 breweries in the state now, our glass is foaming over.

Our State offers a year of N.C. barbecue

Can't get enough of North Carolina's barbecue culture? Our State magazine, based in Greensboro, started a new food section in the January issue: Carolina 'Cue. Each month in 2013, the magazine will feature a favorite N.C. barbecue restaurant.

The feature grew out of a 36-page article in September 2012 that featured 10 restaurants from "Bob Garner's Book of Barbecue" (John F. Blair, 2012).

Editor-in-chief Elizabeth Hudson said the magazine got so many questions along the lines of "why didn't you include my favorite?" that they decided to make it a year-long effort. (Ah, Elizabeth - I can relate.)

The first installment, in this month's issue, features Grady's Barbecue in Dudley, owned by Steve and Gerri Grady. The magazine is available for sale at newstands around the state.