Sorghum Syrup, an Appalachian Culinary Tradition

by Amy Campbell

S11:E39. 09/21/2024

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Sorghum Syrup, an Appalachian Culinary Tradition

Sorghum Syrup with Ronni Lundy, Fred Sauceman, Matt Gallagher & Mary “Dee Dee” Constantine.

We are setting the table with Sorghum, an ancient African Grass adapted to the southern table. Fred Sauceman shares a segment with Dr. Mike Fleenor, Sorghum Maker. Ronni Lundy, 2 x James Beard award-winning food writer on differences between Sorghum and molasses. Mary “Dee Dee” Constantine shares a recipe for Butternut Squash and Apple Bake using a recipe from Ronni Lundy’s book “Sorghum Savor.”Chef Matt Gallagher on the topic of biscuits and Sorghum butter.

Links: To purchase sorghum, made in Tennessee, look for Muddy Pond Sorghum at your local fruit stand, or from thier website: https://www.muddypondsorghum.com/

Fred Sauceman: https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman

Ronni Lundy: https://lisaekus.com/people/ronni-lundy/

Mary “Dee Dee” Constantine: @skilletsister

Knoxville Chef Matt Gallaher of the former Knox Mason and Emilia Restaurants in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. https://www.instagram.com/emilia_knoxville/?hl=en

Recipe for Butternut Squash and Apple Bake with Sorghum From Sorghum Savor by Ronni Lundy

Sugar Cane being pressed for juice at Muddy Pond Sorghum Mill, Montery, TN https://www.muddypondsorghum.com/

Minnie Pearl Pickle Recipes, Elizabeth Simms on John Egerton and Writer Robert Gipe

by Amy Campbell

S11:E36, 08/31/2024

In this episode, we are setting the table with pickles.

I (Amy Campbell) share Minnie Pearl’s recipes for Curry Pickles and Mustard Pickles from her cookbook Minnie Pearl Cooks.

Fred Sauceman shares a pickle recipe from Distiller Jack Daniel’s great, great, gran niece, Lynne Tolley.

Who was John Egerton? Elizabeth Simms lets us know who this man was & Robert Gipe tells a humorous story of his days working in a pickle factory. Amy recorded Elizabeth & Robert at the Appalachian Food Summit in September of 2016.

Links:

Elizabeth Simms http://elizabethlsimsllc.com/

Robert Gipe: https://www.robertgipe.com/

Fred Sauceman https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman?fref=ts

Appalachian Food Summit: https://www.appalachianfood.com/

John C Egerton: [https://www.southernfoodways.org/interview/john-egerton/][4]

Recipes:

Minnie Pearl’s Curry Pickle recipe:

Equipment you will need:

  • 4 pint jars
  • A pot that will hold at least 6 quarts of boiling liquid
  • Hot Water bath canner with the wire basket
  • Hand held Jar lifter, air bubble wand
  • Magnetic wand for lifting lids out of hot water
  • New, clean canning lids
  • A drying rack placed away from drafts
  • Several of clean kitchen towels

To Prepare:

  • Wash your jars in the dishwasher, or really well with hot, soapy water.
  • Boil your jars for a minimum of 10 minutes and keep these jars in the hot water on simmer until you need to use them.
  • Get a small saucepan out, fill with water to half full, bring the water to boil, and place your lids in the water. Keep them in this hot water until you need to use them. (I know, they say you don’t need to do this step, but I am stuck in old ways, so, do as you like on that step)

Groceries you will need:

  • 2 1/2 pounds 4-5 inch picking cucumbers
  • 1 c sugar
  • 2 T salt
  • 2 T mustard seed
  • 2 T curry powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp celery seed
  • 1 2/3 c white vinegar
  • 1 c water

Directions:

  • Wash cucumbers thoroughly. Be sure to cut off both ends where bacteria can remain. Cut into chunks.
  • Combine sugar and remaining ingredients (except cucumbers)
  • Heat to boiling. Add cucumbers. Heat just to boiling point.
  • Simmer while quickly packing 1 hot, sterilized jar at a time.
  • Fill to within 1/8 inch from the top making sure vinegar solution covers cucumbers.
  • Seal and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes 4 pints.
  • *And a note from me here: Always consult the Ball Blue Book for correct times and safe canning instructions.

Minnie Pearl’s Mustard Pickle Recipe:

Ingredient List:

  • 2 quarts medium-sized cucumbers
  • 1 quart green tomatoes
  • 1 large cauliflower
  • 2 sweet red peppers
  • 1 quart pickling onions
  • 1 cup salt
  • 3 quarts water
  • 6 T. dry mustard
  • 1 T. tnumeric
  • 1 c. all purpose flour
  • 3/4 c. water
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 2 quarts vinegar
  • 2 T. celery seed
  • 1 T/ peppercorns

Directions:

  • Wash and drain vegetables. Cut cucumbers into 1/2-inch cubes, tomatoes into wedges, and cauliflower into small flowerets. Remove seed from peppers. Cut into small pieces. Peel onions. Cut in half
  • Dissolve salt in 3 quarts water
  • Pour over vegetables. Let stand 12 hours
  • Rinse. Drain and let sit in the fridge for 1 hour
  • Combine dry mustard. turmeric, and flour
  • Gradually add the 3/4 cup water, stirring until smooth. Add sugar, vinegar, celery seed, and peppercorns
  • Cook over medium heat until sauce coats a spoon
  • Add vegetables
  • Simmer 15 minutes
  • Pack, boiling hot, into sterilized jars. leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Seal. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Makes 12 pints.
  • *Refer to the Ball Blue Book for directions on safe food preservation methods.

Overnight Pickle Recipe shared by Fred Sauceman:

Overnight Pickles adapted from the cookbook Jack Daniels the Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook, written by Pat Mitchamore and Lynne Tolley.

  • Peel slice 6 med cucumbers
  • 2 sm onions sliced
  • 1/4 c sugar
  • 1 c apple cider vinegar/or white vinegar
  • 1 tsp mustard seed
  • 1 tsp dill seed
  • 1 tsp celery seed
  • 1 T tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
  • Bring to boil, boil for 1 min
  • Pour over cucumbers and onions
  • Pour mixture in a no-reactive bowl, cover and marinate overnight These will be ready to eat the next day.

This is a good cookbook Minnie Pearl Cooks written by the queen of country comedy Minnie Pearl. Copies can be found fairly easily for a reasonable price in paperback. Published in 1970.

Robert Gipe (left), Elizabeth Simms and Chef Travis Milton photographed at the Appalachian Food Summit, Loyal Jones Appalachian Center, Berea, Kentucky in 2016. Photo: Amy Campbell.

Brooks Lamb, Author of Love For the Land, Lessons from Farmers Who Persist in Place.

by Amy Campbell

S11:E35.8/25/2024

Brooks Lamb, Author of Love For the Land, Lessons from Farmers Who Persist in Place.

Today, we are setting the table with a discussion about land. Agricultural land, and the problem of the fast disappearance of this land across our country. Our guest is Brooks Lamb, Author of Love for the Land, Lessons from Farmers Who Persist in Place. Published through Yale University Press. This book is deeply related to Tennessee, Southern, and American agriculture. At its core, Love for the Land shares the power and potential of people-place relationships. To do so, the book explores why some small and midsize farmers continue to care for their land, even in the face of tremendous adversity. In terms of adversity, he pays particular attention to farmland loss from sprawl and haphazard development, agricultural consolidation, and, for farmers of color, injustices in the past and present. Despite these challenges, some small and midsized farmers persevere. In dozens of interviews with farmers in two Tennessee counties, which serve as microcosms of agrarian communities across the country, Brooks found that love for the land and devotion to place -- virtues that align with Wendell Berry's writings on imagination, affection, and fidelity -- fuel their persistence and stewardship. Brooks writes that we need to better support these farmers -- and that we all have something to learn from them, no matter where we live.

If you are moved by this podcast to help with this crucial problem of farmland loss - and are thinking about year-end-giving - there is an organization that Brooks is closely aligned and works with that is actively addressing farmland loss and conversion in the Volunteer State, this organization is called American Farmland Trust.

We have also placed a link directly to that organization on our website too. It is Farmland.org

Brooks Lamb’s website and where to buy Brooks Lamb’s book: https://brookslamb.com/buy-love-for-the-land/

American Farmland Trust: https://farmland.org

Emi Sunshine (Sang our theme song when she was 9 years old!): https://theemisunshine.com/

CORN, CORN RELISH, AND CORN COB JELLY RECIPES WITH RACHEL ABBOTT DAVIS OF J AND R FARMS

by Amy Campbell

S11:E33 - 8/10/2024

Corn, Corn Relish, and Corn Cob Jelly recipes with Rachel Abbott Davis of J and R Farms, plus a beautiful audio essay on corn from author and gardener Kelly Smith Trimble.

Links:

Kelly Smith Trimble: https://www.kellysmithtrimble.com/ 

J & R Farms: https://www.jandrfarmstn.com/ Rachel’s Canning Corse: https://rachel-davis-s-school.teachable.com/p/canning-course Rachel’s instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jandrfarms_mama/ USDA complete guide to home canning: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/blogs/usdas-complete-guide-home-canning

Recipe: This recipe came from a notebook of Rachel’s Great Grandmother Minnie Grindstaff’s canning recipes. Rachel and John had a truckload of corn they needed to do something with, so she decided to try this corn relish recipe out and loved it. They use it on everything as a side, and it is perfect on pinto beans with cornbread. The recipe calls for cabbage, but Rachel leaves that out.

Ingredient list:

  • 12 ears fresh corn
  • 1 large cabbage head, shredded
  • 6 small garden onions, or 1 or 2 large onions
  • 6 bell peppers
  • 2 red sweet peppers
  • 2 - 4 Jalapeno peppers
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 quart vinegar
  • 1 T Salt
  • 1 T Ground mustard

Instructions:

Cook corn and vinegar together for 20 minutes, add the rest and cook for 30 minutes. Ladle hot mixture into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.

Clean jar lids with clean, damp cloth, apply lids and bands and finger tighten bands.

Process jars according to approved waterbacth canning instructions, or better yet, Rachel also has posted the complete recipe on her blog. https://www.jandrfarmstn.com/

Rachel also hosts an online canning corse that she calls a can along with details on her instagram page at: https://www.instagram.com/jandrfarms_mama/

Photo: Rachel Abbott Davis of Maryville Tennessee is a young mother of 5, a homesteader, Instagram influencer, offers a course on home canning, she and her husband John own and operate J & R Farm. Rachel is pictured holding one of her jars of corn relish. Rachel shares her Great Grandmother’s recipe for this corn relish on this episode. Find Rachel’s blog from this link: https://www.jandrfarmstn.com/ Photo: Amy Campbell 2022.

Carolina Malt House, Cleveland North Carolina

by Amy Campbell

S11:E32. 8/3/2024

Aaron Goss, Founder of the Carolina Malt House located in Cleveland North Carolina. Aaron works with local farmers within 10 miles of the Malt House who grow grains that the Carolina Malt House then makes into different styles of malted grains for breweries. Aaron also works with a Tennessee Farmer in Coffee County Tennessee who grows a specific barley for the Carolina Malt House named Tennessee 2 Row. Several award-winning Tennessee breweries use malts from the Carolina Malt House such as Blackberry Farm Brewery,Tennessee Brew Works, Common John, Yee Haw, and more.

Carolina Malt House: https://carolinamalt.com/

Emi Sunshine (she sang our theme song at 9 years of age!) https://theemisunshine.com/

Aaron Goss, Founder of the Carolina Malt House. Photo: Carolina Malt House.

Tomatoes - Tomato Jam Event - My Late Mother’s Tomato Pie Recipe

by Amy Campbell

S11:E29. 7/20/2024

Tomatoes, Tomato Jam Event,and My Late Mother’s Tomato Pie Recipe

News about an event 7/20/2024 called the Tomato Jam at the Blount County Public Library, I (Amy) share with you my Late Mother (Janie Clayton’s Tomato Pie recipe) , Dee Dee Constantine shares a recipe for Tomato Succotash and Allan Benton shares his favorite way to enjoy a BLT. He has an opinion on the mayonaise he prefers.

Blount County Public Libray https://www.blounttn.gov/2025/Public-Library

Blount County 4-H https://blount.tennessee.edu/

UT Extension https://utextension.tennessee.edu/

Blount County Master Gardeners https://bcmgtn.wildapricot.org/

Blount County Beekeepers Association https://blountbees.wordpress.com/

Dee Dee Constantine https://www.instagram.com/Skilletsister/?hl=en

Darrell and Allan Benton (Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams) https://shop.bentonscountryham.com/

Emi sunshine https://www.theemisunshine.com/

Mom’s Easy Tomato Pie - From the recipe from Amy’s late Mother (Janie May Clayton)

Preheat oven to 350

  Ingredients:

  • Pie shell, cooked and cooled.  For gluten-free, make pie shell out of almond flour
  • 4 -5 medium Tomatoes, sliced.  Drained on paper towels
  • 1 Cup Dukes Mayonnaise, or JFG , or Blue Plate mayonnaise
  • ½ Cup fresh basil (coarsely chopped) optional
  • 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 egg

  Directions:

Lightly beat egg.  Add mayonnaise, blend in cheese.  Layer ½ of mixture over cooked and cooled pie shell.  Layer ½ of basil and tomatoes over mixture.  Layer remaining egg/mayonnaise/cheese mixture, basil and top with tomato

  Cook in a 350 degree preheated oven for 35 – 45 minutes.

Amy’s late Mother (Janie May Clayton) and her Tomato Pie Recipe.

Kermit Caughron Striped Stick Bean, Cades Cove, Tennessee

by Amy Campbell

S11:E18 05/04/2024

Kermit Caughron Striped Stick Bean, Cades Cove, Tennessee

In this episode, we are setting the table with “Kermit’s Striped Stick Bean”. We visit with John and Rachel Davis, owners of J & R Farms in Blount County, Tennessee. John Davis’s great-grandmother is Lois Shuler Caughron, and her late husband is Kermit Caughron. The Caughron family has raised and saved an heirloom bean for generations named the “Striped Stick Bean”. This bean comes from the last remaining descendants of white settlers and residents of Cades Cove, Kermit, and Lois Caughron. When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established, the residents of Cades Cove were made to move out of the area over a certain amount of years. These last remaining residents of Cades Cove are John and Rachel Davis’s ancestors. This family is very involved with a nonprofit organization called the Cades Cove Preservation Association, and a link is below to find out more about this organization and the repository of artifacts and pictures of the families of white settlers who formerly lived in Cades Cove. I (Amy) am actively gathering recordings and information on the original settlers of Cades Cove and Eastern Tennessee Mountains, Native American residents who long before white settlers came to the area of East Tennessee. I hope to be sharing podcasts and radio shows on the Native American perspective through the lens of food over the next months.

For his “Potluck Radio” series, Fred Sauceman recalls Tennessee memories of the Franklin Club and of Raymond Bautista owner of the former restaurant “Raymond’s Fine Foods” along with Raymond’s recipe for Cole Slaw. Raymond’s Fine Foods was inducted into the Tennessee Restaurant Hall of Fame.

There will be the first fundraiser for Battlefield Farms called Gospel in the Gardens featuring the UT Gospel Choir This Benefit concert is to support Battlefield Farms which is a local non-profit organization with the mission of ending food insecurity in East Knoxville by partnering with community members to make fresh food accessable. Other live performances will be featured and food trucks will be available. This event takes place Saturday, May 4th at 6:00 PM at Payne Avenue Baptist Church at 2724 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Knoxville TN 37914. They ask that you bring your lawn chairs. More infoormation from this link: https://www.facebook.com/battlefieldfarmandgardens/

Links:

Rachel and John Davis of J&R Farms, Maryville, TN: https://www.jandrfarmstn.com/

Cades Cove Preservation Association: http://www.cadescovepreservation.com/kermitcaughron.html

Bluestem Hollow Market Day Market and Farm Party https://www.facebook.com/bluestemhollow/

Ben Cohen and Family, Owners of Small House Farm offer for sale a limited amount of Kermit’s Striped Stick Bean seed. They have been saving and sharing this seed and the story behind it. Find out more by visiting their website: https://www.smallhousefarm.com/product/kermit-bean/

Emi Sunshine sang our theme song when she was 9 years old: https://theemisunshine.com/

Kermit Caughron at home in Cades Cove, inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo: Ruth Caughron Davis., Cades Cove Preservation Association: http://www.cadescovepreservation.com/kermitcaughron.html

Striped stick bean that has been passed down by the family of Kermit Caughron. Photo: Amy Campbell.

Striped stick bean that has been passed down by the family of Kermit Caughron.

SoKnoSourDough, Knoxville Tennessee Sourdough Maker

by Amy Campbell

S11E10. 03/09/2024

SoKnoSourDough, Knoxville Tennessee Sourdough Maker

Our guest is Stephanie Carlson of SoKnoSourDough - a sourdough bakery in South Knoxville, TN. Stephanie had no plans of ever becoming a baker. Today, we will hear how she got into this line of work, where her starter came from, some of her products, and how she equips the community to bake sourdough for themselves. Also, on today’s program in Fred Sauceman’s Potluck Radio series, he features novelist Adriana Trigiani on culinary cultures. And we have pulled up another chair to this big TN table here - Jessica Carr, the owner of Girl’s Gotta Eat Good, Knoxville’s first Asian Bakery, is our guest interviewer today with SoKnoSourDough - I’m really excited to welcome Jessica Carr on board here at the Tennessee Farm Table helping to interview Knoxville Food Makers. Welcome, Jessica.

Links: SoKnoSourDough: https://www.soknosourdough.com/

Jessica Carr, owner of Girl’s Gotta Eat Good, Asian Bakery who interviewed Stephanie in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/girlsgottaeatgood/

Old Sevier Market: https://www.facebook.com/oldseviermarket/

Fred Sauceman: https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman

Emi Sunshine (sings our theme song): https://theemisunshine.com/

Stephanie Carlson, creator of SoKnoSourDough. Photo: Jessica Carr, creator of Girls Gotta Eat Good, Knoxville’s first Asian Bakery.

Legendary University of Tennessee Football Coach Phillip Fulmer on the importance of honey bees.

by Amy Campbell

S11E9 03/02/2024

Legendary University of Tennessee Football Coach Phillip Fulmer on the importance of honey bees. The Legendary University of Tennessee Football Coach Phillip Fulmer raises bees and is my guest on this episode. Coach Fulmer is passionate about raising awareness for honey bees and was generous with his time to record this story to advocate for the importance of these bees.

Note: Coach Fulmer does not sell his honey. This is something that he does for the enjoyment of it.

Links: Coach Phillip Fulmer: https://www.phillipfulmer.com/

Blount County Beekeepers Association: https://blountbees.wordpress.com/

Emi Sunshine (sings our theme song): https://theemisunshine.com/

Resources on honey, beekeeping, and how to become a beekeeper: https://www.tennesseefarmtable.com/bee-keeping-local-honey

Beekeeper Coach Phillip Fulmer poses with a jar of honey that he extracted from the honey bees he raises. Coach Fulmer is passionate about advocating for the health of honey bees. He does not sell his honey but gifts it to family and friends. Photo: Amy Campbell 2023.

Girls Gotta Eat Good Asian Bakery and Tennessee Wagyu Beef

by Amy Campbell

S10:E8. 02/24/2024

My first guest is Jessica Carr, a young entrepreneurial woman who created Girls Gotta Eat Good, Asian Bakery. Knoxville’s first Asian bakery. Jessica turned her love of baking, many of her mother’s recipes, and a daring leap of faith after prayer into an innovative business, and she is seeing good results. An inspirational story. In Fred Sauceman’s potluck radio series, he visits with Ron Hawkins of Hawk Nest Farms, a wagyu beef farmer located in the Greene-Washington County area of Tennessee.

Links:

Girls Gotta Eat Good facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlsgottaeatgood/ Girls Gotta Eat Good Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsgottaeatgood/?hl=en

Fred Sauceman: https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman

Ron Hawkins, Hawknest Farms Tennessee Wagyu Beef: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Grocery-Store/Hawk-Nest-Farm-435117246687134/

Emi Sunshine (sings our theme song): https://theemisunshine.com/

Jessica Carr, Founder of Girls Gotta Eat Good Asian Bakery holding her Kalamay. Photo: Amy Campbell, 2022.

John Coykendall Saving Seeds and Stories

by Amy Campbell in ,

S11:E6. 02/10/2024

Saving Seeds and Stories with John Coykendall

Seed Saving & Stories with our seed-saving pal John Coykendall of Knoxville, TN. John tells us how he became a seed saver, some of the varieties he has saved, where to find old-time heirloom seed like the ones he saves, and shares plus some cute stories. John and I (Amy) worked together in the garden at Blackberry Farm together in 2007, where I learned from John the importance of this heirloom seed.

Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show: https://www.dogwoodarts.com/houseandgardenshow

Many of the varieties that John has saved and referenced in the podcast can be purchased at http://www.seedsavers.org/

John Coykendall on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.coykendall.3

John Coykendall documentary: https://www.lpb.org/programs/deeply-rooted-john-coykendalls-journey-to-save-our-seeds-and-stories

John Coykendall book: https://lsupress.org/books/detail/preserving-our-roots/

Fred Sauceman “Pot Luck Radio”: https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman

Emi Sunshine (Sings our theme song): https://theemisunshine.com/

More heirloom seed sources:

Seed Savers Exchange : https://www.seedsavers.org/

Southern Exposure Seed: https://www.southernexposure.com/

Sow True Seed: https://sowtrueseed.com/

Rare Seeds: https://www.rareseeds.com/

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Rare Seed: https://www.rareseeds.com/

Photo ID: John Coykendall with Amy Campbell at the Blount County Public Library Seed Swap, January 2023. Photo: Amy Campbell.

Femeika "Meik" Elliott, Founder and owner of Meik Meals, Rooted East, and The Lotus Experience, Knoxville

by Amy Campbell

S11:E5. 02/03/2024

Femeika "Meik" Elliott, Creator, and Owner of Meik Meals, Knoxville Amy Campbell - The Tennessee Farm Table Podcast & Broadcast

Today, we are setting the table with pant-based eating and how this helps new moms. Today, my first guest is Meik Elliott, creator, and owner of Meik Meals. This young, black, Knoxville-based entrepreneurial chef creates foods that give us that comfort of taste while using healthier ingredients. Meik encourages people to make lifestyle choices that nurture the body, mind, and soul. She specifically works with postpartum Mothers to help them feel their best through food, education, and meditation with her Lotus program. Meik also speaks to groups throughout the community about her work.

Fred Saucepan’s potluck radio segment features Cherokee poet and storyteller Marilou Awiakta.

Fred Sauceman https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman

Femika “Meik” Elliott’s businesses and organizations:

Call for volunteers: Volunteers are needed for the Knox County Community Garden Alliance on Sunday nights at 6 PM. Especially Black and East Knoxville community members.

Address: 3907 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Suite 107 Knoxville TN 37914

Phone: (865) 310-1150

Email: Stair@knoxgardenalliance.org

Femika “Meik” Elliott, Founder, Owner of Meik Meals, Rooted East, The Lotus Experience, and Chief of operations of the Knoxville Community Gardens & Growers Alliance. Photo: Amy Campbell, 2021.

Pumpkin and Pumpkin Pie Recipes from Tennessee

by Amy Campbell

S10:E44. 11/18/2023

James Gann, Music Educator in Blount Co, TN won a blue ribbon for his pumpkin pie at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center. James lets us know about the type of pumpkin he grows and his pie.

Haylee Gibadowski describes how to process a fresh pumpkin for pies and shares her recipe for a gluten and dairy-free pumpkin pie that is delicious. (Recipe below, keep scrolling)

Fred Sauceman’s Pot Luck Radio series features novelist Adriana Trigiani, Author of Big Stone Gap, Milk Glass Moon, and Big Cherry Holler describes her Appalachian autumn memories and a little story involving Elizabeth Taylor and choking on a chicken bone.

Links: James Gann - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-gann-296017122/

Adriana Trigiani - https://adrianatrigiani.com/home/

Emi Sunshine (sang our theme song when she was nine years old) - https://theemisunshine.com/

Haley's Gluten & Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Heat oven to 350°

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 12 ounces of coconut milk, or almond milk (the consistency of the coconut milk is more creamy)
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 pre-made deep dish gluten-free pie shells.

Directions:

Beat eggs with sugar. Add pumpkin puree to mixture. Add coconut milk, beat in spices and salt until smooth. Pour into unbaked pie shells. Bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes or until the middle is set and doesn’t jiggle. Do not overbake.

James Gann poses with his prize winning pumpkin pie at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, Townsend TN.

Haylee Gibadowski’s recipe for gluten and dairy free pumpkin pie.

Appalachian Thanksgiving Recipes and Stories of the Season

by Amy Campbell

S10:E43. 11/11/2023

Appalachian Thanksgiving Recipes and Stories of the Season

Appalachian Thanksgiving recipes include sweet potato casserole and stuffing. Our feature interview is Mary Lynn Snyder originally from Harlan Kentucky. Mary Lynn remembers her mother Ruby's recipes and traditional ways of cooking.

Dee Dee Constantine, retired food writer for the Knoxville News Sentinel has a segment on tips on how to prepare venison roast and venison steak, and she shares a recipe for venison meatloaf.

Fred Sauceman’s Potluck Radio series - we revisit his segment on the annual historic event of turkey herding that used to take place in Hancock County Tennessee.

And I (Amy Campbell) share a story I recorded with my late father, who was an old-fashioned East TN medical doctor. He accumulated a lot of interesting stories in his 60-plus years of practicing medicine, and this story involves a turkey egg.

Links:

Mary Dee Dee Constantine: https://www.instagram.com/Skilletsister/?hl=en

Fred Sauceman - https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman/

Emi Sunshine (arranged our theme song when she was 9 years old) - https://theemisunshine.com/

This image comes from https://thegraphicsfairy.com/

JFG Coffee, “The Best Part of the Meal”, Knoxville, TN

by Amy Campbell

S10:E42. 11/04/2023

JFG Coffee, The Best Part of the Meal", a Knoxville, Tennessee staple.

I’ve got a "mess" of guests:

Bill Houston (Owner of Houston’s Mineral Well, fine artist extraordinaire, and a New Market TN native shares a story of a late New Market TN neighbor who penned the tag line for JFG Coffee Company “The Best Part of the Meal”.

Tinah Utsman shares memories of her father “Coffee Jack” who was President of JFG Coffee during the 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair.

Mary “Dee Dee” Constantine (Retired Food Editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel) has a recipe for coffee and brown sugar steak rub.

Links:

W.C. (Bill) Houston: Bill Houston is from New Market TN. Many of you may know Bill because he taught art at Carson Newman College for 40 years. He is also an incredibly talented landscape painter, artist, sculptor, and woodworker. And one of the most generous and kind people on the earth. Find information about his art here: https://www.facebook.com/wchouston/ Bill is the owner, and operator of Houston’s Mineral Well, in New Market, TN. http://www.houstonsmineralwater.com/ Bill’s grandfather dug this well in 1931 after an epiphany dream and was miraculously healed from a severe kidney ailment by the water from this well which he established and opened to the public. It is still open and run today (and on the honor system) by Bill Houston.

Tinah Utsman: Tinah is a talented photographer in Knoxville, and Her father “Coffee Jack” was at one time President of JFG Coffee during the 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair. Tinah runs a nonprofit where she teaches kids how to take photographs of adoptable animals.. https://www.facebook.com/TRU-Dog-Network-195219860507511/

Mary “Dee Dee” Constantine https://www.facebook.com/deedee.constantine.3

Emi Sunshine: https://theemisunshine.com/

The tag line for JFG Coffee “The Best Part of the Meal” still shines on the building in Knoxville’s Historic Old City.

The historic JFG coffee sign on the banks of the Tennessee River in downtown Knoxville TN.

This vintage picture came to me by way of Archivist, Bradley Reeves. https://www.facebook.com/bradleye.reeves/

The Townsend in the Smokies Fall Festival -Loving on people through food

by Amy Campbell

S10:E37. 9/23/2023

The Townsend in the Smokies Fall Festival

Today, we are setting the table with loving people through food, loving on the honey bee, and news of an old-fashioned fall festival taking place Friday and Saturday, September 29, and 30th at the Townsend Visitor Center in Townsend, TN. This festival includes lots of Bluegrass music, old-fashioned southern food, vendors with honey, and a church group out of Morristown making and selling apple butter.

My guests are Jill Hepperley and her Mother Cheryl Free of Townsend, TN - Cheryl is an incredible Southern cook who opens her home every Sunday to the community for a good home-cooked meal. She and Jill reach people in dark places with biscuits and unconditional love. They will be serving up Beans and Hoe-Cakes (Pinto Beans and fried Cornbread) Fried Bologna, and Fried Apple Pies at the Townsend Fall Festival all for the greater good and I can’t wait for them to tell you about how they love on people through food.

We also visit with apiarists and owners of Smoky Ridge Apiaries, Judy and Coly O’Dell of Maryville TN. They are passionate about helping honey bees, and protecting honey bees, and freely give their time and expertise to help people set up hives and raise bees. They will also be set up at the Townsend Fall festival with their honey, Muddy Pond Sorghum, pollen, skincare, crafts, and more, and most importantly, a happy smile for everyone.

The Townsend in the Smokies Fall Festival takes place Sept. 29-30, 2023 from 10-11, both days. The festival provides an atmosphere where family and friends of all ages can partake in time-honored Appalachian traditions at a free community event. This event takes place in Townsend TN. at the Townsend Visitor’s Center. Crafts & Demonstrations: from 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Food: from 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and bluegrass Music: 11 a.m. With a play area for children, ax throwing, music pickers jamming, Fowler’s Country Ground Cornmeal, and a huge on list of vendors. Also the Bible Aires Baptist Church will be there making and selling Apple Butter, and Cheryl and Jill who you just heard from will be cooking Beans and Hoe-Cakes , Fried Bologna, and Fried Apple Pies. There is a shuttle service from multiple locations in Townsend on both days to alleviate parking congestion. More information: Smokymountains.org/townsend fall festival.

Links:

Townsend Fall Festival: https://www.smokymountains.org/townsendfallfestival/

RIO Townsend Links:

The Church where Amy recorded Cheryl Free and Jill Hepperly is Rio Townsend: https://riotownsend.com/

Rio Restore is the name of the particular fundraiser that the funds from the foods that they are cooking at the Fall Festival will be directly going to. They have a facebook page describing this particular mission: https://www.facebook.com/events/851391833018828/?ref=newsfeed

or by email: info@riorestore.org Or visit a local Rio Church in Blount Knox, Louden County

Smoky Ridge Apiaries: https://smokeyridgeapiaries.com/

Apple Butter, Bible Aires Baptist Church, Morristown TN: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bible-Aires-Baptist-Church/100064721914706/

Jay Tipton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0q8mXYAIk8

Blue Ribbon Country Fair: www.gsmheritagecenter.org

Emi Sunshine (sang our theme song at the age of 9!) https://theemisunshine.com/

Cheryl Free, her daughter Jill Hepperly and Daisy at Rio Townsned. They will be serving beans, hoe cakes, fried bologna, and friend apple pies at the Townsend in the Smokys Fall Festival September 29, and 30 as a fundraiser for their mission https://www.facebook.com/events/851391833018828/?ref=newsfeed . Photo: Amy Campbell.

Judy and Coley O’Dell, owners of Smoky Ridge Apiaries: https://smokeyridgeapiaries.com/ They will be selling honey, Muddy Pond Sorghum, and all of their related skin care and craft products at the Townsend in the Smokys Fall Festival. Photo: Amy Campbell.

The self-serve honey stand at Smoky Ridge Apiaries: https://smokeyridgeapiaries.com/

The Bible Aires Baptist Church from Morristown TN will be cooking and selling apple butter at the Townsend Fall Festival. https://www.facebook.com/people/Bible-Aires-Baptist-Church/100064721914706/

Jars of apple butter from Bible Aires Baptist Church, Morristown, TN. They will have this apple butter for sale at the Townsend Fall Festival. https://www.facebook.com/people/Bible-Aires-Baptist-Church/100064721914706/

Aaron Goss, Founder of the Carolina Malt House

by Amy Campbell

S10:E35.09/09/2023

Aaron Goss, Founder of the Carolina Malt House located in Cleveland North Carolina. Aaron works with local farmers within 10 miles of the Malt House who grow grains that the Carolina Malt House then makes into different styles of malted grains for breweries. Aaron also works with a Tennessee Farmer in Coffee County Tennessee who grows a specific barley for the Carolina Malt House named Tennessee 2 Row. Several award-winning Tennessee breweries use malts from the Carolina Malt House such as Blackberry Farm Brewery,Tennessee Brew Works, Common John, Yee Haw, and more.

Carolina Malt House: https://carolinamalt.com/

Emi Sunshine (she sang our theme song at 9 years of age!) https://theemisunshine.com/

Aaron Goss, Founder of the Carolina Malt House. Photo: Carolina Malt House.

Paw Paw Fruit and sentimentality, Ridgewood BBQ, Allan Benton’s sentimental office furniture, and more.

by Amy Campbell

S10:E34. 9/2/2023

Paw Paw Fruit and sentimentality, Ridgewood BBQ, Allan Benton’s sentimental office furniture, and more.

We set the table in this episode with Paw Paw Fruit and Sentimentality. Sometimes called the Mountain Banana with a taste that is a cross between a mango and a banana. Paw Paw is an indigenous fruit to North America and is a real treat if you can find it. Amy's guest, Charlie Kwit, a Professor of Biology from the University of Tennessee offers a scientific perspective on the Paw Paw.
Allan Benton, Owner of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams in Madisonville, Tennessee tells us why he is sentimental about his office furniture.
Fred Sauceman has a potluck radio segment on the Blue Cheese dressing that is served as an appetizer at Ridgewood Barbecue in Bluff City, TN. I (Amy Campbell) share directions on how to make Paw Paw butter. (Keep scrolling for that)

Charlie Kwit: Professor of Biology Charlie Kwit: https://eeb.utk.edu/people/charles-kwit/

Benton’s Bacon link: https://www.shop.bentonscountryham.com/

Fred Sauceman: Fred Sauceman: https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman

Fred Sauceman Ridge Wood BBQ book link: https://www.amazon.com/Proffitts-Ridgewood-Appalachian-Barbecue-American/dp/0881466271

Avi Askey, Owner of Overhill Gardens: http://www.overhillgardens.com/

Nourish Knoxville food guide link: Nourish Knoxville Food Guide: https://www.nourishknoxville.org/local-food-guide/

Overhill Gardens: http://www.overhillgardens.com/

Emi Sunshine (Sings our theme song): http://theemisunshine.com/

Paw Paw Butter recipe from: Canning Homemade! Sustainable Living and Preserving the Future.
http://www.sbcanning.com/2013/10/paw-paw-butter-canning.html


Ingredients:

  1. 5 lbs pawpaws
  2. 2 cups water
  3. 1/2 c bottled lemon juice
  4. 3 c sugar
  5. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Wash and peel pawpaws, put in a stainless or enamel pot, with 2 cups water and 1/2 cup lemon juice, without removing seeds. Cook until soft, run through a sieve or food mill. Add pulp back to the pan, add sugar, and cook down on low until mixture thickens. (About an hour) Turn off the heat, add vanilla, and stir well.

Ladle into prepared pint or 1/2 pint jars to 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, and add more preserves if needed to reach the correct headspace.

**Water bath suggested time of 10 minutes.
**You must make sure each jar is sealed following your hot water process. Do not use old lids, use new lids every time you can.**this is only a suggestion, please always refer the the Ball Blue Book for USDA recommended processing times.

Paw Paw Fruit gathered by me (Amy Campbell) in my Mother’s antique colander. Photo: Amy Campbell.

Legendary University of Tennessee Football Coach Phillip Fulmer on the importance of honey bees.

by Amy Campbell

S10:E31. 8/5/2023

Legendary University of Tennessee Football Coach Phillip Fulmer raises bees and is my guest on this episode. Coach Fulmer is passionate about raising awareness for honey bees and was generous with his time to record this story in order to advocate for the importance of these bees. He does NOT sell his honey. This is a fun hobby for him. The main message of this show is awareness of pollinators to our survival.

Links: Coach Phillip Fulmer: https://www.phillipfulmer.com/

Blount County Beekeepers Association: https://blountbees.wordpress.com/

Emi sunshine (sing our theme song when she was 9 years old!): https://theemisunshine.com/

Resources of honey, beekeeping, and how to become a beekeeper: https://www.tennesseefarmtable.com/bee-keeping-local-honey

Coach Phillip Fulmer with a jar of his honey. Photo: Amy Campbell 2023.