Kermit Caughron Striped Stick Bean, Cades Cove, Tennessee

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.

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

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/

Houston’s Mineral Well. New Market, Tennessee.

S10:E4. 01/28/2023

Houston’s Mineral Well. New Market, Tennessee.Bill Houston narrates the story of Houston's Mineral Water, New Market, Tennessee - still going strong since 1931 - Bill Houston is the the owner and operator of this Mineral Well that his Grandfather established and this is a treasured watering hole for the community. http://www.houstonsmineralwater.com/ Bill Houston is a very gifted fine artist with focus primarily on Tennessee landscapes. He also taught fine art to students at Carson Newman University for over 40 years. Bill is a 3rd generation, New Market, Tennessee resident.

Houston's Mineral Well: https://www.facebook.com/houstonsmineralwater/

Links: Krista Reece - Author: kristareese.com

Emi Sunshine: https://theemisunshine.com/

WC (Bill) Houston standing outside of his mineral well. Bill is the 3rd generation Houston to own and operate this well that his Grandfather dug. Photo: Amy Campbell, 2000.

Thomas Williams uses food for good

S9:E44. 12/31/2022

Thomas Williams, Uses Food for Good

In this show we visit with Thomas Williams - a Nashville Native who is heavily involved in the business of helping his community through food. And in these times of trouble that we are all living in right now, I thought it would be good to feature this story and how together we can really help to make our communities better. Fred Sauceman features a couple from Jonesboro TN who make a well traveled egg nog with a taste of Kentucky in his Pot Luck Radio series. Thank you so much for tuning in today, I really appreciate your good company

As a response to the devastating floods that affected Nashville in 2010, Thomas Williams along with several of his chef friends created fundraiser dinners, later named Nourish Dinners that raised money for the Community Resource Center, and Mobile Loaves and Fishes in Nashville and over the years, Mobile Meals and Fishes has become the Nashville Food Project. These fundraising dinners and are still going and have raised over a million and a half dollars for The Nashville Food Project. The Nashville Food Project and their Mission is to provide fresh, nutritious food to Nashville’s working poor and homeless communities. In this show today, we speak more on the positive impact the Nashville Food Project has on the Nashville Community.

Links:

Thomas Williams, Cornbread Consulting: http://cornbreadconsulting.com/

The Nashville Food Project: https://www.thenashvillefoodproject.org/

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

Good luck food recipes:

Asian Noodles & Greens from Mary ‘Dee Dee” Constantine (Retired Food writer for the Knoxville News Sentinel):

Ingredients:


• Angel Hair pasta (or any long noodles you would like to use)
• Fresh, washed Collard greens
• Sesame Oil
• Olive Oil
• sesame seed
• Salt
• Red Papper Flakes


Directions:
 Bring pasta to a boil and add collards to boiling water and leave in there until pasta is cooked.
 In a large, separate pan, saute mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil and soy sauce.
 Drain pasta and collards.
 Add drained pasta and collards to the pan with the mushrooms.
 Sprinkle with Sesame Oil, Sesame seed, a little salt, some red pepper flakes for a kick and serve warm.

……………
 “Smoky Mountain Sushi Recipe TM”, by Amy Campbell from The Tennessee Farm Table Podcast & Broadcast (www.TennesseeFarmTable.com)

• Link to video of Amy demonstrating how to make “Smoky Mountain Sushi” on WBIR Channel 10 Television Live at 5 at 4. https://www.wbir.com/video/news/local/five-at-four/on-a-roll-try-this-smoky-mountain-sushi/51-af11d72c-992f-4034-aef9-6888dca4f54d 


  “Smoky Mountain Sushi” - an appetizer I made for New Year’s Day, but had such a favorable response to this recipe on social media, I have decided to demonstrate this as an “any time appetizer with an Appalachian Smoky Mountain Flare”. (This is not made with fish, but rather, made with country ham, sautéed collard greens, and black eyed peas) Yield: 20 rolls Ingredients:
- One bunch of fresh collard greens

  • 10 slices of prosciutto (which is extremely thin sliced country ham) - You can buy prosciuttos in lots of different places, but the better prosciutto is well aged. And I like to use Allan Benton’s - because it is well aged, and produced right down the road in Madisonville, TN.
  • Black eyes peas, either canned, or cooked from dry. (You will need 1 cup for every 20 rolls)

Directions:


• Triple wash the collard greens to remove all sand, shake dry, set aside on dry towel.
  • Lay out your ingredients in a “work area” or a large cutting board.
  • Cut each slice of Prosciutto across widest part so you end up with 2 “half moon” sheets per piece of prosciutto. (buy as many slices as you need for the crew you are preparing these for. Each slice of Prosciutto will yield 2 rolls)
  • Place 1 cup prepared black eyed peas out on your work area.
  • Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a small sautéed pan, and quickly sautéed for 12 - 3 minutes chopped collard greens in oil. Do this quickly, so they do NOT loose their vibrant green color, remove from pan and set aside on work surface.

To Assemble:

• On each 1/2 slice of Prosciutto, place about 1 tsp of black eyed peas.
  • Place 1 tsp sautéed collard greens.
  • Fold up up ends to keep stuffing contained and root up like a little egg roll. Place seam side down so they don’t “unroll”
  • Place on a pretty dish and serve. These can be made a day in advance, can be served at room temperature, and are not fussy! Enjoy! ……………. Vasillopita Cake Recipe link: Recipe from Krystina Castella and photography from Renee Anjanette Photography: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/vasilopita-361412

Amy Campbell and Thomas Williams in Nashville, 2019.

Seed Saver John Coykendall on Cushaw Squash and Cushaw recipes.

S9:E41. 11/12/2022

Seed Saver John Coykendall on Cushaw Squash and Cushaw recipes.

In this episode my featured guest is Knoxville Native, seed saver, artist and farmer John Coykendall. John will let us know the origins, qualities,, and culinary uses of Cushaw squash.

I (Amy Campbell) share a recipe from John's book for baked cushaw, courtesy of Mrs. Cornelia Weldon, mother of Sarah Weldon Hackenburg who took many of the photos for John Coykendall and Christina Melton’s book Preserving Our Roots: My Journey to Save Seed and Stories.

Fred Sauceman, Food historian, Writer, and Professor of Appalachian Studies at ETSU shares a segment on the Native American origins of Cushaw squash.

Recipes below, please keep scrolling Links: Link to find John Coykendall and Christina Melton’s book Preserving Our Roots: My Journey to Save Seed and Stories: https://www.abebooks.com/Preserving-Roots-Journey-Save-Seeds-Stories/31015307272/bd

Contact John Coykendall: If you would like to contact John Coykendall, please write an email to me, and I can provide you with his contact information. I just don’t want to put it on this website for security reasons. Please use this link: https://www.tennesseefarmtable.com/contact-us

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

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

Cushaw Recipes:

Baked Cushaw:

This recipe with you for baked cushaw, this recipe comes from John Coykendall and Christina Melton’s book and it is courtesy of Mrs. Cornelia Weldon who is the mother of Sarah Weldon Hackenburg who took many of the photos for John Coykendall and Christina Melton’s Book Preserving Our Roots: My Journey to Save Seed and Stories Here are the tools you will need:

• A vegetable peeler
• A 3 quart shallow baking dish

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

• 1 Medium Cushaw
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

If you want to peel your cushaw, Cut it into quarters and scoop out the seeds, cut the flesh into pieces and boil until tender

If you do not want to peel the cushaw, follow John Coykendall’s direction of softening up the flesh for cooking. Cut the cushaw in half. Scoop out the seed. Place each side down on a baking pan in the oven. Fill the pan with as much water as you can. Bake at 200 until the squash collapses. Scoop out the softened flesh. Some people blend it in a blender to make it smooth, or you can mash it with a potato masher to keep it a little chunky.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mash cooked cushaw and mix with remaining ingredients. Place in a 3-quart shallow baking dish and bake one hour. Serve warm.

Recipe for Cushaw Custard shared from Fred Sauceman

Prepare the cushaw: Peel your cushaw. Cut it into quarters and scoop out the seeds. Cute the flesh into pieces and boil until tender. If you do not want to peel the cushaw, follow John Coykendall’s direction of softening up the flesh for cooking. Cut the cushaw in half. Scoop out the seed. Place each side down on a baking pan in the oven. Fill the pan with as much water as you can. Bake at 200 until the squash collapses. Scoop out the softened flesh. Some people blend it in a blender to make it smooth, or you can mash it with a potato masher to keep it a little chunky.

• 1 cup and a half of cooked cushaw
• 2 eggs
• 2Tb flour
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1 c milk

Mix and place in unbaked pie shell Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean

Seed Saver John Coykendall with a Cushaw squash at his home. Photo: Amy Campbell, 2021.

Kelly Smith Trimble Vegetable Gardening Wisdom and thoughts on Collard Greens

S9:E35. 10/08/2022

Kelly Smith Trimble Vegetable Gardening Wisdom and thoughts on Collard Greens

My guest today is Kelly Smith Trimble, an editor, writer, and gardener living in Knoxville, TN. Her book Vegetable Gardening Wisdom, a collection of seasonal advice and inspiration for edible gardeners, was released in April 2019 by Storey Publishing. Kelly is the senior digital editorial director for HGTV. She answers vegetable gardening questions in a social video series called Dig It, with more than a million views collectively. She has also been a writer and editor for Southern Living, the National Park Foundation, and Bonnie Plants. Her vegetable garden was featured in the June 2020 issue of Southern Living magazine. She was born in Knoxville and has spent her life in various parts of southern Appalachia. Today we hear about Kelly’s book, her gardening perspectives, and her thoughts on growing collard greens.

In Fred Sauceman’s “Potluck Radio” series, he features “Soutissa sausage” with a recording he made in 2018 with the Waldensian community of Valdese, North Carolina.

Dee Dee Constantine shares a recipe for sautéed trout with spinach and roasted red bell peppers from the Tupelo Honey Cookbook.

Kelly Smith Trimble: https://kellysmithtrimble.com/ Kelly mentioned in our discussion the Heirllom Collard project, ere is their link: https://heirloomcollards.org/

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

Mary “Dee Dee” Constantine: https://twitter.com/skilletsister?lang=en

Kelly Smith Trimble.

Kelly’s garden buddy and good dog, Rufus.

Apple butter in Appalachia

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S9:E34. 10/01/2022

Apple butter in Appalachia

Today, we are setting the table with a traditional food of Appalachia, “Apple Butter.” Each year in the fall time of the Mountain South, you can find pockets of people who get together and cook down bushels of apples, sugar, and sometimes cinnamon into this biscuit slathering favorite. It is one of those old-fashioned foods that is still a favorite on dinner tables near and far and makes a favorite holiday gift. Almost as important as the final product is the sense of community and preservation of culinary traditions that these “Apple Butter makings” preserve. Our featured guest is Derek Blankenship, an Occupational Therapist at an East Tennessee long-term health and health care facility in East Tennessee. Derrick and his family keep a family tradition of making apple butter each year at this time of the year in Fall Branch, TN. The recipe that they use dates back to 1905. Fred Sauceman - Professor of Appalachian Studies, ETSU, Johnson City, Tennessee, with an audio essay on apple butter in the mountain south and sausage balls with apple butter.

Links:

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

Fall Branch Volunteer Fire Department: https://fallbranchvfd.org/

Fried Pies with Dale Mackey and Iva Spoon Wilde

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/

Green Beans and Canning Green Beans with Mary Alice Phillips, Friendsville, TN

S9.E23. 06/25/2022

Green Beans and Canning Green Beans with Mary Alice Phillips, Friendsville, TN

Today, we are setting the table with green beans and canning green beans. Our guest is Mary Alice Phillips. Mary is a descendant to the Walker sisters if you might be familiar with the Walker Sister Cabin in the Little Greenbriar area of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Mary will share wisdom on home canning of green beans, the types of beans that she prefers to use, white half runners and peanut beans, and some invaluable experience on the differences between water bath canning and tips on how to handle a pressure cooker. Dried apples, canning by the signs, canning blackberries, and what blackberries to use. Mary also shares wisdom on marriage.

Fred Sauceman’s audio essay features Bill Best, Seed saver and founder of the Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center, Inc. Bill has saved over 300 types of green bean seed.

Bill Best: Seed saver, founder of the Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center, Inc. http://www.heirlooms.org/

Food Historian Fred Sauceman (Who brought to us the Bill Best story): https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman

Amy Campbell with Mary Alice Harper on 2016. Photo: Amy Sawyer.

Beans Mary Alice Phillips canned. White half runners on the left and peanut beans on the right.

Mary Alice Phillips at her kitchen table with Amy. Photo: Amy Sawyer.

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

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/

Cornbread and Cornbread Salad with Josh Lowans

S9:E19. 05/21/2022

Cornbread, Cornbread, Cornbread, and Cornbread Salad with Josh Lowans.

We are setting the table today with cornbread. I've assembled an all-star lineup of guests today to talk about this soul-satisfying staple.

• Karen Shankles has twice won first place at the annual National Cornbread Festival cook-off. Today, she shares her recipe for Festive Good Luck Corn Bread Skillet with us.
• James Beard Award-winning food writer Ronni Lundy lets us know how she makes her skillet cornbread that goes with a pot of soup beans. And she also shares with us what she calls her tao of cornbread.
• Food preservationist with deep family ties to the East TN mountains and mountain cooking Shannon Walker lets us know how he makes his cornbread and his thoughts on cast iron cookware and old ways.
• And “Mountain Man”, Josh Lowans of Salubrious Farms, Walland, Knoxville, describes a Cornbread salad recipe that his better half Meagan makes and is his family's go-to recipe.

Links:

Karen Shankles: She co-owns an accounting firm in Knoxville. Here is her Linkedin link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-shankles-45095054

Ronni Lundy: http://www.ronnilundy.com/

Adrian Miller: https://adrianemiller.com/about/meet-adrian/

Josh Lowans: On Instagram @joshlowans

Shannon Walker: On Instagram @newchilhoweevisions

National cornbread Festival: https://nationalcornbread.com/

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

Recipes:

Festive Good Luck Corn Bread Skillet. Karen Shankles shared this recipe that won the grand prize at the National Corn Bread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, in 2015. Link to Karen Shankle's prize-winning Festive Good Luck Cornbread Skillet recipe: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/festive-good-luck-cornbread-skillet

Corn Bread Salad: This recipe is one that Josh Lowans shared with Amy. His wife Meagan 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 of 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 the bottom of the serving container
• Layer pinto beans on top of the cornbread
• Layer cut corn over the beans
• Layer the diced tomatoes over the corn
• Layer ranch dressing (homemade)
• Layer of bacon (use Benton's bacon if you can get it)
• Layer Cheese on the top

Tips:

• Chill for 2 hours before serving.
• Don't use pre-made ranch dressing; it is too runny. Instead, Josh Lowans recommends using ranch dip and making your own. He suggests making it thick so the cornbread won't become soggy.
• This salad looks pretty in a clear glass serving container.

Homemade Ranch Dressing - There are countless recipes for homemade ranch dressing. Ingredients are Mayonnaise, Buttermilk, Sour Cream, Black Pepper, Salt, Garlic, and Onion; options include parsley, chives, and dill.

Little Mountain Flower Farm, Maryville, Tennessee

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/

Allan Bentons Tennessee Prosciutto

S9:E12. 04/02/2022

How does a struggling self-described hillbilly ham smoker turn into THE man on hams and bacon? Dearly loved by locals, chefs, and customers across our nation, here is his story of taking a wise chance with his business and how that has paid off.

http://bentonscountryhams2.com/

Allan Benton actually does use a computer at times.  Amy took this picture of him at Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams, Madisonville, TN. http://bentonscountryhams2.com/

Here is a picture of Amy’s “Smoky Mountain Sushi” TM.

Tyler Rogers - Chattanooga Tennessee Chair-Maker

S9:E7. 02,26,2022

Tyler Rogers from Chattanooga, Tennessee, makes wooden chairs, the old-style way with hand tools. His chairs are as beautiful as they are functional. Tyler also shares his Grandmother Wyoline Lewis's squash casserole recipe. Also, Fred Sauceman shares ham smoker Allan Benton's Red Eye Gravy recipe.

Links:

Tyler Rogers https://www.instagram.com/tr.chairmaker/

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

Allan Benton https://bentonscountryhams2.com/

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

Tyler Rogers with the chair he made 2021. Connect with Tyler on instagram @tr.chairmaker. Photo: Amy Campbell.

A closer look at Tyler Roger’s chair. Photo: Amy Campbell.

Tyler Rogers working on shaving down legs for a chair. Photo: Amy Campbell.

The book Tyler references in the podcast and snacks he had for our visit. Photo: Amy Campbell.