Touring Kinston, North Carolina
UPDATE: The blog for today will go up later, apologies for the delay! Please check back, and thank you for visiting.
Whenever I travel, I really like to spend some time exploring some of the local flavor. After touring the MasterBrand facility, we had a bit of time before we had to catch our next flight, which would take us to Sarasota, Florida. So, on our way to the airport, we made a few stops. Kevin happened to see a Piggly Wiggly grocery and he said they have the best T-shirts. Meanwhile, I asked our driver, Loren, to find us some good local food for us to take on the plane. He called Kings BBQ, which happened to be right next door to Piggly Wiggly. We also walked through Mother Earth Brewery and paid a visit to Parrot Brothers Farm & Garden before boarding the plane and enjoying our delicious lunch. More to come.
1 Here I am outside the Kinston Piggly Wiggly.
2 Kevin wanted to go there because he said they have the best T-shirts.
3 I, of course, checked out the magazine rack.
4 I was happy to see the March issue of my magazine prominently displayed.
5 Kevin catching up on gossip headlines
6 He was very happy with his purchase.
7 Next door, I had the pleasure of meeting Wilbur and Carolyn King, of King's BBQ.
8 Loren Edwards, our driver, called the restaurant and ordered some of their good, local cuisine for us, to go.
9 Driving back towards the airport, we came upon Mother Earth Brewery. Notice the solar panels on the rooftop.
10 Mother Earth Brewing is owned by Stephen Hill and Trent Mooring. Keeping true to its name, the brewery incorporates a number of green features.
11 This is a very sleek operation.
12 Aging barrels
13 A tap room
14 Local art work adorns the walls
15 An indoor seating area
16 A comfortable outdoor seating area
17 This overhead fan is another green feature.
18 This fan covers more area than nine small ceiling fans while using 66% less energy.
19 A view of the fermentation tanks from above
20 Commissioned artwork that is used on the beer bottles
21 Here is a roll of labels from their winter brew.
22 This painting appears on the beer called Sisters of the Moon.
23 And here are the actual 'sisters' who modeled for the painting.
24 Our next stop was Parrott Bros. Farm & Garden
25 Tommy, the owner
26 This store has been here for a long time and has a lot of great stuff.
27 Seeds galore
28 And penny candy
29 Peanuts, too!
30 Onion sets for planting
31 Bins of beans
32 Potatoes, of which I purchased many
33 More potatoes
34 Elbert helped me with some seeds.
35 I love The Old Farmer's Almanac!
36 A great assortment of farm-themed toys
37 My growing pile of purchases
38 I was interested in this vegetable planting guide.
39 A nice size ladle
40 Adorable little gnomes
41 A bin and scoop for coal
42 Love these John Deere pedal tractors
43 All kinds of replacement handles
44 Saying goodbye to Loren, our driver, who is actually a retired CEO and a very knowledgeable citizen of Kinston. He provided us with a wealth of information.
45 Back on the plane, I couldn't wait to dig into our great smelling lunch from King's BBQ.
46 Fried Chicken! Oh boy!
47 Taking off and holding down the food
Photos By Martha Stewart @marthastewart and Eliad Laskin @joemartha
Martha Pins
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Martha, I've said this before, but...you have more fun than anybody.
Before I forget, again, I wanted to tell you that I like the longer hair-do. Are you letting it grow? I hope so.
I was wondering, just the other day, if they still made Octagon Soap, and I guess they must. I remember Octagon, Lifebuoy(?), and Lava from my childhood. I still use Lava, but I don't think it is as harsh as it was way back then.
I really liked the tap room. It looks so relaxing and cool, but not cold.
Keep the pictures coming, pleae.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | March 7th, 2011 at 12:24 am
It was so great to see Piggley Wiggley again! We had one in our neighborhood growing up. It's been gone at least 30 years, so it was a real surprise to find out they are still thriving somewhere!! Thank you for sharing pictures of your trip Martha! Have a fun week!
Posted by: Joycelyn (peacetravelers.blogspot.com) | March 7th, 2011 at 12:35 am
I would absolutely love to run into you in our local grocery store!
How fun that would be. Come to my little town in Tennessee and I'll make sure you get the best tour ever! Have a great week!! xoxo
Posted by: Sandra | March 7th, 2011 at 1:46 am
I love your craft shows. I love crafting and watching your show gives me so many more things to do. keep up the good work
Posted by: Anita Braddock | March 7th, 2011 at 3:17 am
...holy moly, can anyone imagine going about your day at the local Piggly Wiggly and Martha Stewart walks by????...
Posted by: Monica | March 7th, 2011 at 6:23 am
Thank you Martha for letting me know about Mother Earth Brewery. I live in NC and have been to Kinston, but I have never visited the brewery. I hope you had a safe trip and enjoyed your visit.
Posted by: Viola Stuckey | March 7th, 2011 at 8:52 am
maybe if your posters did not find this excursion a novelty I mean this is real life in small/ mid sized American cities. This is what life was like for citizens before Supercenters marched into college towns across america. before mills closed their doors and went to overseas factories. The new markets with the disposable incomes are in china and india that is where the growing markets are and where the products will be imported form. cotton prices are increasing and my pants are made in Bangaladesh -- when those guys retire wait he was retired and he drives people around for fun?? wait how can you be retired and still work this word retired needs to be retired but i guess he does have a new set of wheels LOL
Posted by: kathleen | March 7th, 2011 at 9:20 am
If these people didn't get a "heads-up" that you were coming, I bet they were sure surprised. I sure would have been.
Posted by: Janette @ The 2 Seasons | March 7th, 2011 at 9:43 am
Not only does Big Ass fans make green products, they also support donkey rescues - another reason to love them.
I'm imagining the conversations all the staff at the Piggly Wiggly and the brewery and the hardware store had with their spouses the night of your visit..."Honey, you're not going to believe who walked into the store today..."
Posted by: the 7msn ranch | March 7th, 2011 at 10:12 am
Hi Martha, Whenever you post wonderful photos of any place that you visit, I love it because if I ever went there it would feel like I had been there because of the tour you take us on. I could take the posting on my iPad and have a terrific visit. These photos are superb and you and Kevin sure had a fun time visiting the different places in Kinston. The brewery reminds me of a tour I took years ago in Olympia, WA and of course the Piggly Wiggly was in Fife, WA years ago. The seed store was great also. What a fun visit! Waiting to see Martha Bakes on Hallmark this morning and all other TV Shows starting at 6PM tonight. On my way to visit The Daily Wag. Have a great day! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | March 7th, 2011 at 10:53 am
Hi Martha,
I have never understood why some celebrities are hesitant to visit stores the way you do. You’re one of the most well-known persons around the world and yet you visit a lot of different shops. No doubt you take people by surprise when they see you inside but I think most people are courteous enough to give you your privacy.
~
Thanks for all the fun pictures – I especially like the plaque for the fan in picture #18. No bones about it! I love to shop in places like Parrot Bros. Farm and Garden – those small establishments are great and it reminds me of one in a small town in Michigan where I lived. They seem to have everything you need for the garden but I stopped in my tracks when I saw all the farm toys in picture #36. I’d buy things like that for my son but he wouldn’t play with them so I would and especially the tractors. Of course I was just demonstrating how fun they were! Yeah, right!
~
I like that you can find so many things to do with a stop-over in a small town! I know you have found things here in Florida that I never knew existed. I have yet to visit that antique store in Palm Beach or maybe it’s West Palm Beach. Already I forgot! By the way, enjoy your luncheon at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday when you’ll receive the National Humanitarian Medal from the American Humane Association! That’s quite an honor - congrats! Trish
Posted by: Trish | March 7th, 2011 at 11:01 am
Martha, I'm sure you guys had an excellent time. The bar-b-que was good also I'm sure. I can't image running into you in our local grocery store, but what a surprise that would be. I would love to meet you again you seem like so much fun. Lovely picture of you guys holding down the food. Have a great day!
Posted by: KLBrown | March 7th, 2011 at 11:03 am
As a Kinstonian, let me say that we were thrilled that she is using a local business for her line of kitchen cabinets. We were doubly thrilled that she took the time to come see our little town!
Posted by: Anne Albritton | March 7th, 2011 at 11:46 am
Oh the pig! Such a southern staple....wish there was one in my neighborhood.
Posted by: Kate (Southern Belle Simple Blog) | March 7th, 2011 at 12:29 pm
I loved your pictures at the Piggly Wiggly! Thanks for helping out our small towns! I have consumed Mother Earth beer and it is great.
Posted by: Ashley | March 7th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
The little moments are not little
Posted by: ann | March 7th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Is there not a song that goes something like this "there's nothing finer than Carolina......"
Your two blogs on Kingston, North Carolina again make me so proud to be an American and that you make us proud with what your do and are.
Thanks so much.
Posted by: Margie | March 7th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
I couldn't believe the "Piggly Wiggly" store. My mother use to shop the "Piggly Wiggly" grocery here in central IL when I was just a very little girl. It closed down, but I suddently went back in time with my dear mom when I saw that first photo. I didn't even know it was still around !
"Mother Earth" brewry...would love to stop in there for a couple of samples and then on to Parrott Bros. What a gret trip.
MY FAVORITE PHOTO #46 WITH YOU AND FRIED CHICKEN. So fun
I adored your "Martha Bakes" show today with the lucious looking Angel Food Cakes and your show about meatballs too.
Thank you again Martha for all of the wonderful and entertaining programming you bring to us. It is just fabulous.
Posted by: Becky Kuchefski | March 7th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
Hi Ms. Stewart,
Your shopping at Piggly Wiggly made me hungry - that and it's dinner time! So I looked for the recipe card I clipped from my February 2011 issue Martha Stewart Living magazine - the one with the Chicken Pot Pie recipe that my ‘dear heart’ loved so much - and to my chagrin, I misplaced it! No problem, I thought - I'll find it online. But when I looked, I could not find that recipe online. Help! It's the best. It's unique. It's not online! (I knew you'd want to make it right!
a New York reader,
KW
Posted by: Kerren Willner | March 7th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Martha...loved this tour...especially the garden-related shop. A guy named Elbert...he is almost from a different era!! So fun to do all this and share it with us...so thanks...i am sure this small town was ever so excited to have you visit.
Posted by: sherey | March 7th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
O.K. I now miss working with FISCO Farm and Home Stores (thanks for the good memories)... and am having chicken and a beer for dinner. What a fun trip Martha and Kevin.
Posted by: Audrey | March 7th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Wish I had known that ya'll were going to be in North Carolina, I would of had a convoy of fans parading to New Bern from Fayetteville. A lot of us "southern folks" just love and watch you so much. We all have learned tons of info on various subjects. (especially the ones pretaining to foul and live stock especially the one about feeding veggies in the winter time for continuous egg laying. Told this one to my poultry club and a few members said that they have also done this with success. We all look forward to seeing you on Hallmark tomorrow! Larry Matthews, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Posted by: Larry Matthews | March 7th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
My grandfather, Jake Parrott, was the original owner of Parrott Brothers. As a child, we all looked forward to Saturday mornings as that was our special time to visit Nola and Papa at "the store". Those mornings were magical to us as we weighed seeds of every color, size and shape; anxiously waited for the baby chicks to arrive each Spring so we could play with them before they were sold for Easter; looked with great longing at the clear bags of orange slices and chocolate covered peanuts that only arrived in December and sat on the counter to be sold; listened to the stories that the customers stood around and told in their slow, Southern drawl - and all the while, feeling like we were royalty as my grandparents introduced us to everyone that entered the store as their granddaughter (or grandson) and had us shake their hand. This was all before large wholesale stores began to carry farm and garden supplies, when life was slower, and customers (otherwise knows as friends)never left Parrott Brothers without a smile.... and a pack of Nabs.
Posted by: Laura | March 7th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
I am a northern girl with a southern heart. My mother was born very near Kinston on a farm. We spent many summers there from where I was brought up and live now in Michigan. You can't beat King's B-B-Q. Believe it, or not, my mother's high school reunions have always been held there! The last one they had was the 75th reunion! I really loved reading this blog post!
Posted by: Martha Laviolette | March 7th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Parrot Brothers looks like such a fun store. I bet you made their day!
Posted by: bettijo @ Paging Supermom | March 7th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Martha,
Cornhuskers is the best stuff around for gardner's hands! But I'll bet you already know that.
Posted by: Susan Leach | March 7th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
I am going to have to visit Parrot's when I go see my brother in Goldsboro.....great toys for the Easter Bunny to bring my four year old and stuff for mom too! Might have to eat at King's...there is nothing like NC Barbeque! Thanks Martha!
Posted by: Sheila Martin | March 7th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Martha, thanks for coming to Kinston and shopping in some of our businesses. You have captured the hearts of Kinstonians. Hope you comes again and see more of our town. Maybe a visit to the Lenox Factory, the Farmer's Market or Moore's Family Farm would be aomething you would like to see.
Posted by: Jane Phillips | March 7th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
My son works at the Piggly Wiggly that you stopped in during your visit to Kinston. He just missed you, but the kids that were working were so impressed to see you in our little town. It was all over facebook before you could get out of the store. You picked some good local places to stop. Glad you enjoyed your visit!
Posted by: Dawn | March 7th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Thanks for coming to NC and most especially Kinston! I love that Piggly Wiggly, they have great fresh greens and good meats. I can also love their smoked meats, ham hocks,etc. Anyway-there are some fine folks there in Eastern NC, thanks Martha for putting Kinston back on the map!
Liz
Posted by: Liz | March 7th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
We had a Piggly Wiggly in Smithfield, NC. My mom would shop there and I would ride my bike there for being it was only blocks from our house. After I move away, it closed. Even though I wasn't there, it was kinda of sad, that the small town shops were fading away.
I bet folks were surprised by your visit and a memory they will never forget! Kings BBQ-- I've heard of it, but really don't know if I've ever been there.
Posted by: Marianna | March 7th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Martha,
I wanted to let you know I am watching the show with Emeral about Emeral's steaks and I heard you say you always forget how to get cross hatches on your steak. The secret I learned is just like driving a car. If you start them at 10 o'clock on the grill and then after say 3 min turn to 2 o'clock and cook another 3 min then flip to the other side at 10 o'clock for 3 min and then turn to 2 o'clock and you will always get PERFECT cross hatches.. so just remember its just like driving 10 and 2 lol...I hope this help you since you have helped me so much on cooking information I think this is a GREAT way to tell people how to get those perfect crosses on their meat. I LOVE YOU and am one of your biggest fans..
Kenneth Bagley
Posted by: Kenneth Bagley | March 7th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
My grandmother, who grew up in Kinston (she left in her 20's) would order King's BBQ pork and have in shipped to Washington state whenever family visited. Best pork bbq!
Posted by: Ann | March 8th, 2011 at 1:45 am
When travelling I love browsing local flavor too, it where you really get to know a place... Thanks for sharing again Martha... By the way, I was wondering what shoes you were wearing for this travel, seem so comfy!
Posted by: FunkySteph | March 8th, 2011 at 4:57 am
What a wonderful tribute to our small southern town Martha, you did us good! My daughter and I relocated to Kinston from Atlanta to restore an historic home. Wish you'd had time to visit Historic Mitchelltown as you would have loved visiting some of these beautiful old homes.
Posted by: Jane G. Gaston | March 8th, 2011 at 9:13 am
I grew up in Kinston NC but now live in AZ and had a blast looking at these pics! Parrot Bros looks just like I remember it as a child. I was in 1st grade with your driver, Loren!
Posted by: Katherine | March 8th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Martha-I love watching your show as well as your blog. I took a great interest in your wildlife expert (baby lion cub, baby leopard, etc) on recently. I was wondering if you would ever consider talking, showing a wildlife refuge for tigers, lions, lepoards, bears, etc.? These places exist because some people think it's ok to own a wild animal as a pet. I recently visited a wonderful one in Colorado--The Wild Animal Sanctuary--WildAnimalSantuary.Org. These places deserve a lot of credit and can also use donations to cover their tremendous costs. I'm a animal lover/rescuer myself, but I stick to dogs and cats. Thanks for your time and everything you do! Carol Ainsworth
Posted by: carol ainsworth | March 8th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Hi, Martha: Hopefully, you had time to get to neighboring Greenville, NC to visit B's BBQ. It is the best BBQ in the state (if you like vinegar based sauces). If not, you should try to get there. They sell out daily. They are located at 751 Bs Barbecue Road
Greenville, NC 27834; (252) 758-7126
Hi, Gloria G: If you know someone that lives close to a Food Lion store, they have Octagon Soap. I just saw it yesterday in my local Food Lion.
Posted by: Karen C. | March 8th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Hi Martha, I couldn't believe it when I saw you had been through Kinston! My family lived there until I was 13 years old (a long time ago)! I have only ever been back one time and that was before the flood. I missed it so much, seeing your pictures. I remember getting BBQ on Friday nights, shopping at the Piggly-Wiggly, and even the Parrot Hardware store, where my mother always went to get seeds and onion sets in the spring. Thanks for the trip "back home"! It has been too long!
Posted by: Theresa Kehrer | March 8th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
We love Piggly Wiggly and Kings BBQ!!!! So nice to see you taking time to come to Kinston, NC. There are still small towns with local Piggly Wiggly's and we are so blessed to have them. They are owned by local people who live here in our neighborhoods. They give back to their communities. They know your name and who your kids are. We expected to see Opie one day, not THE "Martha Stewart". How awesome!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Lisa Matthews | March 9th, 2011 at 9:32 am
So glad you enjoyed your visit !!! We enjoyed having you .. there are numerous "spots" that you will LOVE in Lenoir County & Kinston, that all have our distinctive Southern flair. I look forward to your next visit to Masterbrand. Please stop by the Kinston-Lenoir County Visitor's Center and we will personally give you a tour !!!!! Thanks for choosing Masterbrand ... you'll not be disappointed !!!! They are GREAT to work with !!
Posted by: Lucy Marston | March 9th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Martha, is MasterBrand making the Martha Stewart Cabinets for Home Depot?
Posted by: Lisa Mende | March 9th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Sorry I missed you when you visited the local Piggy Iggy as my little one says. My family lives about 10 min from there. We frequent the grocery and Kings quite often.
Posted by: Kim Humphrey | April 10th, 2011 at 1:18 pm