Gift Guide: Winston-Salem jams, cookies and more

In the latest edition of "Our Favorite Local Gifts," Out and About takes a look at several sweet treats from Winston-Salem merchants.

Posted 4:22 p.m. Nov 28, 2012 — Updated 6:28 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

Kathy Hanrahan

Winston-Salem is home to Krispy Kreme and Texas Pete - so it is safe to assume they are sweet and spicy!

Out and About recently had the chance to sample a few of the city's tasty creations. We were thrilled to learn that most are available online, so if you can't make the trip, you aren't necessarily out of luck.

Here are our favorite gifts from Winston-Salem:

Beta Verde jams, pickles and syrups - All we have to say is YUM! Margaret Norfleet Neff and her daughter, Salem Norfleet Neff, make these fresh using local, pesticide-free fruit and vegetables, some from their garden and some from other Piedmont-based growers. Our favorite items include Green Mater Martini Pickles (which would be great in a martini), Pear Rosemary Jam and Blackberry Mint Whiskey Jam. You can order these online or get them in Winston-Salem at the Cobblestone Farmers Market Downtown and Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market, which was named one of the 11 best farmers markets in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

Moravian Cookies - There are several options for these crisp cookies. Salem Baking Co. offers a variety of flavors and even dips them in chocolate. Another standout is the black walnut flavored ones from Mrs. Hanes Moravian Cookies. Oprah named Mrs. Hanes' cookies one of her "favorite things" two years ago. Both of these items are available online.

You can't talk about sweets in Winston-Salem without mentioning Winkler Bakery in Old Salem. In business for more than 200 years, this bakery is known for its Moravian Cookies (try the pumpkin spice ones), but what caught our taste-buds was the Moravian Sugar Cake, which contains a blend of cinnamon, sugar and butter. It tastes kind of like a King Cake, which are famous pastries in New Orleans around carnival time. Most of Winkler's items are available online, including two square packages of the sugar cake.

If a wine enthusiast is on your list, North Carolina has more than 100 wineries and vineyards. Yadkin Valley boasts Raffaldini (known as the "Chianti in the Carolinas"), Raylen and Childress to name a few. Get a complete list of wineries throughout the state on the NC Wine Country website.

You can find out more about North Carolina's wine industry by watching the WRAL documentary "Grape Expectations."

Do you have any favorite local products or stores? Tell us about them in the comments section below.

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