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.

Corn, Corn Relish, and Corn Cob Jelly recipes with Rachel Abbott Davis of J and R Farms

by Amy Campbell

S11:E28. 07/13/2024

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.

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.

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/

Slow Food TN Valley, Four Daughters Farm, Cornbread Salad Recipe, Appalachian Homecoming

by Amy Campbell

S10:E28. 7/15/2023

Slow Food TN Valley, Four Daughters Farm, Josh Lowans recipe for Cornbread Salad, Appalachian Homecoming at Dancing Bear Lodge and Appalachian Bistro.

Today, we are setting the table with slow food. Food that takes time to grow and time to prepare. Guests today are Sarah Bush from Slow Food TN Valley, Rachel McCroskey of Four Daughter’s Farm of Walland, TN - and Josh Lowans with his wife Meagan’s recipe for cornbread salad.

Sarah will tell us about the international organization called Slow Food and the TN Valley Chapter of this organization - and Rachel McCroskey, a young farmer, will let us know about her family farm called Four Daughters Farm and how they farm. And Josh Lowans is also a farmer, forager, and a man of the woods - he works for Salubrious Farms in Walland, TN, and he walks us through how to make cornbread salad - with these tomatoes in season right now - it is the best time of the year to enjoy cornbread salad.

I also had some news about the upcoming Appalachian Homecoming event on the first weekend of August, with many farmers and chefs discussing modern Appalachian cuisine and farming.

Links:

Appalachian Homecoming at Dancing Bear Lodge and Appalachian Homecoming: https://dancingbearlodge.com/event/appalachian-homecoming-2023/

Slow Food TN Valley: https://slowfoodtnvalley.org/

Four Daughters Farm: https://fourdaughtersfarmtn.com/

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

Townsend TN: https://www.smokymountains.org/

Corn Bread Salad Recipe:

This recipe is one that Josh Lowans shared with Amy. His wife Megan makes this dish often for their family and the recipe comes from her.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pan day old cornbread (Josh recommends using benton’s bacon lard rendered from an entire pound of Benton’s bacon. Megan prefers to use Three Rivers Cornmeal)
  • 2 - 3 really ripe tomatoes, diced
  • 1 can pinto beans drained, not rinsed
  • Fresh corn cut off of the cob
  • Shredded cheese of your choice
  • Ranch dip (make your own with herbs of your choice, sour cream and mayonnaise)

To assemble, layer in this order:

  • Crumble cornbread and place in bottom of serving container
  • Layer pinto beans on top of the cornbread
  • Layer cut corn over the beans
  • Layers the diced tomatoes over the corn
  • Layer of ranch dressing
  • Layer of bacon (use Benton’s bacon if you can get it)
  • Cheese on the top

Tips:

  • Chill for 2 hours before serving.
  • Don’t use ranch dressing, it is too runny, Josh Lowans recommends using ranch dip and making your own. He recommends to make it thick so the dish won’t make the dish soggy Looks pretty in a clear glass serving container

Sarah Bush and Tayler Franke, board members of Slow Food TN Valley. Photo: Amy Campbell 2022.

Farmer Rachel McCroskey Co-Owner of Four Daughters Farm, Walland, TN. Photo: Amy Campbell 2020.

Special Growers, Maryville TN and Chattanooga Bakery's Moonpie

by Amy Campbell

S10:E15. 04/15/2023

Special Growers, Maryville TN and Chattanooga Bakery's Moonpie

Today, Special Growers, Maryville, TN, offers workforce development training and employment for people with learning differences who age out of high school and special education classes. Their story and Chattanooga Bakery’s Moonpie on my latest podcast and radio broadcast. Hope to have the honor of your good company! Thanks! At Special Growers, they grow culinary herbs and cut flowers and are supported by area restaurants, corporate donors, and community members. Kent Davis is our guest, a founding member of Special Growers, and a parent of a child who benefitted from Special Growers. In Fred Sauceman’s Pot-Luck Radio Series, he features the Moonpie, which has been made for over 100 years by the Chattanooga Bakery in Chattanooga, TN.

Special Growers: https://www.specialgrowers.com/

Be sure to find the Special Growers instagram page for the latest events. Their handle is @specialgrowers

  • April 15th: Special growers plant sale beginning 9:00 A.M. - Amicis, Maryville, TN.
  • April 22: Maryville Farmers’ Market beginning 8:30 A.M. downtown Maryville, TN.
  • April 29: Pop-Up, Neighborly Books, downtown Maryville, TN.

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

Chattanooga Bakery, makers of the Moon Pie for over 100 years: https://moonpie.com/about

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

Participants of Special Growers, Maryville, TN.

Participants and staff at Special Growers, Maryville TN.

Pictured Left to Right are Harrison Inman, employee and artist at Special Growers and Director of Operations, Maria Laughlin.

Pictured left to right me (Amy Campbell) with Kent Davis. Kent is one of the founders of Special Growers and a parent of a child who benefitting from this organization.

Pictured left to right are Elise McDaniel, Maggie Gallaher, John Dudok, and Emily Knapp employees and volunteer at Special Growers, Maryville, Tennessee.

Corn, Corn Relish, Corn Cob Jelly with Rachel Abbott Davis of J and R Farms, TN

by Amy Campbell

S9:E28. 08/13/2022

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

Links:

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 especially good 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/

Chef David Rule, Trotter’s Whole Hog BBQ, Sevierville, Tennessee

by Amy Campbell

S9:E22. 06/11/2022 and 6/18/2022.

Today, we are setting the table with BBQ. Our guest is Chef David Rule, co-owner of the soon-to-be-open Trotter’s Whole Hog BBQ in historic downtown Sevierville, TN, right close to the Dolly Parton state near the courthouse. In addition, Fred Sauceman’s Pot Luck Radio Series features a special appetizer found at Ridgewood BBQ in Bluff City, TN.

Links:

Trotter’s Whole Hog BBQ: https://www.trottersbbq.com/

The Appalachian: https://theappalachianrestaurant.com/

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

Ridgewood BBQ: http://www.ridgewoodbbq.com/

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

Little Mountain Flower Farm, Maryville, Tennessee

by Amy Campbell

S9:E18. 05/14/2022

Little Mountain Flower Farm, Maryville, Tennessee.

In this episode, we are setting the table with pretty flowers. Or, as many of us here in Tennessee pronounce it, purty flares. No, it’s not about the eating. It’s about the joy and beauty flowers add to this life. That little touch of grace to the table, the home, or that person in need or celebrating a special event. 

Amy’s guest is Susie Kawar, owner and operator of Little Mountain Flower Farm, located in Maryville, TN. A design-centered floral farm and studio. Susie grows her flowers and puts together farm-fresh floral arrangements by hand in her floral studio right on her family’s farm. 

She, her husband, and her children grow these flowers with sustainable, regenerative growing practices. In addition, they have a sweet yellow dog named Paris that found them when they lived in Paris, Tennessee. This is an inspirational story of a person who has teamed her creative skills with a firm knowledge base in agriculture and has made a living for herself and her family doing something that she loves to do that brings joy to others. She will also share one of her go-to recipes for a refreshing tabouli salad.

Also, in Fred Sauceman’s Pot Luck Radio series, he features one of Tennessee’s oldest restaurants, Nicks of Kingsport, Tennessee. 

Links:
Little Mountain Flower Farm: https://www.littlemountainflowerfarm.com/
Fred Sauceman: https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman
Nick’s, Kingsport, TN: https://nicksrestaurantandcatering.com/

Susie Kawar, Owner of Little Mountian Flower Farm, Maryville TN https://www.littlemountainflowerfarm.com/ . Photo: Amy Campbell. 2022.

This is Susie and her family’s dog, Paris. Paris found them when they lived in Paris, Tennessee. She was in horrible condition when they first found her, and Susie and Michael gave her the medical attention she needed and a good home.

Susie in her hoop house with some of her flowers.

Susie holding one of the little yellow flowers she grew.

Broasted chicken from Nick’s of Kingsport, Tennessee. Photo: Fred Sauceman. https://nicksrestaurantandcatering.com/