Food+Drink
Featured
Apples of the Earth: A Tater Tribute
High on a ridgeline on the edge of the Sugarloaf, North Carolina, in the hollow of a gap that gives way on one side to Shelton Laurel and on the other side to Spillcorn, potatoes have been cultivated for as long as anyone can remember.
Feb 1, 2025
Traditional New Year's Fare
My mother always was a great one, on the food front, for starting New Year’s off right. Our family normally ate our main meal of the day at noon, and in traditional mountain talk we called it dinner.
Nov 27, 2024
It's Better with Butter
In a world of uncertainty, where hurricanes rip up our roots and world leadership seems to hang from a thread, there is one sure constant: It’s better with butter!
Nov 27, 2024
Best Fall Fruit in Our Mountains
I was first introduced to the persimmon one September day when I was eight years old. An older neighborhood boy said he had a real treat for me … all I had to do was taste it.
Nov 27, 2024
The Many Virtues of Venison
As a mountain boy who grew up in the Smokies in the 1950s, though I was hunting, fishing, or just prowling around in the woods at every opportunity, my encounters with deer were almost non-existent.
Sep 23, 2024
Holiday Huzzah with Two Gratins
As we slide deeper into autumn and its heartier recipes, gearing up for the thrust of Thanksgiving and the chaos of Christmas, a potato casserole is one of the best things you can confect to bring everything back down to earth.
Sep 23, 2024
The Many Faces of Sausage
One of my many fond memories of a Smokies boyhood involves the family’s annual hog-killing in November. It was an all day, all hands-at-work affair that took place at the home of my paternal grandparents.
Aug 1, 2024
Tantalizing Tomato Treats
Who can imagine a pizza without a foundational tomato sauce; a hamburger without ketchup and a slice of fresh tomato; salsa without that principal ingredient; a BLT without the T? What would Italy be without the tomato?
Aug 1, 2024