Issue 14

foothills
Issue XIV Digest

Food
Nature

Art
History
Culture

Paint with

Bob Timberlake

Cookin’ with

The Kruger Brothers

$6.95 100+

Display Until 6/20/21 Recipes!

Food of the Foothills

Top 2% in the Nation.

That’s where our 2021 Covid-19
Patient Safety score ranks Highest Safety Rating
among 4,542 hospitals
in America.

During this pandemic, our team has continued
to earn a place among the highest performing
hospitals. Patient Safety — and the safety of all
who work here and enter our facilities — will
continue to be our number one priority. We
are COVID-safe and we are grateful that you
place your care in our hands.

We are here for you, and we are committed to your safety.

On the Cover: Cornbread cooked in a cast iron The art on this page is “Still Life of a Basket of
skillet made by blacksmith Matthew Shirey of Strawberries” by Bob Timberlake. You can visit

Shira Forge in in Sylva, NC. his gallery at bobtimberlake.com.

foothills

Foothills Digest

PO Box 2670
Lenoir, NC 28645

Spring 2021

Phone: 828.475.1323
E-mail: [email protected]

Website: foothillsdigest.com
Stock by Adobe Stock

PRINTED IN USA

PARTNER COMPANY: ECKARD PHOTOGRAPHIC

EDITORIAL

CARMEN ECKARD JON ECKARD JOEY OSBORNE

Editor in Chief Principal Photographer Partner

LISA BREWER

Co-editor
Writer

CONTRIBUTERS

Calvin Reyes
Bob Timberlake

Donna Steele

4

5

Emergencies Don’t Wait

When an emergency strikes, go to the place where your healthcare heroes are ready
to care for everything from broken bones to chest pain.

We have been working hard to ensure our hospital—including our Emergency
Department—is safe for everyone.

Every minute matters in an emergency. You can have greater peace of mind knowing
the right care is close to home when you need it. #YourHealthOurHeroes.

Learn more at MyFryeRegional.com

6

Letter from the Editor:

I don’t know about you, but when it got boring being stuck at home, I
started cooking, then I started experimenting in the kitchen. That led
me to ask a lot of questions, and I started to ponder our connection to
our food here in the Foothills. This region is one of the most biodiverse
places on earth, but it isn’t the best climate for many types of crops.
Pork and corn have reigned here for a long time, and you can see their
importance in our recipes. Perhaps the most “Foothillsy” food of all is
livermush. It’s hyperlocal to our region, and most of the world’s livermush
is made in Shelby. It’s a mix of pork and corn meal, and we’ll tell you how
to make it!

We packed about 140 recipes into this issue, and each is time-tested and
delicious. We think that we did a good job of selecting the region’s most
quintessential meals. I hope you’ll keep this magazine as a reference and
get to know all the culinary treats that are popular here.

Some of these meals sent me waltzing down memory lane. I
remember my grandma teaching me how to make banana pudding
with meringue. “Wait a minute-we didn’t use any pudding mix!”
My grandma chuckled at me, and I imagine she cringed inside at
the thought of instant pudding. I’ve been chasing those perfect
peaks of meringue ever since, and I hope you also love this recipe.

If this issue has inspired you, we’d love to see your recipes! Share
them to our Facebook group, or to social media with the hashtag
#foothillsfavorites!

I also want to take a moment to wish a happy 100th birthday to my
favorite club, the Hickory Rotary Club. Being a Rotarian is an honor and
it adds value to my life in many ways. There are Rotary clubs in most
communities in the Foothills, and I encourage you to join your local club.
It’s hard to make a big difference when we go at it alone, but when we
join forces, we can help to create real and necessary change. That’s what
Rotary does, and I love being part of that.

7

Table of Contents

3 Timberlake Art 46 Foraging in These Hills
68 How to Roux
7 Letter from the Editor 70 Mayonnaise Magic
72 Pimento Cheese
11 The Whole Hog
74 Carolina Style
24 Feral Swine
26 Corn Grows Here 76 Cheerwine
34 Apple Pickin’
44 The River House 84 Audacious Aspics

Getting into Jams 90
Pickling 94

Charcuterie 96
Southern Classics 98

Three Sisters 114

The First Strawberries 116
Paint with Timberlake 118

Eat in Style 122

124 Kitchen Playlist

126 CTlhaayt Good Ol’ Mountain

128 Food Notes with
the Kruger Brothers

132 Restaurants of the Foothills

136 Making Molasses

138 Venison

143 Recipe Table of Contents

10

The
Whole

Hog

In the 1500s, Spanish explorers brought hogs
to the Southeast. They made their way to
western North Carolina and flourished here.
Settlers raised pigs on their farms, and they also
hunted the swine that ran free in the woods.
They developed methods of preservation and
recipes that worked to waste no part of the hog,
and slaughtering days were always a celebration.
Our menus today still reflect these culinary roots.

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Foothills folks have an undeniable love of pork. It’s entirely sensible, since
pork is delicious and has traditionally been the most readily available meat.

In an oral history interview in 1982*, old timer Wayne Durrill remembered that hogs
ran wild in the woods, and that just about every small family farm had a few pigs. He says,

“As soon as the first frost came, that was the time to slaughter pigs
and hogs. They would render their own lard; they’d make their own
soap; they’d make their own sausage; they’d cure their own hams.
Every house had a smokehouse. They’d burn hickory logs to cure the
ham, and that ham was salted down along with the other. The sausage
was put up in corn shucks. And you talk about something good to eat.”

It’s no wonder that our cooking traditions still lean heavily on lard,
hams and smoked meats. Regional chefs have elevated cooking pork
to an art form, and they pair the meat with vegetables and herbs
that are traditionally found here. The pork at left was served in a
balsamic reduction with turnip greens and fresh greens with quail eggs.

To Pan Fry a Pork Chop:
You’ll want to let your chops rest for 20 minutes or so at room
temperature. Be liberal with your seasonings. A thick layer of seasoning
will form a delicious crust when you pan fry a pork chop. Get a cast
iron skillet, drizzle olive oil, and when it is sizzling hot, add your pork
chops. Don’t move them around. Sear for 4-5 minutes on medium high
heat. It should release from the pan when it’s ready to turn. Repeat
on the other side. Let it rest for 5 minutes or so before you eat it.

Country ham is important around these parts as well. It is a large piece of

*Oral History Interview with John Raymond Shute, June 25, 1982. Interview B-0054-1. Southern
Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection,
Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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ham that’s packed in a mix
of salt, sugar and spices for
quite some time. Sometimes
it is smoked afterwards. This
process can take months and
results in very salty and dry
meat, similar to prosciutto.
It’s often used to flavor beans
or greens, and sometimes it
is sliced thin and eaten on a
biscuit. But perhaps the best
way to eat country ham is
served up with Red-Eye Gravy.

Red-Eye Gravy

• 1 lb country ham steak
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef bone broth
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt

Cook the ham in a pan,
then remove it and keep
it warm. Add butter to
pan and let it melt. Make
a roux by whisking in the
flour. Cook that for about
5 minutes, until it darkens.

Slowly whisk in the bone broth, then the coffee.
Sugar and salt the gravy to taste.

Bacon is a favorite pork item in most households.
It’s a savory, salty treat that’s satisfying to eat. There
are a lot of different ways to cook bacon to get that
perfect crunch, but they all have their downfalls
as well. Our favorite method is very simple.

To Fry Bacon:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a
baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay
your bacon directly on the parchment
paper and put into the hot oven. Cook until
the bacon is as crispy as you desire, usually
between 18 and 24 minutes, depending
on how thick it is. This method offers
easy cleanup and the bacon is delicious,
since it cooks in its own rendered fat.

Pork fat has gotten a bad rap, and that’s mostly
thanks to an early advertising campaign by the
makers of Crisco. But I’m here to tell you that pork fat
is healthier than many other fats, including Crisco.

Lard has 20% less saturated fat than butter,
and it has a very high smoke point. Lard is
also rich in oleic acid which is the acid that
makes olive oil healthy. It also has only one
third of the cholesterol of butter. In short, it’s
a good choice for your health, and the best
choice for making fluffy pastries and biscuits.

Lard Biscuits

• 1 cup lard
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Mix the flour, salt,
baking soda, cream of tartar and baking powder. Cut in
the lard. Once you have small crumbles, slowly add the
buttermilk. Turn it out onto flour and roll out until one
inch thick. Cut out circles with a glass. Place them on
parchment paper lined pan and bake for 12 minutes.

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Eating has always been
a social event, but this is
especially true when you are
talking about North Carolina
barbecue. Our grandmothers
got together with their
neighbors over a barbecue
plate, and so did their
grandmothers. And honestly,
the menu hasn’t changed
much over the years: slow-
cooked pork, hush puppies
and coleslaw.

If you’re ever invited to a
proper pig-pickin’, don’t turn
it down. Even better, throw
one yourself!

Pig Pickin’ Directions:

Get a dressed pig then
split it down the backbone
and butterfly it. Sprinkle
the cavity with salt and
allow it to dry overnight.
Then add charcoal to
your barbecue pit and
get it hot. Add your pig,
skin side up. Close the lid.
Your pit should rise to 250
degrees and stay there.
After 7-8 hours, turn the
pig over (skin side down)
and add copious amounts
of barbecue sauce. Cover
and cook for an additional
hour. You can chop up the
meat or invite guests to
cut meat off themselves.

The biggest argument in North Carolina is over barbecue sauce. On the eastern
side of the state, they swear by a vinegar and pepper based sauce. In Lexington
and beyond, a tangy tomato sauce is a requirement. Our South Carolina neighbors
use a mustard based sauce. Which is best? We’re far enough away from the action
that we can make our own choices; we’re including a recipe for all three kinds!
The eastern sauce is generally served with white slaw and the Lexington style is
served with red slaw.

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Eastern Sauce Lexington Sauce South Carolina Sauce

• 2/3 Cup of Apple Cider • 1 Batch of East • 1 Cup of Yellow
Vinegar Carolina BBQ Sauce Mustard

• 2/3 Cup of White Vinegar • 2 tsp of Soy Sauce • 1 Cup of White Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp of Paprika • 1/2 Cup of Brown • 2 Tbsp of Molasses
• 1 Tbsp of Molasses • 1 Tbsp of
• 1 Tbsp of Salt Sugar
• 1 tsp of Minced Onion • 6 oz of Tomato Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp of Ground White Pepper • 1 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp of Red Pepper Flakes Paste • 1 Tbsp of Chili Powder
In a medium pot, bring all In a medium pot, bring all In a medium pot, bring all
ingredients to a simmer for 1 ingredients to a simmer ingredients to a simmer for
minute. Remove from heat and for about 1 minute, or about 1 minute. Remove from
cool completely. until sugar is dissolved. heat and cool completely.
Remove from heat and
cool completely

Crockpot Pork Shoulder

• Pork shoulder
• Spices to taste
Season the shoulder with dry spices liberally and place in crock pot. Cook on low for
8 hours then let rest. Hand pull it or chop it up. You don’t need liquid in the crock pot.

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Seared Bone-In Pork Chop with Season both sides of the pork chops with salt
Apple Cider and Mustard Reduction and pepper and allow pork chops to come to
room temperature before cooking. Heat a
By Calvin Reyes large skillet over medium heat and add oil.
Once it’s hot, place porkchops in pan and press
• 2-4 1/2 pound bone-in-pork chops down firmly. Don’t touch or move them again
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for about 6 minutes, when the searing process
• Salt is complete. The meat should release from the
• Pepper pan, and you’ll know it is time to flip them.
Flip and sear the other side for 4-6 minutes.
For Sauce: Once complete, make sure you let the meat
• 1/2 cup hard apple cider rest for 6-8 minutes before you serve it.
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard For the sauce, return the skillet to medium-
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder low heat. Deglaze the pan with hard apple
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock cider and vegetable stock. Add butter,
• 4 tablespoons butter mustard, and garlic powder and whisk to
incorporate. Reduce until sauce is thick
enough to coat the back of a spoon. Plate
pork chop and drizzle sauce on top.

WHAT IS DEGLAZING?

Deglaze is a fancy word that intimidates some folks. Don’t worry! It
just means that you’ll pour cold liquid into a very hot pan that you’ve
used to cook meat. What’s left in the pan is very flavorful and some
of the world’s best sauces start with deglazing. You’ll add the hard
apple cider and vegetable stock, cold, to your pan and stir. Be sure to
unstick the bits of meat and cooked goodness clinging to your pan.

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It is likely that if one food had to be and suggestions to serve it uncooked on
selected that best represented the spirit a charcuterie, but the most interesting
of this region, it would be livermush. It’s recommendation was a Shepherd’s Pie.
made of pork liver and pork shoulder This is an Irish meal, and it makes sense
as well as a healthy dose of cornmeal that we would eat it here, because many
to stretch it out and sage to make it Irish people settled here in the 1700s.
delicious. The dish gained in popularity By the Civil War, tens of thousands
during the Great Depression, where it of Irish people had resettled here.
proved to be a cheap protein source.
There are only a handful of livermush Livermush Shepherd’s Pie
producers in the world, and all of
them are in western North Carolina. • 2 tablespoons olive oil
You can find livermush in practically • 2 chopped yellow onions
every refrigerator in the Foothills of • 1 package of livermush
North Carolina, but you can also find • Rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, parsley
it served up on charcuterie trays in the • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
fanciest of restaurants around the world. • 2 garlic cloves -minced
If you aren’t living in the foothills right • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
now, you might have a hard time • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
finding livermush at your grocery store. • 1 cup beef broth
But you can easily make your own! • 1 cup mixed peas & carrots
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
Livermush • 2 cups of mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 pork liver
• 2 pound pork shoulder Cook the onions in the oil and add the
• 1 cup chopped sage livermush. Break it up and add the spices.
• 4 tablespoon salt Cook for 6 minutes and add Worcestershire
• Pepper sauce and garlic cloves. Cook one minute
• 1 1/2 cup cornmeal then add the flour and tomato paste. Stir
• 1 1/2 cup flour well then add the broth, peas, carrots and
corn. Simmer for 10 minutes. Spoon into
Trim the liver and shoulder and cut a casserole dish and cover with mashed
into small cubes. Put them in a pot and potatoes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
cover with water. Bring to a boil then and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
simmer for 3 hours. Cool, and strain,
saving the water. Grind the meat then
return it to the water, with the sage,
salt and pepper. Return to boil. Slowly
add the cornmeal and flour. Let it cool
then pour it into loaf pans. Let it cool
for one hour then refrigerate over night.

There are a lot of ways to eat livermush,
but the most popular way will always
be served simply, on a biscuit, perhaps
with mustard. We asked folks how else
they liked to eat their livermush, and we
heard recommendations for sandwiches,

23

Feral Swine

Feral swine are problematic. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
says, “Feral swine cause significant damage to plant communities and wildlife habitat
during rooting activities while they search for food, and directly impact native species
by preying on ground nesting birds and white-tailed deer fawns. On agricultural and
developed lands, feral swine cause an estimated $1.5 billion per year in damages to
crops, landscaping, and cultural sites across the U.S. Feral swine also carry a variety
of diseases that pose substantial risk to livestock, wildlife, humans, and pets. Due to
these factors, they are considered invasive and undesirable as free-ranging animals
on North Carolina’s landscape. Illegal releases continue to supplement the growing
population, making control of these destructive animals challenging.”
Because of this, feral swine are considered “nongame animals” and hunting them is
encouraged. There is no closed hunting season on private lands and no bag limit. All
persons hunting feral swine at any time must have a valid hunting license or must
be exempt from having a license. Trapping the swine is encouraged, but releasing
them from the traps is illegal, as is transporting or releasing them. Both of these
things can carry a $5,000 fine.
Because feral swine can contain diseases, it is a good idea to take advantage of
the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s testing program. To receive a
free feral swine disease test kit, contact the NCDA&CS Veterinary Division at 919-
707-3250. Find out more here: www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/Species/Mammals/
Feral-Swine

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25

26

CorGnrows
Here

When the first European settlers arrived in North Carolina, they saw
the native people growing and eating corn, which they called maize.
They were very impressed, and explorer John Lawson said: “The
Indian Corn, or Maiz, proves the most useful Grain in the World.”
He also noted that there were places in North Carolina where you
could go 100 miles and see nothing of sustenance except for corn.

Cherokee and Catawba Indians grew two varieties of corn. There was
a hard type which was used to cook with and a softer type that they
ground into flour, by hand, with a mortar and pestle. They boiled,
roasted, baked, steamed and dried corn, and they had recipes for corn
bread, popcorn, soup, and a drink. If you think a drink is odd, consider
that corn syrup is a main ingredient in almost all modern sodas.

The type of corn that was grown here in the past is hard to find now, but some
farms are growing heirloom versions of Hickory Dent Corn. Dent corns are better
suited for milling than eating fresh, which is why our diet is so rich in cornmeal.

Today, Iredell, Wilkes, Yadkin, Alleghany, Randolph, Haywood, Buncombe,
Guilford, Henderson and Alamance counties all grow a great deal of corn,
and as in the past, this corn is used primarily for milling or for animal feed.

Turning corn into corn meal by hand, as the indigenous people did, is a laborious
process. Many communities sprouted up by rivers, and the water in a river can
be harnessed using a waterwheel. Many communities had grist mills. These
were set up on the river with a giant waterwheel which would crank and power
a corn grinding operation. These sites also tended to turn into social gathering
spots. The mill ponds became the “watering hole” people gathered around.

Several communities have done the hard work of preserving these
grist mills, and you can visit many of them. Some are even still working!

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Dellinger’s Mill
Dellinger’s Mill is a water powered/stone ground grist mill. It has been in the DelIinger
family for over 150 years, and was restored by Jack Dellinger. He is the great-
grandson of Reuben Dellinger who built the mill in 1867. He says, “I currently grind
mountain grown corn into cornmeal, grits, and polenta using the same waterwheel,
granite/quartz millstones, and associated pulleys, gears, and line shafts, using the
same time honored techniques and methods my ancestors used and taught to me.”
To set up a visit, email Jack at [email protected] or call (828)688-1009.

Linney’s Mill
Linney’s Mill is a traditional grist mill in the northeast corner of Alexander County on Rocky
Creek that was built in 1790 by Richard Cook. The mill has changed hands over the years,
but it is still operational. The company sells corn meal, grits and a variety of other items,
including buckwheat pancake mix. The remote nature of this mill makes it a natural choice
for camping, and the Linney family offers camp sites for rent. To visit, call (704) 592-2075.

Historic Yates Mill County Park
This historic mill shown in the photograph on this page, still in working condition, is now
part of a sprawling 174-acre wildlife refuge and an environmental research center. Most
years there are guided tours available where costumed actors make the experience
seem very realistic. These are cancelled during the pandemic but should return soon.

Murray’s Mill
This mill is located on Balls Creek in Catawba County. It was run by three
generations of Murrays before the Catawba County Historical Association took
over operations. The historical organization has preserved the 1913 mill, the

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1890s Murray & Minges 29
General Store, the 1880s
Wheathouse used as an
exhibit gallery, the 1913 John
Murray House, furnished to
the period, and numerous
outbuildings. The addition of
these other preserved spaces
makes a visit to Murray’s
Mill feel like a immersive
historical experience.

Mingus Mill
Mingus Mill is at the far
western edge of our state, near
Cherokee. This mill was built
in 1886 and it uses a water
turbine instead of a water
wheel. A miller works on site
during regular business hours,
and he will be happy to show
you what he does. While you
are there, visit the Mountain
Farm Museum as well, and be
sure to keep an eye out for elk!

There truly aren’t many grist
mills left in North Carolina, but
they were of vital importance
to the settling of our region.
In fact, to encourage more
settlements, North Carolina
passed a law in 1715 that gave
50 acres of land and exemption
from taxes and service in the
state militia to gristmill and
sawmill operators. That’s quite
a job perk, and we can see why
people would have wanted
to take advantage of that.
Mill operators were valued
members of the community
and enjoyed high standing.

Today, we are thankful for the
mark they have made in the
culinary world, and corn meal
graces some of the South’s
most quintessential dishes.

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Perfect Grits Corn Bread

• 4 cups water • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/2 cups stone-ground corn grits • 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 stick of butter • 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup heavy cream • 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
Put the water on to boil and add grits and salt. • 1 large egg
Allow to boil then immediately remove from • 1/4 cup cooking oil
heat and cover quickly. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
Uncover and bring to a boil again, and cook over Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Use a cast
medium high heat for about 20 minutes. Stir iron skillet if you have one but you can also
so it won’t clump or burn. Cut your butter into use a glass pan or a muffin dish. Really though,
pieces. Remove the grits from heat, stir in the use your cast iron skillet. Coat it in some fat-
butter and cream then salt and pepper to taste. butter or oil. Either is ok but we mostly use
butter for this. We recommend warming your
You can also replace the water with chicken or cast iron, with butter in it, as you preheat the
beef stock or milk. This will impart the flavor of oven. Then mix your cornmeal, flour, sugar,
the liquid into the grits. You can even use 3 cups baking powder, and salt well. Combine your
of water and one cup of heavy cream for some milk, egg and oil. Mix this with the the dry mix,
truly creamy and delicous grits. Some folks use but don’t overstir. Lumps are ok. Then you just
sugar instead of salt in their grits, and I don’t want pour this into your cast iron skillet or baking
to say they are wrong, but they ain’t right, either. dish and bake until it’s golden!

31

Fried Okra

• 1-1/2 cups sliced fresh okra
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pepper and seasoning to taste
• Oil for frying

You can slice your okra, as is traditional, or skip
that step, as shown at left. Make sure your okra is
dry, then soak your pieces of okra in buttermilk.
Combine the flour, cornmeal and seasonings
to taste. Pull the okra out of the buttermilk and
dip into your dry mix. Immediately deep fry until
golden. Add a little extra salt and pepper at the end.

The okra shown is served with a homemade ranch
dressing. You can use storebought but why would
you when this is so easy?

Ranch Dressing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (use homemade!)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 teaspoons of parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dill
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, lemon

juice, or pickle juice.

Mix this all together. It works best if you mix it in
a food processor.

Hushpuppies

• 1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk or goatmilk
• Oil for frying. Peanut works great.

Combine the dry ingredients. Separately, add the
egg and onion to the buttermilk and stir it into your
dry mix.
32

Let it rest for 15 minutes and let your 33
oil get hot in a pan. Once your oil is
hot, use a melon baller to drop small
scoops (only 5-6 at a time) into the
oil. Turn them as they cook. Each set
should brown in about 4 minutes. Put
on a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

Fried Green Tomatoes

by Calvin Reyes

• 2 large green tomatoes, sliced
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon pepper sauce
• Oil for frying

Heat your frying oil to 350 degrees.
Gather 3 large bowls for making the
batter. In the first bowl, place one cup
of flour. In the second bowl, place 2
beaten eggs and pepper sauce. In
the third bowl, mix cornmeal, garlic
powder, salt and oregano. Dredge
tomato slices in bowl 1, then 2,
then 3. Fry no more than 3 tomato
slices at a time, and flip once until
golden brown on each side. That
takes about 3 minutes per side.
Remove from oil and salt to taste.

The tomatoes shown at right are served
with Pumpkin Seed and Arugula Pesto.

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

• 1/3 cup Pumpkin seeds, hulled
• 1/2 cup halved pecans
• 1 shallot
• 2 handfuls of argula
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• Water

Toast pumpkin seeds and pecans in
a skillet and allow to cool. Place all
ingredients into a blender or food
porcessor and blend until smooth.
Add water a little at a time until you
reach the right consistency.

34

Apple Pickin’
In western North Carolina, apples are a big deal. Did
you know that over 300 varieties of heirloom apples
grow in Wilkes County alone? The altitude here provides
excellent growing opportunities for apples, and the clay
soil is a sturdy base that holds water well. Growing
apples in western North Carolina tends to be a family
affair, with some farms staying in a family for up to
six generations, and counting. There’s also a spirit of
friendly competition among the locals, each proud of the
uniqueness of their apples. The apple selection locally is
truly a perk of living here, and we recommend that you
immediately stop buying apples at the grocery store
and visit an orchard. Here are some of our favorites.

Sugarloaf Orchards

This is a fifth-generation apple and peach farm between
Taylorsville and Wilkesboro. They sell at least 24 kinds of apples
and have been designated by the State of North Carolina as
a Century Farm. Their store also carries traditional food from
across the foothills. Call them at (828) 635-7477.

Deal Orchards

This is a third-generation apple farm also located between
Taylorsville and Wilkesboro. This is the foothills of the Brushy
Mountains, and it’s an ideal place to grow apples. Be sure to
visit their old-fashioned farm store. You can call them at (828)
632-2304.

Perry Lowe Orchard

This is a sixth-generation farm in Wilkes County. They grow
over 30 varieties of apples in their orchards and usually have
at least 15 kinds for sale and offer pick-your-own tours. Visit
www.perryloweorchards.com.

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Grandad’s Apple N Such

At this farm in Hendersonville, you can pick-your-own or shop at the store. With
20 varieties, you’ll have lots of options. The store also features many old-fashioned
treats, and if you visit on the weekend, several family-friendly activities are offered.
Check www.grandadsapples.com for hours.

Justus Orchard

This farm is also located in Hendersonville, NC. The fourth-generation orchard grows
19 different apple varieties. Pick apples and sample different varieties and other
goodies at the store. This is a great place to take children and offers many things
to entertain them. Visit online at www.justusorchard.com.

Sky Top Orchard

At this Flat Rock Farm, you can pick your own or buy prebagged apples. But what
secured this orchard a place on our list is their amazing apple cider donuts. Guests
watch as the scratch made donuts are fried up in front of them. Free samples of
apples and cider are also available, but do make sure to try a donut! You can find
out more at www.skytoporchard.com.

The Orchard at Altapass

This farm is located in Spruce Pine and grows 40 varieties of apples, including the
Yellow Transparent, which is quite hard to find. The farmers at this orchard are also
dedicated to preserving the history of our region, and they offer free music and
dance performances on a regular schedule. They also have a storytelling hayride that
features tales of our Appalachian history. Don’t miss it! See www.altapassorchard.org.

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Apple Recipes

With all these apples around, it’s no wonder we have dozens of recipes for them.
Perhaps the most classic dessert is the apple stack. In the past, making a stack
cake was a neighborly activity. Several ladies would all make one or two stacks
and come together to make one cake. Nowadays, you’ll probably want to make
the whole thing yourself. Apple stack cakes always use dehydrated apples.

Apple Stack Cake

For Filling For Batter
• 1 pound dried apples (4 • 5 cups all-purpose flour • 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda • 2 large eggs
to 5 packed cups) • 1 teaspoon b. powder • 1 cup dark

• 1 cup brown sugar molasses

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1 cup

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger • 3/4 teaspoon salt buttermilk

• 4 cups water • 1 1/2 sticks butter

Cook the apple filling on the stovetop for about 5 minutes after boiling. Set it aside to cool.
Combine dry batter ingredients, except sugar. Set aside. Cream the butter and add the sugar,
beating until it’s light and fluffy. Add the eggs and molasses and then beat until it lightens up.
Now you will add a little flour mixture as you beat, then a little buttermilk, then flour, then
buttermilk, until all is mixed well. Put in small bowl and chill for 30 minutes. During that time
you’ll put your apple mixture in a food processor so it gets pretty smooth. Heat your oven to
350 degrees. Now lay out some parchment paper and a circle about 9 inches across. Put this
on a baking sheet and fill the circle with your dough. It feels like half cookie dough, half batter.
Press it down pretty thin. Bake it for 12 minutes, and do this at least 6 times, to use all your
batter. To assemble, place one layer of cake, then cover with apple mixture. Alternate until
the top, which should be a cake piece. Wrap it all in saran wrap and WAIT 24 HOURS to eat it.

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39

You won’t find
your dream
home in a
magazine but
you’ve found
me and I can
help make

your dreams a
reality.

Call me to Apple Walnut Scones
set up your
complimentary By Beth Rogers
consultation.
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons butter, grated like cheese
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 honeycrisp apples, chopped
• Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking
sheets with parchment paper. In a mixing
bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder,
cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and toss
with the flour. Add the egg, buttermilk and
vanilla. Mix until just combined, being careful
not to over mix. Fold in the chopped apples.
40

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and then
pat into a 1 inch thick circle. Cut the dough into 8
wedges and place the pieces on your baking sheets, 2
inches apart. Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with
cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake until golden, about 15-
18 minutes, rotating your sheets half way through.

Candied Apples

• 12 apples (unwaxed)
• 12 sticks
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
• 1 cup water
Wash your apples and insert sticks into them. In a pot,
combine the sugar, and corn syrup with the water and
bring it to 300 degree (hard crack stage) exactly. Use a
candy thermometer. Remove from heat and carefully
stir in the food coloring. Gently dip each apple into
your mixture and place on parchment paper to dry.

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Apple Pie with Cheddar Crumb Topping

By Beth Rogers

For Filling For Topping
• 8 cups of apples, sliced • 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup of sugar • 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon • 1 stick of butter, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon of ginger • 3/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract Use purchased pie crust or flaky pie crust
• Pinch of salt recipe on page 113.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the apples, sugar, flour, vanilla, salt
and spices. Set aside. Roll out the pie crust and fit into a 9 inch pie dish. Pour the apples into
the crust and arrange evenly. In a bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. Stir in the grated
cheese and butter until pea-sized crumbles form. Sprinkle over the top. Bake on a low rack for 20
minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and move the pie to the middle rack for another 30 minutes.

• 2 slices of sturdy bread Turkey Apple Melt
• Deli turkey
• Sliced havarti cheese By Beth Rogers
• Apple slices
• Spicy honey mustard Spread mustard one one slice of bread, layer with
turkey, apple and then cheese. Top with second slice
of bread and lightly butter (or slather with mayo) the
outside. Grill with a panini press or in a pan.

• Apples Apple Salad
• Spinach
• Onions By Beth Rogers
• Pecans
• Crumbled Bacon Slice the apples and onions. Place spinach, apples,
• Goat Cheese onions and pecans in a large bowl. Sprinkle Crumbled
Bacon on top. Add the goat cheese.

Apple Dressing

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil By Beth Rogers
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of apple
In a mixing bowl, combine all the liquids with a whisk.
cider vinegar Add the spices until the mixture is smooth. Toss your
• 1 tablespoon of minced shallots salad in this dressing. You can also substitute different
• 2 teaspoons of dijon dressing vinegars and mustards for interesting variations.

with whole mustard seeds
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

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43

Gayle winston of the river house

By Lisa Brewer
Photography provided by The River House

The River House in Grassy Creek, North Carolina, is the
destination to choose when you want to leave your problems
behind. Once there, you’ll be faced with only the happiest
dilemmas: which abode to make your own for the weekend, the
Carriage House or the Chicken Coop? Which gourmet entrée to
select: the filet of beef with herb butter and vegetable mélange,
or the lobster risotto with braised spinach and mushroom
ragout?

Perhaps most importantly, which story will you ask proprietor
Gayle Winston to share? The time she borrowed money to fly
to Rome to ask Charles Boyer to act in her upcoming play, and
had dinner with him every night for a week? The time she and
her playwright auditioned Charlton Heston for a role, but turned
him down? Or the time a cashless Bobby Kennedy took her out
to dinner in California, and she had to vouch for his check?

“It was that time in New York,” she said modestly in a recent
interview. “I was extremely lucky. I knew everybody…I met
everybody.”

The tenth-generation Ashe County Glenna Gayle Hamby
Winston has done a little of everything, and she has done it
extremely well.

She has been a fashion model, a trainee with TIME magazine in
national affairs editorial research, a play producer, cattle farmer,
and caterer.

Most North Carolinians know her as the former proprietor and
gourmet chef of a number of properties: the Glendale Springs
Inn, the Old Salem Tavern, and since 1984, The River House.

Winston is always full of enthusiasm for her current project,
working harder than seems reasonable for a lady of nearly 92.
And no matter how many people are awaiting her undivided
attention, she is the personification of calm and elegance.

What’s her secret?

“We have the nicest guests and best friends,” Winston said
without hesitation. “The only thing I have better than anybody
else in the world is friends.”

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This writer has been a guest at her properties GAYLE WINSTON writes a recipe
for the past 32 years. When I asked her to drop section on riverhousenc.com. You’ll
some names of famous River House guests, she love both her conversational tone,
immediately responded, “You’re sitting in the and her recipes. Give this one a go!
very chair where Ricky Skaggs sat!” She added
that Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau had A Tomato Salad
held a reunion with some of his Yale classmates
at the Inn. Musical artists from luthier Wayne “As we all know, remove from the
Henderson to GRAMMY winner Tim Stafford of core, make a shallow X on the
Blue Highway have performed at the Inn. bottom, drop for a few seconds
into boiling water, remove, peel
The truth is, Winston treats every guest like a and slice. Sprinkle slices with finely
celebrity. Once responsible for doing all of the chopped shallots and leave for an
cooking herself, she now employs talented chef hour or two or three. At serving
Joshua Miller at the River House. time, drizzle with a bit of sherry
vinegar and extra virgin olive oil,
“He’s the only chef we’ve ever had who never salt lightly and reassemble carefully
went to culinary school,” she said. “He can’t leave! core-side down, so it will sit. Top
We have a chain around him!” with a teeny salad of microgreens
or a basil leaf and a quenelle of
With Miller assembling the superb dishes and herbed goat cheese. One guest
Matt and Julie Milunic assisting in management, commented, ‘So that’s what an
Winston has more time to create the ambience eight-dollar tomato looks like!’ And
of the River House: elegant, laidback, and just think if you alternated slices of
always fun. One year, her Valentine’s Day menu red and yellow!”
featured a course called “Flirtation” rather than
“Appetizers.” Following dessert, she served
chocolate cigarettes.

“I think about food all the time,” Winston smiled.
“If I don’t sleep, frequently I’m thinking about
this.”

Should you find yourself relaxing over dinner at
the River House, or greeting the new day with a
sumptuous breakfast, make it a point to speak
with Gayle Winston. Ask her about the 1,400 first
course and dessert servings she created for the
opening of the Stevens Center. Or the night she
had dinner with both Charles Boyer and Maurice
Chevalier. Braver types might inquire about the
chores she handled personally as a cattle farmer.
Quiz her on her latest culinary project, the Red
Dog Bar and Bistro in Piney Creek, North Carolina.

And do ask her to complete her long-awaited
memoir, if she can slow down long enough to
do so!

Foraging

in these hills

46

Our earliest eating habits as humans were based on foraging. People
ate what the land offered them as they moved about. Our foothills
ancestors farmed the land, but they foraged as well, because these
hills have always had a great bounty to offer those who look closely.
These mountains are one of the most biodiverse places on earth. There
have been times in our history where food was not readily available,
because of famine, war or depression, and knowing how to forage has
aided the survival of our communities.

Elvis Presley brought some attention to the practice in his song Poke
Salad Annie which tells the story of a girl he knew who foraged for poke
sallet, often incorrectly called “poke salad.” He said,

“Used to know a girl lived down there and she’d go out in the evenings
and pick her a mess of it, carry it home and cook it for supper because
that’s about all they had to eat, but they did all right.”

There are so many different plants and mushrooms that you can find
on a good walk through the woods, and we can’t cover them all, but we
are sharing information about ten common and useful plants, including
the poke sallet to which Elvis referred.

Many of the plants we mention can be found in your own backyard,
but you may also want to explore hiking trails. Check local rules, but
the Blue Ridge Parkway allows a person to collect one gallon of edible
plants/fungi per trip. Of course, if you are on public lands, you must
be respectful and avoid climbing trees or trampling plant life. Foraging
on National Forest lands requires a permit and they consider foraging
without a permit to be theft. This is particularly true if you are foraging
for ramps, galax or ginseng, and the penalty can include prison time
and a $5,000 fine.

Disclaimer: this is intended as a very brief article about foraging. Please be
responsible in your foraging and your identification. We have only included
“beginner plants” that are hard to misidentify, but we encourage you to pick
up a guide book or a good app. Please remember:
misidentified or mystery
mushrooms can absolutely
kill you, so be sure
to harvest only
when you have
a sure identi-
fication.

47

Poke Sallet

Phytolacca americana is known by many names: pokeweed, poke sallet,
and dragonberries are most common. This plant is markedly poisonous,
but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a delicacy, even gracing some
of the fanciest plates in New York City.

Southern food expert Michael Twitty explains the practicality of this
historical food. “Back in the old days, you had a lot of people who walked
around barefoot, in animal feces, all the time. Most of our ancestors
from the Depression backward were full of worms.” It turns out, this
plant is a vermifuge, meaning it kills those pesky worms. This meant that
poke sallet has worked as an excellent tonic, making people feel better,
and it’s reputation reflects that. It’s full of vitamin C, iron and calcium and
contains a unique antiviral protein that can inhibit the growth of some
viruses, like Herpes and even HIV. It also flushes the lymphatic system
and can relieve poison ivy.

To enjoy poke sallet, it’s very important that you follow every traditional
step. Eating poke sallet, much like eating raw oysters or eggs, is a
measured risk that we think is worth it.

If you can, you’ll want to gather your plants before they have grown the
purple berries that make them easy to identify, because they will be
much more tender, but a plant with berries is still edible.

To Prepare:

1. Set 1 small pot of water and one large pot of water to boil.
2. Chop up the leaves and stems of the poke sallet.
3. Put the poke sallet into the small pot of boiling water.
4. Cook for two minutes.
5. Discard the water from this pot. Pour boiling water from your

second pot over the poke sallet and set to boil again.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 at least twice, and up to 4 times, depending

on the potency you desire.
7. Add bacon grease and molasses and cook for flavor.
8. Add a splash of vinegar and serve.

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HICKORYROTARY.ORG

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