A CELEBRATION OF PEPPERS, FARMERS, CHEFS AND ABUNDANCE

Photo: Jon Young/The Abundance Foundation

For the past six years The Abundance Foundation, a non-profit based in Pittsboro, has celebrated all things local and sustainable by putting on the Pepper Festival.

Featuring pepper-related cuisine – both savory and sweet – as well as spicy hot pepper beer from some of the region’s finest restaurants, cafes, bars and breweries – the event attracts a broad cross-section of the local foodie community. There’s music throughout the day – with this year’s bands being Big Fat Gap, Loamlands, and Steph Stewart & the Boyfriends. And there are interactive displays about local agriculture, renewable energy and more.

But this isn’t just about good times. And it’s not even really about peppers – although the genesis of the festival came from work that Doug Jones of Piedmont Biofarm was doing to develop a regionally distinctive pepper. At its heart, it’s about the role of local agriculture and a local, sustainable food system in adapting to the pressures of climate change.

Here’s how The Abundance Foundation’s Tami Schwerin describes the event:

Adaptation is a big thing for the Abundance Foundation. Our agricultural zone is becoming increasingly hot and increasingly arid. In order to preserve the fecundity of  our food shed we will need new breeds, and new varieties, and a new understanding of how adaptation occurs. Adaptation matters. Peppers matter.

The latest incarnation of the Festival is due to take place on October 6th at Briar Chapel in Chapel Hill. Full details, and more photos, below:

Kids 12 and Under Free:  Activities include Big Bubbles, Face painting, Garage Creative, Acrobats + More!
Energy Education, Food Non-profits….learn more about sustainable ag and renewable energy!

Tickets: $30 early and $35 at the door for endless local pepper foods, entertainment, and music.  CASH BAR for micro-brews and wine.

Photo: Trace Ramsey/The Abundance Foundation

Photo: Trace Ramsey/The Abundance Foundation