Singer, Songwriter, Fiddle Teacher, Sarah Pirkle on the Junior Appalchian Musicians (JAM) program

by Amy Campbell


S11:E40. 09/28/2024

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Singer, Songwriter, Fiddle Teacher, Sarah Pirkle on the Junior Appalchian Musicians (JAM) Program

A visit with Singer and Songwriter Sarah Pickle, a Tennessee Treasure, program director, and fiddle instructor with Smoky Mountain JAM, Junior Appalachian Musicians program. I also asked her how she wrote her song The Piney Rose and about her chicken and dumplings on my latest radio broadcast and podcast.

Links:

Sarah Pirckle and Jeff Barbara Music: https://jeffandsarahmusic.com/

Junior Appalachian Musicians: https://jamkids.org/

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center: https://gsmheritagecenter.org/

Sarah Pirkle at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center. Amy Campbell 2023.


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.


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/


Pumpkin Pie and news of an Old-Fashioned Country Fair

by Amy Campbell


S9:E33. 09/24/2022

Pumpkin Pie and the Blue Ribbon Country Fair, Townsend, TN

Pumpkin Pie and news of an Old-Fashioned Country Fair, the Blue Ribbon Country Fair, is taking place Saturday, September 24th from 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. at the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center, Townsend, TN.

Our guests are James Gann, a music teacher in Walland, Tennessee. With a specific type of pumpkin he grows and a description of his prize-winning pumpkin pie that won a ribbon at the Blue Ribbon Country Fair in 2019. Haylee Donahue, an East, TN resident. She’ll share her recipe for a gluten-free, dairy-free pumpkin pie and describes how she processes her pie pumpkin (see her recipe below). And In Fred Sauceman’s Pot Luck Radio series New York Times best-selling Novelist Adriana Trigiani shares autumn memories of growing up in Big Stone Gap, VA, and a little story involving the late actress Elizabeth Taylor.

Links:

Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center: https://www.gsmheritagecenter.org/

Adriana Trigiani: https://adrianatrigiani.com/

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

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

Recipe from Haylee Donahue’s gluten free, dairy free pumpkin pie: (Makes a double batch)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 12 ounces of coconut milk for dairy free pie. Or, instead of the coconut milk, use 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk instead if you do not mind dairy.
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 deep dish pie shells (Haylee used the gluten free pie shells from the grocery store)

Directions:

Mix together sugar, salt, spice, and eggs in a bowl.

Add pumpkin puree and almond milk.

Pour into pie shell.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes

Musical Educator, Vocalist, Pumpkin grower and prize-winning Pumpkin Pie maker James Gann. Photo: Amy Campbell.

Haylee Donahue with her pie pumpkin. Photo: Amy Campbell.

Iva Spoon Wilde who for many years demonstrated open hearth cooking at the Blue Ribbon Country Fair holds one of her blue ribbons for her canned green beans, at the Blue Ribbon Country Fair 2019. Photo: Amy Campbell.


Fried Pies with Dale Mackey and Iva Spoon Wilde

by Amy Campbell


S9:E25. 07/16/2022

Fried pies! With Dale Mackey of Dale’s Fried Pies, Iva Spoon Wilde of Walland, TN, and fried pies at the annual Lord’s Acre sale in Hilton’s West Virginia by way of Fred Sauceman. ⁣

Dales Fried Pies:http://dalesfriedpies.com/

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

Great Smoky Mountain Heretage Center: https://www.gsmheritagecenter.org/