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

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.

East TN Homestead Alliance and ETHA Festival July 12-13, 2024, Townsend TN

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S11:E23. East TN Homestead Alliance and ETHA Festival July 12-13, 2024, Townsend TN.

Today, we are setting the table with homesteading. Our guest is Sandy Eplett. She and her family are residents of Louden TN, they are homesteaders, she knows old-time homesteading ways and wants to equip others to learn these skills and connect. She has also created the ET Homestead Alliance as a hub for homesteaders to connect. She also has created 2024 ETHA Homestead Festival that will take place in Townsend TN at the Townsend Visitor’s Center July 12th and 13th. In this episode, we will hear about both.

Links:

ETHA Homestead Festival, Townsend, TN July 12-13th. https://www.eventeny.com/events/easttennesseehomesteadalliancefestival-11463/

ETHA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/people/East-Tennessee-Homestead-Alliance/61552488827119/

ETHA website under the Wild Body School website name: https://www.wildbodyschool.com/

Jay Tipton Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkpAxBzMNsc Length: 00:25:40

Sandy Eplett, Founder of the East Tennessee Homestead Alliance, Founder of the 2024 ETHA Homestead Festival, July 12-13, Townsend TN.

Pumpkin and Pumpkin Pie Recipes from Tennessee

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

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/

Wyatt Ellis, 14-year-old musical mega-talent from East Tennessee

S10:E32

Today we are setting the table with a visit with a tremendously talented 14-year-old musician who makes his home in East Tennessee, Wyatt Ellis. He sings in that high lonesome sound and plays in a style all his own, heavily influenced by the sounds of the father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, along with Peter Rowan and Bobby Osborne. Wyatt has had quite a year in his 13th year, in 2022, with highlights including a full-circle Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour with his mentor Sierra Hull, receiving a scholarship to work with Bobby Osborne from the KY School of Bluegrass, kicking off the CMA fest with David Harvey at the Gibson Garage, playing mandolin at Peter Rowan’s induction to the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, performing at Marty Stuart's Grand-reopening of the Ellis Theatre in Philadelphia MS. He also performed on the Grand ole Opry. All of this at the age of 13. Wyatt has recently played music with Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Bryan Sutton, and more in Winston-Salem, NC, to celebrate what would have been Doc Watson’s 100th Birthday. And he played on stage at Merlefest this past April.⁣ Wyatt made his own dream come true with the help of Dailey and Vincent - playing on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 13. Sierra Hull has also been an enormous part of Wyatt’s road along learning this Appalachian music. Wyatt is humble, not egotistical, and has spent countless hours learning mandolin, fiddle, piano, bass, guitar, and singing. He also enjoys raising collies and gardening with his family on their Blount County, Tennessee farm. And one of Wyatt’s favorite dishes is Sheperd's Pie.

LINKS:

•    Wyatt Ellis: https://wyattellis.com/
•    Junior Appalachian Musicians: https://jamkids.org/
•    Peter Rowan: https://peter-rowan.com/
•    Bill Monroe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Monroe
•    Sierra Hull: https://www.sierrahull.com/
•    Paul Brewster: https://www.facebook.com/paulbrewstercountrymusic/
•    Bobby Osborn: https://www.facebook.com/bobbyosbornertx/
•    Emi Sunshine (arranged and sung the Tennessee Farm Table theme song when she was 9 years old!): https://theemisunshine.com/

Wyatt Ellis. Photo by Joseph Cash.

Regenerative agriculture with Bluestem Hollow, Bales Farms and Lois Shuler Caughron

S10:E27. 07/08/2023

Today we visit with Tennessee farmers who practice regenerative agriculture with emphasis on beef and news about the upcoming Appalachian Homecoming. A three-day event celebrating and studying modern Appalachian cuisine and farming issues. Our guests include:

• Christopher Burger, Brenna Powers Wright, Carrie Garvey, and chef Robert Allen of Bluestem Hollow, Greenback, TN.
• Aliceson Bales of Bales Farm is located in Mosheim, TN. She and her family raise pasture-raised beef, chicken, and pork, and she shares her recipe for Beef Roast.
• Lois Shuler Caughron and her daughter Ruth Davis of Maryville, TN. Louis and her late husband Kermit Caughron were the last residents of Cades Cove, which was their home before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Louis and Ruth share memories of Kermit, his bees, his love for fruit, and saving cucumber seeds.
• And news about an upcoming event, “Appalachian Homecoming,” a 3-day event with ticket options. It is also part of the New Hope Children’s Advocacy Center’s annual fundraising event, “Bacon at the Bear, built around Allan Benton’s bacon. Christopher Burger will be a speaker during the educational component of Dancing Bear Lodge and Appalachian Bistro’s Appalachian Homecoming, which will take place August 4-6 at Dancing Bear Lodge and Appalachian Bistro, which is located in the Peaceful Side of the Smoky’s in Townsend, TN. And other speakers include Allan Benton of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams - James Beard award-winning chef and restaurateur Sean Brock who is behind McCrady’s, Husk, Audrey, The Continental Nashville, Joyland, and June restaurants. And many more speakers. That incredibly talented Wyatt Ellis, the 14-year-old musician and mandolinist, will perform on Friday night.

Links:

Appalachian Homecoming: https://dancingbearlodge.com/event/appalachian-homecoming-2023/

Bales Farm: https://balesfarmstn.com/

Bluestem Hollow: https://www.bluestemhollow.com/aboutcsa

For more information on Lois and Kermit Caughron: http://www.cadescovepreservation.com/

Emi Sunshine (sang our theme song when she was 9 years old): https://www.instagram.com/theemisunshine/reels/

Christopher Burger, farmer and owner of Bluestem Hollow, Greenback, TN. Photo: Amy Campbell 2023.

Grassland beef from Bluestem Hollow, and sausage from Lick Skillet Farm. Both Tennessee farms practice regenerative agriculture. Photo: Amy Campbell 2023.

Allan Benton’s Tennessee Prosciutto, made in Madisonville, Tennessee.

S10:E23. 06/10/2023

Allan Benton’s Tennessee Prosciutto, made in Madisonville, Tennessee.

On the show today, we are setting the table with Tennessee-made Country Ham or "Tennessee prosciutto." Our featured guest on the show today is Allan Benton of Madisonville, TN. Allan shares his story on how he learned what the word prosciutto meant and how he positioned his product to the world of fine dining. Allan's prosciutto goes toe to toe with some of the most expensive, well-known prosciuttos from all over the world.

From Radio Bristol's Farm and Fun Time show, recorded live from the Birthplace of Country Music, storyteller Tony Marr's heirloom recipe segment on Leftovers.

Links: Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams: https://bentonscountryhams2.com

Dancing Bear Appalachian Homecoming Event: https://dancingbearlodge.com/store/appalachian-homecoming/

Radio Bristol’s Farm and Fun Time Program: https://birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/radio/programs/farm-and-fun-time/

Emi Sunshine sings our theme song: http://theemisunshine.com/

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.