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

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.

Recipes for Cobblers, Jam, and Pie from Fruits of the Season

S10:E26. 07/01/2023

Recipes for Cobblers, Jam, and Pie from Fruits of the Season (Recipes are at the bottom of the page; keep scrolling)

We are setting the table with Recipes for Cobblers, Jam, and Pie made from fruits of the season. Guests include:

• Farmers Susan and John Keller have been farming in Blount County, TN, on their family farm in continuous operation since 1890. UT Extension awarded John Keller Tennessee Farmer of the Year in 2014. Susan Keller shares a recipe for Miss Lily’s Blackberry Cobbler. This recipe comes from her Grandmother (Lilian Bays Hitch).
• Dee Dee Constantine (happily retired former food writer for the Knoxville News Sentinel) sets us straight on all of the terminology used in the arena of cobblers. She examines culinary terms such as brown Betty, cobblers, buckles, crisps, grunts, and slumps.
• I (Amy Campbell) share a recipe for Blackberry Jam from that classic “Minnie Pearl Cooks” cookbook.
• And an encore Farm and Fun-Time Heirloom Recipe segment recorded during the Farm and Fun Time Program at Radio Bristol - from storyteller Toni Doman sharing memories and her Grandmother’s recipe for cherry pie.

Links:

John and Susan Keller (Kelmont Farms) Phone (865) 983-2174

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

Minnie Pearl Cooks Cookbook: https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/cooks/author/pearl-minnie/

Toni Dorman at Radio Bristol: https://birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/about/bcm-staff-and-board/

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

Recipes:

Susan Keller’s recipe for Miss Lily’s Blackberry Cobbler. This recipe comes from her Grandmother (Lilian Bays Hitch).

Ingredients:

• 1 c self-rising flour
• 1 c sugar
• 1 c milk
• 1 stick butter (melt this in a 9x13 pan)

Directions:

1. Mix flour, sugar, and milk until smooth.
2. Pour this batter over the melted butter in the pan
3. Place on top of all this about a quart of blackberries. (Use fresh, frozen, prepared filling)
4. Bake at 350 degrees (about 30 minutes) until set. *Use any fruit you want to

Recipe for Blackberry Grunt Slump provided by Dee Dee Constantine.

Ingredients:

• 4 c fresh berries, or frozen berries, defrosted, drained.
• 1 c All-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 T sugar
• 2 T butter
• 1/3 c whole milk

To make the dumplings:

1. Wisk flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a medium size bowl.
2. Cut the butter into small cubes. Add to the flower. Using your hands, or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a coarse meal.
3. Add milk, stir just until it is moist, form the mixture into a ball, and set to the side.
4. Put berries in a 2-quart saucepan. Add 1/2 to 3/4 c sugar, depending on how sweet the berries are and how sweet you want your dessert.
5. Add 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp. lemon zest, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/3 c water.
6. Heat this mixture over medium-high heat until it starts to boil. Stir a few times to be sure all berries are covered with sauce.
7. Take your dumpling dough and tear it off into spoon size chunks of dough (about 6) and drop these onto your berries.
8. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 25 minutes. Do not peek inside the pot while cooking because you will let the steam out.
9. Serve hot or cold with toppings of your choice.

Blackberry Jam from Minnie Pearl Cooks

Ingredients: 9 cups blackberries 6 cups sugar

Directions:

• Wash and drain berries. Combine berries and sugar
• Slowly bring to a boil.
• Cook until the mixture almost reaches the jelly point.
• Spread in a shallow pan.
• Let stand until cool or overnight.

*If the syrup is too thick, reheat and add boiling water, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. If the syrup is too thin, cook again until desired consistency is reached. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and process for 20 minutes in a hot water bath. Or, follow directions for a hot water bath using the Ball Blue Book. I use the Ball Blue book for all my canning directions. Makes 3 - 4 pints.

Wild Tennessee blackberries from the Author’s home.. Photo: Amy Campbell.

Butter From the Block, Knoxville’s Small Batch compound Butter

S10:E2. 01/14/2023

Butter From the Block, Knoxville’s Small Batch compound Butter

A visit with Kayla Sonneby and Kelley Calloway, Founders of a new small food business, Butter From the Block, Knoxville’s Small Batch compound Butter made in the shared commercial kitchen and food incubator Real Good Kitchen, Knoxville, TN. Amy visits with these two young food entrepreneurs on the development and creation of their new business, the flavors they produce, and where their compound butter can be found. To pre-order butter from them, contact them from their instagram page link below.

Butter From the Block Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/butterfromtheblock/

Butter From the Block story featured in January, 2023 Issue of West Knoxville Lifestyle: https://citylifestyle.com/knoxville-tn/articles/food-and-beverage/butter-makes-everything-better

Seed and Plant Swap information January 21, 2023 : https://blounttn.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=18140&month=1&year=2023&day=21&calType=0

Kayla Sonneby and Kelley Calloway inside Real good Kitchen, Knoxville, 2022. Photo: Kayla Sonneby.

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.

Sorghum Syrup, an Appalachian Culinary Tradition

S9:E37. 10/22/2022

Sorghum Syrup, an Appalachian Culinary Tradition

Sorghum 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, with a cast of characters including: 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

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

A horse provides the power for the sorghum grass press at Muddy Pond Sorghum Mill, Monterey, Tennessee. https://www.muddypondsorghum.com/. Photo: Amy Campbell.

Pumpkin Pie and news of an Old-Fashioned Country Fair

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.

Small batch Tennessee maple syrup and asparagus

S9:E13. 04/09/2022

Small batch Tennessee maple syrup and asparagus

We welcome spring in Tennessee with Clint Smith’s Small batch Tennessee maple syrup doings. And Author, Podcaster, gardener, and YouTube channel favorite “Digging It,” Kelly Smith Trimble on the topic of Asparagus.

Clint Smith: Clint is available by email, just email me first and I will text him.

The kind, smart, and amazing Kelly Smith Trimble. https://www.kellysmithtrimble.com/

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

Clint Smith with a bottle of his maple syrup. Made in Tennessee.

A kitchen table made by Clint Smith.

Fire racks made by Clint Smith for J.C. Holdway restaurant, Knoxville.

Clint Smith’s syrup boiling down.

This is Rufus, Kelly’s dog.

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.

Tennessee Morel Hunt with Chris Burger

S6:E11. 03/26/2022

Tennessee Morel Hunt with Chris Burger

Today we are setting the table with a good ole fashioned morel mushroom foraging in search of a wild food that delivers the umami taste. My guests are Chris Burger Farmer, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Century Harvest Farms Foundation in Greenback, TN. Chris was kind enough to invite me on a morel hunt for this mushroom that only appears from late March through the first few weeks of April annually in Tennessee. We also will be joined in the kitchen at Century Harvest Farms Foundation by Chef Robert Allen. He will share how he cooks morel mushrooms and what he pairs them with.

Chris Burger, Century Harvest Farms Foundation: https://centuryharvest.org/

Chef Robert Allen: https://www.robertallenculinary.com/a-destination

Chris Burger holding a morel mushroom the day we went on a Tennessee Morel hunt at Century Harvest Farms Foundation. Photo: Amy Campbell.

Lost Creek Farm, Harrison County, West Virginia

S9:E8. 03/05/2022

Amy Dawson and Mike Costello are farmers, chefs, owners of Lost Creek Farm, a historic family farmstead located in Harrison County, West Virginia. They describe their cuisine as Story-Rich, Heritage-inspired - Mountain Cuisine. They have been nominated for a 2022 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef, Southeast!. We recorded this together in 2016, and I am so happy that they have turned their vision for revitalizing this family farm into a reality. Also, Fred Sauceman with a story and recipe from the late Raymond Bautista, Elizabethton, TN.

Links:

Lost Creek Farm: http://www.lostcreekfarmwv.com/

Lost Creek Farm Podcast: Pickle Shelf Radio Hour: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pickle-shelf-radio-hour/id1499208247

James Beard Foundation nomination information: https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2022-james-beard-award-semfinalists

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

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

Mike Costello and Amy Dawson, Lost Creek Farm, Harrison County, WV. Photo: LostCreekFarmWV.com.

Olde Virden's Tennessee Pepper Company Artisanal Market

\*\*Season 8, Episode 44.\*\* December 18, 2021. In this episode, we are setting the table with a brand new artisanal food market in Knoxville, TN. This market is named Olde Virden's Tennessee Pepper Company Artisanal Market, and husband and wife Allyson and Chris Virden are behind this. This market showcases a variety of regionally made food products that are not necessarily found on shelves of larger stores. A marketplace to help growing food companies specializing in regionally-produced products to help grow their business.⁣⁣ In Fred Sauceman's Potluck Radio Series, he shares a mid-century food memory of Maude Shipley's Red and Green pear salad by way of her daughter Margaret Carr from the Central Community of Carter County, TN. And a note, none of the businesses at this market advertise with The Tennessee Farm Table.⁣⁣ Links: Olde Virden’s Tennessee Pepper Company: https://oldevirdens.com/ Fred Sauceman: https://www.facebook.com/fred.sauceman Lauren Claiborne: https://www.lcchalkworks.com/ Emi Sunshine (sings our theme song): https://theemisunshine.com/

Pictured: Lauren Claiborne (local food advocate, talented artist who painted this sign, and part of Olde Virden's market), Chris and Allyson Virden.⁣⁣⁣ Photo: Amy Campbell.

Seed Saver John Coykendall on Cushaw Squash

Season 8, Episode 37. October 9, 2021.

Seed Saver John Coykendall on Cushaw Squash

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

• 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.

• 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

John Coykendall photographed in the backyard of his home in October of 2021. Credit: Amy Campbell